1900 - Thomas & Mrs. Underwood

August 9, 1900

Xinzhou, Shanxi

Thomas Underwood and his wife.

Thomas John Underwood was born at Cheltenham, England, in 1867. When he was just five-years-old his family relocated to Bath, where his father engaged in worked with the Baptist Church. Thomas gave his heart to Christ at a young age, and matured in his faith far beyond other children his age. As a teenager, Thomas entered Bristol College to obtain skills that would be useful on the mission field.

Friends and colleagues later said of Thomas Underwood that although his appearance was grave, inwardly “his tenderness, his humour, his high honour, and his absolute devotion to his lord, marked him off for the love and reverence of all who were privileged to know him intimately.”[1] He was ordained into the ministry in September 1896, and arrived at Taiyuan in Shanxi Province the following autumn, where he commenced language study while staying in the home of A. Soweby. Thomas made good progress and was not afraid to “walk in the squalid streets of the Chinese city, getting accustomed to noisome smells and disgusting sights and uncouth tones.”[2] Soon he was speaking Chinese like a veteran, and was given charge of the Boys’ School in Taiyuan.

Miss White, who later married Underwood, was an orphan from Bath. As a teenager she gave her life to Jesus Christ, and never wavered in her commitment. After her engagement to Thomas she spent a year being trained as a nurse and midwife. It was an emotionally difficult year for her, as her fiancé was already in China, and letters back and forth took months to reach their destination. She finally sailed for China and the two were married at Shanghai on October 24, 1898.

When the Boxer attacks commenced, the Underwoods were 45 miles (73 km) from their home, visiting the McCurrachs in Xinzhou. After hearing of the slaughter at Taiyuan they realized there was no point returning home and remained at Xinzhou. The Underwoods were among the eight missionaries slain on August 9, 1900.

Following news of the massacre, friends of the Underwoods wrote, “The martyrdom of Mr. and Mrs. Underwood was an unspeakable sorrow to those who knew and loved them, and a great loss to the missionary staff. Only a few of their colleagues were left to mourn for them, but those who remain will never fail to cherish their memory with the deepest affection and respect.”[3]