Maud Sisley Boyd was the first woman missionary
sent by the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Foreign Mission Board.
Maud Sisley was born in 1851, in Kent, England.
After her father died,
her family went to the United States
where they learned about the Adventist message.
A visit by James and Ellen White convinced them
to relocate to church headquarters at Battle Creek, Michigan.
Maud was an Adventist member for 10 years
when she was called to serve as a missionary.
In 1877, she left for Europe
where she eventually served in Switzerland and England.
After several years in Europe,
Maud returned to the United States
in time to attend
the second annual session of the General Sabbath School Association
held in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Here she met another participant, the widower Charles L. Boyd.
The couple wed in 1879 and had two daughters.
The Boyds went as part of the first group of Adventist missionaries
to Cape Town, South Africa.
Tragically, their youngest daughter, Ethel, died at age three and a half in Africa.
The family remained in Africa for about four years
before returning to the United States.
They reached Battle Creek in time to attend
the 1891 General Conference Session.
At this General Conference Session,
Charles was asked to become president of the Tennessee River Conference,
located in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Boyds were early workers in the American South,
striving to break down racial barriers
in response to Ellen White’s call to do so.