Introduction

Biography

Louise grew up in Eng­land, in Kent and Sus­sex, and was a gov­ern­ess to a fa­mi­ly in Lym­inge, Kent, be­fore emi­grat­ing to Am­eri­ca around 1871.

In September 1873, she mar­ried George Stead, of Hempstead, Long Is­land, at St. Paul Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church in Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio, and moved to Hemp­stead.

Only a few years lat­er, George died off Hemp­stead Bay, Long Is­land:

George Stead, a paint­er, of Hemp­stead, was yes­ter­day paint­ing a boat at the bay, hav­ing with him his lit­tle boy. The boy ac­ci­dent­al­ly got in­to the water, and the fa­ther, fear­ing he would be drowned, went in af­ter him, and get­ting be­yond his depth was him­self drowned, while the boy was saved.

The Brook­lyn Un­ion, Wed­nes­day, May 31, 1876, p. 2

As a teen­ag­er, Stead had felt called to be a mis­sion­ary. At­tend­ing a camp meet­ing in Ur­ba­na, Ohio, she felt the mis­sion­ary call­ing ev­en more strong­ly, but was un­a­ble to go to China as she want­ed due to her frail health.

Around 1880, she went to South Af­ri­ca, and served as a mis­sion­ary. She re­mar­ried, to Ro­bert Wode­house, at Port Eli­za­beth (now Gqe­ber­ha) in Jan­ua­ry 1882.

She re­turned to Am­eri­ca in 1895 to re­co­ver her health, but once again went in­to mis­sions in Rho­de­sia (now Zim­bab­we) in 1901.

After re­tir­ing in 1911, the Wode­houses lived near Mu­tam­ba­ra mis­sion sta­tion, Zim­bab­we, 50 miles south of Um­ta­li (now Mu­ta­re).

Her daugh­ter Li­ly (who sur­vived the ac­ci­dent that killed her fa­ther) mar­ried D. A. Car­son and be­came a mis­sion­ary like her mo­ther.