Annie Grout and the AMA (Civil War and Reconstruction)
On October 8, 1846 Lewis Grout was ordained a Congregational minister. On the same day he married Lydia Bates in Springfield, Vermont and the newly married couple traveled to Boston that evening. Two days later they boarded a ship bound for South Africa. Lewis was 31 years old and Lydia was 28. The two missionaries were traveling to Port Natal on the southeastern tip of the African continent. Their goal was to live with the native people and introduce Christianity to the region. The British had been colonizing South Africa for forty years and this missionary effort was part of their campaign. They were looking for marketable resources, a trade route to India, and an opportunity to spread the Christian religion. Two months of sailing brought the Grouts to Cape Town, South Africa. A six week layover in Cape Town acclimated the New England pair to the climate and culture of a different part of […]