Introduction  I  Family History  I

Here is a summary of Chapter 2 - it takes you up to 1892...WWI and the Russian Revolution have not happened yet.

Also Leslie says, "Do tell others about the book DAUGHTER OF PERSIA by  (I forget).  It came across my vision while looking for books for Bhutan and sounded interesting.  The woman grew up in a wealthy family before the revolution.  She is now in the US. Her story gives great insights for the rest of us into how the Persians think."

Best regards,

Barbara

Chapter 2:

Early Influences

When William was 5 years old, the family moved back to America on furlough. Because his mother was not well they stayed in the United States for several years. The family went to Charlotte, North Carolina where William’s father worked for freedmen in Biddle Institute. Life was hard because families engaged in work for the freed slaves were ostracized socially, the children were cut off from school and companionship with other children.

The Shedds spent 6 years working in the South and two more children were born; William’s sister Sarah died and William became very sick and spent a lot of time in bed. His mother wrote, “He was not yet 10 but he was an interested reader and talked to me of Russian affairs and international relations.”

William had not white children to play with and attended the Presbyterian church in town; their family doctor ignored the other whites and was there friend – just about the only one. He says, “Communion services were sometimes held in the woods…at noon picnic dinners were spread…fried chicken, sweet potatoes, pies and cakes and other dainties made by cooks who had learned the art in the great houses of the slave plantations.”

In 1876 the family went to Philadelphia to the Centennial Exposition. See http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/1876fair.html

In 1878 Marietta College conferred on William’s father a degree of Doctor of Divinity.  William’s father and mother and younger brothers and sisters returned to Persia (Iran) leaving William with relatives to prepare and go to Marietta College. William was 15 on entering Marietta. Students who knew him say he had brown eyes, small brown hands, was quick at mathematics, good at sports, and generally goodnatured. He was most remembered for his attitude toward the “black sheep” at school – they said that this was his best characteristic.

In 1880 he returned to home and Persia – to Urumia station. See http://www.iranchamber.com/religions/articles/american_presbyterian_missionaries_zirinsky.pdf  When you access this PDF file go to page 3 or do a find on urmia station. Or read this web page and do a ‘ctl f’ and enter Shedd or urmia station. [The old spelling is with the extra u.]

When William returned to Urmia Station, a terrible famine was going on. This famine was followed by the Kurdish raid of Skeik Obeidullah.  Here is an article – probably more than you want… http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/APO_ARN/ARMENIA_old_Persian_Armina_Arme.html.  Apparently this Sheik was so important that until WWI all events in Urmia were dated from the “coming of the Sheik.”

First the Shedds lived through the famine, then came the Kurdish raid. The Shedds got news that their oldest son (still in America) had a nervous breakdown. Shortly after the Kurds left, they had to take their youngest son to the graveyard at Seir. See http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/seir.html I do not know why they would go there…

For the next few years there were “disturbed political conditions”; work made life in the Mission Station very busy. William cataloged the College and Station libraries, taught in the high schools and college, studied language, visited village schools, tutored his younger brothers – thus releasing his mother for missionary work. His father was the principal of the College. William then returned to the US to finish college – he did not yet know what he wanted to do – he thought he would like to be a college professor but said, “I suppose I ought to do what will do the most good, and there were certain reasons why I should go to Persia.”

He graduated from Marietta in 1887; letters from his father indicated how hard it was in Persia. “Sometimes it seems the clouds are closing in. The Turks, bigoted and cruel beyond reformation, bound by their religion …to repress the light… Overshadowing all these regions is the great empire of Russia, crushing all liberty of conscience…Notice has been served to desist from all sales of Scripture….’anyone who reads the New Testament is worthy of death’”.

He returned to Persia to help his parents for two years and then he returned to the US and studied at Princeton. The other students said they liked to “sit at Sheddy’s feet and study Syriac – for it was his mother tongue.” He said he learned to look at intellectual and religious problems positively rather than negatively…”What I do believe, not what I don’t believe.” He said he thought he was too much under the one-sided influences of “blue Presbyterianism.” [I have no idea what blue Presbyterianism is.] He wrote, “My ambition is to become a competent Orientalist…My prayer is that God will …use me in converting the Mohammedan world in a way He sees fit.”

He was ordained at Marietta in the summer of 1892 and in a few weeks he sailed for Persia, a full-fledged missionary.

Updated 3/10/06