Margaret Troup Gray (4 February 1849 to 17 September 1921) was a teacher, translator, and missionary, from Aberdeen. She concentrated on teaching, studying the Chinyanja language, and producing religious and educational material in that language. During visits to Scotland she was in great demand as a speaker.
Margaret Troup Gray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 February 1849 |
| Died | 17 September 1921 |
| Known for | Scottish teacher, translator and missionary |
Early life edit
Margaret Troup Gray was born in Aberdeen on 4 February 1849. Her parents were Mary Gordon and Charles Gray, who was a clerk. She was the fifth of nine children and grew in a household where learning was encouraged. A dictionary and an atlas were kept at the ready on the family dinner table. She attended the Sunday school at St Nicholas Lane United Presbyterian church, run by Jane Melville.[1] Having trained and worked as a teacher, Margaret Troup Gray became engaged to her childhood friend Robert Laws in 1875 and, after a long engagement while he became established as a medical missionary, they married in Africa in 1879.[2][3][4] They had eight children, but only one survived—Amelia Nyasa Laws, born in 1886, was sent back to Scotland for her education at the age of eight.[5] Amelia worked in Europe as a nurse during WW1.[2] Margaret Troup Gray spent most of her 40 years at Livingstonia, Nyasaland (now Malawi), and returned to Scotland in failing health and died there.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b The biographical dictionary of Scottish women : from the earliest times to 2004. Ewan, Elizabeth., Innes, Sue., Reynolds, Sian. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2006. ISBN 9780748626601. OCLC 367680960.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b "Edinburgh University New College Library: Laws, Robert". www.mundus.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ Livingstone, William Pringle (1921). Laws of Livingstonia: A Narrative of Missionary Adventure and Achievement. Hodder and Stoughton.
- ^ "Robert Laws - Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society". www.med-chi.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Archives and Manuscripts - Special Collections - University of Aberdeen". calms.abdn.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.