E2024-G159

Gone Too Soon in a Foreign Land: Missionary Children Who Passed Away in Gwangju

Narrative

Buried in the Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery are several infants and children, namely the siblings Thomas Hall Woods Coit (1909-1913) and Roberta Cecile Coit (1911-1913), the siblings Elizabeth Letitia Crane (1917-1918) and John Curtis Crane Jr. (1921), Elisabeth Dilwyn Nisbet (1922-1923), and Philip Toland Codington (1960-1967), who lived out their entire short lives on Korean soil. One can only imagine the hearts of their parents, who came to a far away land to serve as missionaries of the U.S. Southern Presbyterian Church.

The parents of Thomas and Roberta Coit were Robert Thornwell Coit (1878-1932) and Cecile McCraw Woods Coit (1881-1977). The Coits married in 1908 and came to Korea in 1909. Robert Coit worked together with John Preston, and took over for Eugene Bell (1868-1925) during his sabbatical in 1912 overseeing the Gwangju Station until 1913, when they moved to the newly established Suncheon Station. However, within a week of moving, his two children died just one day apart, and his wife also became seriously ill from dysentery, almost losing her life. Despite his sadness, he remained faithful to his duties in Suncheon until the following year, when he went on sabbatical. The Coits went on to have three more children Robert (1913), Judith (1915), and Mildred (1918). They left Korea in 1932, and Thomas died the same year.

The parents of Elizabeth and John Crane were John Curtis Crane (1888-1964) and Florence Hedelston Crane (1888-1973), natives of Mississippi who served as missionaries in Korea from 1913 until 1940, and then again the late 40s and 50s. The couple was married in May 1913 and came to Korea that August. John Sr. was the brother of Paul Sacket Crane (1889-1919), who had already been active in Gwangju and is also buried in Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery. The Cranes also had daughters Lillian (1915-?) and Florence Jr. (1924), and a son Paul Shields Crane (1919-2005). Florence Sr. was specialized in botany at university and was a talented painter, with her work appearing in the book Flowers and Folklore from Far Korea (1931).

The parents of Elisabeth Nisbet were Samuel John Nisbet (1869-1949) and Elisabeth R. Walker Nisbet (1890-1958). Elisabeth was Samuel's second wife, after his first wife Anabel Major Nisbet (1869-1920) died in Mokpo. Samuel and Anabel came to Korea in 1906, after their marriage in 1899. Notably, Anabel was known for her Korean language skills and also wrote a book of the history of the mission in Korea with photos entitled Day In and Day Out in Korea (1919) just before her passing. Samuel and Elisabeth married in Seoul in 1921. Elisabeth came to Korea in 1919 and was working as the secretary general of the Gwangju Mission at the time. Elisabeth Jr. died in Mokpo, but was moved to the Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery together with Anabel in 1979. The Nisbets were forced out of Korea in 1940 by the Japanese.

The parents of Philip Codington were Dr. Herbert S. Codington Jr. (1920-2003) and Mary Littlepage Lancaster Codington (1922-2003). They also had a daughter, Julia (1951-1980). Dr. Codington was sent to Korea in 1949 as a medical missionary by the American Southern Presbyterian Mission where he served for 25 years. He later served a mission in Bangladesh for 25 years, before returning to his home state of North Carolina.

Resources

type	resource	title	description/caption	URL
해설	Coit, Robert Thornwell / Coit, Cecile McCraw Woods (in Korean)	1907 Revival		https://www.1907revival.com/bbs/view.html?idxno=2907
해설	Cecile McGraw Woods Coit	Find a Grave		https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35168680/cecile-mcgraw-coit
해설	Florence Hedleston Crane	Mississippi Encyclopedia		https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/florence-hedleston-crane/
해설	Nisbet, John Samuel / Nisbet, Anabel Lee Major (in Korean)	1907 Revival		https://www.1907revival.com/bbs/view.html?idxno=2722