Emma Waldo Smith Marshall (May 11, 1879 – January 24, 1943) was an American Baptist missionary educator and linguist, born in Burma. She taught at the

Karen Baptist Theological Seminary The Karen Baptist Theological Seminary () is a Baptist theological institute in Seminary Hill, Insein, Yangon, Myanmar. It is affiliated with the Karen Baptist Convention. History The school was founded in 1845 by the American Baptist Missi ...

in Rangoon.

Early life and education

Emma Waldo Smith was born in

Rangoon, Burma Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

, the daughter of American missionaries Daniel Appleton White Smith and Sarah Lincoln Stevens Smith, Her father was the president of the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary. Her grandfather,

Samuel Francis Smith Samuel Francis Smith (October 21, 1808 – November 16, 1895) was an American Baptist minister, journalist, and author. He is best known for having written the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (sung to the tune of "God Save the King"), which ...

, was an editor and writer, best known as author of the lyrics to "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)", She lived in

Newton Centre, Massachusetts Newton Centre is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The main commercial center of Newton Centre is a triangular area surrounding the intersections of Beacon Street, Centre S ...

as a child, and graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

in 1900, and spent a year in training at the

Newton Theological Institution Newton Theological Institution was a Baptist theological seminary founded on November 28, 1825 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Newton adopted the graduate education model and three-year curriculum pioneered by Andover Theological Seminary, wit ...

, before returning to join her parents' work in Burma.

Career

Smith taught Greek New Testament classes at the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary in 1902 and 1903. She studied the

Karen language The Karen () or Karenic languages are tonal languages spoken by some 4.5 million Karen people. They are of unclear affiliation within the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Karen languages are written using the Karen script. The three main branches a ...

, and helped translate texts into Karen, including classroom materials, a translation of the Bible and a Christian hymnal. She and her husband took charge of the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary in 1920. In 1936, they were assigned to a mission post at Toungoo. They left Burma in 1942 when Japan occupied Burma.

Personal life

In 1903, Smith married fellow American missionary Harry Ignatius Marshall, author of ''The

Karen people The Karen ( ), also known as the Kayin, are an ethnolinguistic group of peoples who speak Karenic languages and are indigenous to southern and southeastern Myanmar, including the Irrawaddy Delta, Irrawaddy delta and Kayin State. The Karen ac ...

of Burma: a study in anthropology and ethnology'' (1922) and ''Naw Su: A Story of Burma'' (1947). They had five children, four of whom were born in Burma. She died in 1943, aged 63, in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Her widower dedicated his next book, ''Flashes Along the Burma Road'' (1946), to her memory. The Harry and Emma Marshall Papers are in the collection of the

American Baptist Historical Society The American Baptist Historical Society (ABHS) is the oldest Baptist historical society in the United States. History The American Baptist Historical Society was created in 1853 at the instigation of John Mason Peck. In 1862, it was chartered under ...

in Atlanta. There are other relevant papers in the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society records, 1813-1961, at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Emma Waldo Smith 1879 births 1943 deaths Baptist missionaries from the United States American expatriates in Myanmar American translators Vassar College alumni Newton Theological Institution alumni