Kate Crawford and Zachary Clay Taylor
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Taylors were among the earliest Baptist missionaries to Brazil. Zachary Clay Taylor (b. 1851) was a pastor preparing for missions when he met Kate Crawford (b. 1862), a Salado school teacher. They wed Christmas Day 1881 at the then named Salado Baptist Church of Christ. After the ceremony, the church commissioned the Taylors as missionaries to Brazil. They arrived there in 1882 and helped organize a Portuguese-speaking Baptist church. Besides other duties, Kate translated evangelistic materials from English to Portuguese. She died in 1894 from cancer. Zachary later remarried and stayed in Brazil until 1909, when he returned to Texas. He drowned during the 1919 hurricane that devastated Corpus Christi. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Kate Crawford, a Salado schoolteacher, married pastor Zachary Clay Taylor on Christmas Day 1881, and their church commissioned them that same day as missionaries to Brazil. Arriving in 1882, they helped organize a Portuguese-speaking Baptist congregation, with Kate translating evangelistic writings into Portuguese until her death from cancer in 1894. Zachary remained in Brazil until 1909, returning to Texas only to drown in the great 1919 hurricane that devastated Corpus Christi.
Why it matters
The couple represents the wave of American Protestant missionaries who carried their faith abroad in the late nineteenth century, with a Texas schoolteacher's language work at the center of the story.
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Related people
- · Kate Crawford Taylor
- · Zachary Clay Taylor
Themes & tags
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