Laura Askew Haygood
Laura Askew Haygood (October 14, 1845 – April 29, 1900) was an American educator and missionary from Georgia. A sister of Atticus Greene Haygood, she founded a school in Atlanta and served as a missionary in China.
Laura Askew Haygood | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1845 Watkinsville, Georgia, United States |
| Died | April 29, 1900 (aged 54) Shanghai, China |
| Resting place | Bubbling Well Road Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan College |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, missionary |
| Relatives | Atticus Greene Haygood (brother) |
Early life
Haygood was born in Watkinsville, Georgia on October 14, 1845, to Greene Berry Haygood and Martha Ann Askew.[1] She was the younger sister of Atticus Greene Haygood, who would later become a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MECS).[2] In 1852, her family moved to Atlanta, where she was homeschooled by her mother.[3][4] She would later enroll at Wesleyan College at the age of 16, graduating two years later with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1864.[4][5] Shortly thereafter, she opened her own high school for girls in Atlanta, which ultimately merged with Girls High School. Haygood served as the principal and an educator at Girls following its merger in 1877.[1][6] In 1882, Haygood established the Trinity Home Mission to assist in training women to help the poor in Atlanta.[7]
In 1884, Haygood was sent to China as a missionary by the Woman's Board of Missions of the MECS.[8] While in Shanghai, she helped found the McTyeire School in 1892, which is now Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School.[9][10] Placed on medical furlough between 1894 and 1896, Haygood would afterwards return to China to serve as director of the Woman's Board.[8][10]
Death and legacy
Haygood died on April 29, 1900, while on mission in Shanghai. She was buried at the Bubbling Well Road Cemetery in the Shanghai International Settlement.[10]
In 1916, the Laura Haygood Normal School was established in Suzhou.[4][8] In 1926, Haygood Memorial Methodist Church was established in Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood, named in honor of Laura and her brother.[11] In 2000, she was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.[5]
References
- "Haygood, Laura Askew (1845–1900)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- "Laura Askew Haygood". Oxford Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- Georgia Biographical Dictionary. Vol. 1 (2008–2009 ed.). Somerset Publishers. 1999. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-878592-42-2 – via Google Books.
- "Haygood, Laura Askew (1845-1900)". Methodist Mission Bicentennial. April 24, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- "Laura Askew Haygood". Georgia Women of Achievement. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- Catron-Sullivan, Staci; Neill, Susan (2005). Women in Atlanta. Arcadia Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-7385-1745-2 – via Google Books.
- Bercaw, Nancy; Ownby, Ted, eds. (2009). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Vol. 13: Gender. University of North Carolina Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-4696-1672-8 – via Google Books.
- Yrigoyen Jr, Charles; Warrick, Susan E. (2005). Historical Dictionary of Methodism (Second ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8108-6546-4 – via Google Books.
- "Marker Monday: Birthplace of Bishop A. G. Haygood and Miss Laura A. Haygood". Georgia Historical Society. January 13, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S., eds. (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary. Vol. II. Harvard University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-674-62734-5 – via Google Books.
- "Our Story". Haygood Memorial United Methodist Church. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
