Edith Lucy King was born in Victoria, Australia in 1881, the daughter of Ada Louise and Charles Edward King. She had two brothers and a sister. In about 1898, when she was 17, her family moved to Perth, Western Australia.
Early in 1904, 23 year old Edith applied to the foreign mission committee of the Baptist Union of Western Australia as a Zenana missionary in the WA district in India.
Zenana is a persian word meaning 'pertaining to women'. In Hindu and Muslim societies at that time, women remained in the 'zenana' (the women's part of the house). The Baptist Zenana Mission - full title being 'Ladies' Association for the Support of Zenana Work and Biblewomen in India in connection with the Baptist Mission Society' - was formed in 1867. It enabled female missionaries to work in India to educate Indian women in the 'zenana' who would not otherwise have received any education. Other denominations also had Zenana missions and these missions were supported by the Indian government. The work of the Zenana missions expanded quickly to include schooling and shelters for Indian children. The Zenana Missions later merged into general mission work (the Baptist Zenana Mission became part of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1914, but retained separate committee and funds until 1925). The Zenana missionaries from Australia identified themselves as being separate from the English organisation, but there were strong connections.
Anyway, the application from Edith King was accepted and on 15 November 1904 she delivered a farewell address in the Museum street Baptist Church, Perth. She was described as a cheerful and determined person.
The late 1800s / early 1900s was an era of growth of single women missionaries. Indeed, most of the initial Baptist missionaries sent from Australia were women! They were highly educated for the time and had pretty strong convictions - you had to!!! - and Edith's determination would have been useful! However, it was not an easy life. Travel and communication in India was difficult. The health of the missionaries suffered, particularly from the effects of the climate and illnesses such as malaria and cholera.
Edith returned on furrlough to Australia on 5 August 1913 and was able to attend the funeral of her father which took place on 6 October. She also spoke (preached?) about missionary life in a number of churches in Perth. She returned to India during 1914.
Each year the Baptist Churches in Western Australia would collect gifts that were then sent to the Mission that Edith was working at. The West Australian, a Perth newspaper on Thursday 29 September 1910 wrote: "The four missionaries themselves, Mr and Mrs White, Miss King and Miss Brown, all of whom went out to the field of labour from this city, have not been forgotten, and gifts of hams, dried fruits, james and so forth are accompanying the toys and clothing intended for their young charges." And on Thursday 23 September 1915 the paper wrote about the Christmas gifts: "nothing had been forgotten which could bring joy to the little people at the Rajbari Mission Station, where the two Western Australian missionaries, the Misses E.L. King and G.E. Brown, have laboured devotedly for years.")
Owing to failing health, Edith came back to Australia in September 1919. It was her intention to return to India, but she did not. She spent 1920 speaking and preaching to churches in Western Australia. Her mother died on 28 November 1920.
Edith Lucy King died on 19 May 1921 and was buried in Karrakatta, Perth. She was 40 years old.
(Relationship to SNR = Friend of Great-grandparents)
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