Adoniram Judson — Biographies and Information

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was an American Baptist missionary, lexicographer, and Bible translator to Burma.

Writings:

Marriage and Family:
Ann Judson Ann Hasseltine Judson (1789-1826): Teacher, translator, author and first missionary wife of Adoniram Judson, she was the first American woman missionary to go overseas. Born December 22, 1789, in Bradford, Massachusetts, Ann became a Christian at sixteen, studied at Bradford Academy, and taught school for several years. Married Adoniram on February 5, 1812, and within a few days they began a four month ocean journey with some other missionaries on the brig "Caravan" bound for Calcutta, India. Ordered to leave India, the Judsons went to Rangoon, Burma, arriving on July 13,1813. Ann learned the Burmese and Siamese languages, did translation work, taught Burmese girls, and managed her household and cared for her husband during his 18 month imprisonment in 1824-25. When home in the United States briefly in 1822 because of ill health, she wrote a history of the Burmese work titled American Baptist Mission to the Burman Empire, which was published in 1823. She died October 24, 1826, at the age of thirty-six. They had three children: a stillborn son (1813), Roger Williams (1815-1816) and Maria Elizabeth (1825-1827).

Sarah Hall Boardman Judson (1803-1845): Translator, author, hymnist and second missionary wife of Adoniram Judson. Born November 3, 1803, in Alstead, New Hampshire. Her family knew the Judsons well, and when she was thirteen she wrote a poem on the death of the first child of Ann and Adoniram. Sarah and George Dana Boardman were married in 1825, and went to Burma to work with the Judsons. Later they settled at Tavoy to work with a mountain tribe (Karens), where she founded a school for girls. Her husband died in 1831, and she continued the work with her small son, George. Sarah married Adoniram in 1834, nearly eight years after the death of Ann Judson. During eleven years of marriage, they had eight children: Abby Ann (1835-1902), Adoniram Brown (1837-1916), Elnathan (1838-1896), Henry (1839-1841), Luther (stillborn, 1841), Henry Hall (1842-1918), Charles (1843-1845), Edward (1844-1914). She translated hymns and other materials into the Burmese language. She died September 1, 1845, exhausted and ill, on a ship sailing back to the United States.

Emily Judson Emily Chubbuck Judson (1817-1854): Author and third missionary wife of Adoniram Judson. Born August 22, 1817, in Eaton, New York. She was a professional writer under the pen name of Fanny Forester. Judson had read some of her writings and contacted her to write the biography of his second wife, Sarah. After working together on the biography, their acquaintance lead to their being married in 1846, about a year after his return to the United States following the death of Sarah. They returned to Burma, where Emily finished the biography of Sarah, which was published in 1848. They had two children, a daughter Emily Frances (1847-1911), a son Charles, (stillborn, 1850), three weeks after the death of Adoniram Judson. She returned to the United States in 1851 and died of tuberculous in New York, June 1, 1854.

See also:

The Three Mrs. Judsons: Helpmeets to the Missionary to Burma.

Recommended Books:
To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1987.

Ann H. Judson of Burma by E. R. Pitman. Published by Christian Literature Crusade, 1988.

Recommended DVD:
Adoniram and Ann Judson Adoniram and Ann Judson: Spent for God DVD. A documentary production of Christian History Institute; written and produced by Robert Fernandez. Distributed by Vision Video, Worcester, PA. [2018].
See more recommended Missionary biographies.

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