WMU of Texas History
Woman's Missionary Union of Texas (1880-Current)
Our History
Published by: Texas State Historical Association
Several Baptist families settled with Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred in the early 1830s. Soon after Texas proclaimed independence in 1836, Baptist women began to organize mission societies.
As early as 1839, Massie Millard and Annette Bledsoe, sister of Margaret Lea Houston (Mrs. Sam Houston), organized the first Baptist women's group in the Old North Church at Nacogdoches.
Many women's groups were established during the Republic of Texas and Civil War years, the names of which corresponded with the varied Texas Baptist state bodies of the same era.
The two most influential Baptist organizations were the Baptist State Convention (1848–86) operating in the central and southeast regions of Texas, and the Baptist General Association (1868–86), which encompassed the northern and northeastern sectors of the state.
When the national Southern Baptist Convention met in annual session in Nashville in 1878, it resolved to create "Central Committees" within each state for the purpose of fostering home and foreign mission enterprises. Acting upon this resolution in Texas, twelve local societies and other women of the Baptist State Convention organized the Woman's Missionary Union on October 3, 1880, in conjunction with its annual session in Austin.
This newly-formed WMU, with Fannie Breedlove Davis as president, undertook the support of Texas Baptists' first woman foreign missionary, Anne Luther Bagby, and organized 345 Anne Luther Bagby local societies in 1881.
Historical Collections
Texas Baptist Historical Museum
Visit the Texas Baptist Historical Museum to view the WMU of Texas display case. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding major holidays. No individual appointments necessary, but for group tours, please call 979-836-5117 or email Dylan Price (dylan.price[at]txb.org) to schedule an appointment. There is no charge to tour.
Texas Baptist Historical Collection
Submitting Historical Materials: Do you have historical or biographical information about WMU of Texas or WMU groups? We would love to preserve and display your WMU history. To donate historical materials, contact WMU of Texas at (214) 828-5150 or email wmutx[at]texasbaptists.org.
You may also donate church or WMU-related materials directly to the Texas Baptists Historical Collection. The Collection is open by appointment Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding major holidays. If you plan to visit the Collection, please call (254) 754-9446 or email us (tbhc[at]txb.org) to set up an appointment. There is no charge to visit.
Who Was Mary Hill Davis?
WMU of Texas President, 1906-1931
Mary Hill Davis was born in Greenville, Georgia, and came to Texas as a small child in 1870 when her family moved from Tennessee to Dallas. At age 20, she married F.S. Davis, a physician. They had one son, Raymond, also a physician and surgeon.
Mary's heart for missions and people was evident in everything she did. She believed Texas was a vast mission field, and that immigrants needed to know Jesus just as much as citizens. Not only did she stir women to give and pray for missions (giving increased by $1.2 million dollars during her presidency), but she also encouraged leaders to take care of orphans, schools in Texas, as well as China, and retired pastors living in poverty.
Mary Hill Davis passed away on November 24, 1934, and during a memorial service held at the WMU Convention of Houston in 1935, the State Missions Offering was re-named the Mary HIll Davis Offering®.
Today, Mary's remarkable leadership continues to inspire Texas Baptists to give, pray, and serve.
The Women of WMU of Texas
To honor more than 140 years of dedication to prayer and support for Texas Missions, the WMU of Texas has developed a historical membership timeline that highlights the countless women and men who have devoted their lives to discipleship and missions in Texas.
As you look over the names, we invite you to reflect on your own journey with WMU of Texas. If your name or a fellow WMU member's name is not on the list, submit their information below.
Submit A Name:
Click the button below to share when you first became involved with WMU and in what context. You may also use this form to submit a correction.
1880 - 1889
Fannie Breedlove Davis, President, 1880
Mrs. O.C. Pope, Corresponding Secretary, 1880
Mrs. F.M. Law, Treasurer, 1880
Mary Johnson, Recording Secretary, 1881
Mrs. J.B. Link, Corresponding Secretary, 1882
Mrs. E.C. Moor, Recording Secretary, 1882
Lizzie Wallace, Corresponding Secretary, 1883
Mary Mayer, Recording Secretary, 1883
Mrs. F. Furguson, Recording Secretary, 1884
Mrs. S.J. Anderson, Corresponding Secretary, 1886
Sarah Thompson, Treasurer, 1886
Minnie Slaughter, Corresponding Secretary, 1887
Mrs. A.C. Ardrey, Recording Secretary, 1887
Mrs. S.L. May, Treasurer, 1887
Mrs. Boarwright, Treasurer, 1888
Mina Everett, Corresponding Secretary, 1889
1890-1899
Minnie White Strain, Treasurer, 1893
Mrs. W.L Williams, President, 1895
Mrs. W.C. Luther, Corresponding Secretary, 1896
Lila Mitchell, Recording Secretary, 1896
Mrs. J.B. Gambrell, Corresponding Secretary, 1897
Mary Hill Davis, Recording Secretary, 1898
Mrs. B.J. Robert, Treasurer, 1898
1900-1909
Eva Cook, YA Band Superintendent, 1900
Mrs. C.A. Westbrook, YA Band Superintendent, 1900
Mrs. B.J. Robert, YA Band Superintendent, 1901
Emma Mosely, YA Band Superintendent, 1903
Mary Figh Meeks, YA Band Superintendent, 1904
Mrs. J.S. Dillin, YA Band Superintendent, 1905
Mary Hill Davis, President, 1906
Mrs. C.H. Briggs, Recording Secretary, 1906
Mrs. J.W. Jackson, YA Band Superintendent, 1909
Mrs. A.F. Beddoe, Corresponding Secretary, 1910
1910-1919
Pearl White, Recording Secretary, 1910
Minnie White Strain, Recording Secretary, 1911
Mrs. J.H. Snow, YWA Superintendent, 1911
Mrs. J.W. Byars, YWA Superintendent, 1912
Mrs. W.J.J. Smith, Recording Secretary, 1915
Mrs. W.R. Covington, YWA Superintendent, 1918
1920-1929
Bernice Green, YWA Secretary, 1920
Mrs. Joe Etter, Recording Secretary, 1922
Mrs. J.E. Leigh, Corresponding Secretary, 1923
Kate Mayers, YWA Secretary, 1923
Mrs. W.J.J. Smith, Historian, 1924
Oliva Davis, Treasurer, 1925
Mrs. W.D. Howell, Recording Secretary, 1926
Mrs. T.C. Jester, YWA Secretary, 1926
1930-1939
Crickett Copass, President, 1931
Mrs. J.E. Williamson, YWA Secretary, 1936
Ann Hasselstine Stallworth, YWA Secretary, 1937
Mrs. R.L. Mathis, YWA Secretary, 1938
E.F. Lyon, Corresponding Secretary, 1938
Eloisa Castro, Girl's Auxiliary, 1938
1940-1949
Marie Mathis, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, 1945
Rosalind Smith, President, 1946
Virginia Ely, YWA Secretary, 1945
Eula Mae Henderson, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, 1947
Mrs. T.A. Patterson, Recording Secretary, 1947
Mrs. B.A. Copass, Historian, 1948
Ruth Thornton, YWA Secretary, 1948
Marie Mathis, President, 1949
DeRema Dunn, Sunbeams, 1949
1950-1959
Paulette Kirkpatrick, Sunbeams, 1950
Brenda Bourgeois, Sunbeams, 1952
Mrs. H.C. Hunt, Recording Secretary, 1952
Mrs. T.A. Patterson, 1953
Amelia Morton, YWA Secretary, 1953
Ethel Hardy, President, 1955
Mary Lou Sinclair, Sunbeams, 1956
Amelia Morton, YWA Director, 1956
Mrs. Tex Culp, Girls in Action Director, 1956
Elaine Dickson, YWA Director, 1957
Joyce Gill, Sunbeam Band Director, 1957
Jamye Richmond, Sunbeams, 1958
Del Lopez, Sunbeams, 1958
Mrs. Henry Heck, Recording Secretary, 1958
Mary Jane Nethery, YWA Director, 1959
Joy Phillips, Girls in Action Director, 1959
1960-1969
Mrs. Tom Drewett, Recording Secretary, 1960
Leila Black, President, 1961
Inez Hunt, President, 1963
Belle Brown, President 1963
Susan King, President, 1963
Jackie Faughn, Girls in Action, 1964
Mrs. Otto Dukes, Recording Secretary, 1964
Teri Ussery, Sunbeams, 1964
Ophelia Humphrey, President, 1964
Noemi Cuevas, Language Missions Director, 1965
Dorothy Lamberth, President, 1965
Martha Lay, Girls in Action, 1965
Katharine Bryan, YWA Director, 1965
Katharine Bryan, Girls in Action Director, 1967
Inez Hunt, President, 1968
Mrs. Earl W. Johnston, Recording Secretary, 1968
1970-1979
Katharine Bryan, Baptist Young Women Director, 1970
Claudia Jones Swain, Mission Friends Director, 1970
Sheryl Churchill, Acteens Director, 1970
Mauriece Johnston, President, 1972
Mrs. Sylvester Reed, Recording Secretary, 1972
Juanita Morales, Ethnic MHDO Scholarship, HPU, 1972
Melissa Gould, Acteens, 1974
Huis Coy Egge, President, 1976
Mrs. Raymond Dunkin, Recording Secretary, 1976
Rosemary Vickery, Mission Friends, 1977
Barbara Curnutt, Acteens Director, 1988
Eula Mae Henderson, Executive Director-Treasurer, 1977
Dorothy Miller, Baptist Women Director, 1978
Nell Carter Branum, Mission Friends Director, 1978
Mrs. H.C. Hunt, Historian, 1979
1980-1989
Mauriece Johnston, President, 1980
Joy Fenner, Executive Director-Treasurer
Argentina Carrero, Drc. E.M., 1981
Beth Campbell, Mission Friends Leader, 1984
Amelia Bishop, President, 1984
Vickie Lee, GA Leader, 1985
Lydia Nowell, Mission Friends, 1987
Gerry Dunkin, President, 1988
1990-1999
Lynn Montgomery, WMU WOM, 1990
Mary Humphries, President, 1992
Jeane Law, President, 1996
Bertha Vaughns, Director, Baptist Student Ministry, TSU, 1998
Diane Marshall, Girls in Action Director, 1998
Chris Rowley, Christian Job Corps, 1998
2000-2009
Kathy Hillman, President, 2000
Nayely Vallejo, Mission Friends, 2000
Carolyn Poterfield, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2001
Marisol Sandoval, Girls in Action, 2003
Nelda Taylor Thiede, President, 2004
Suzette Mitchell, Sisters Who Care, 2005
Nina Pinkston, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2007
Tamiko Jones, Christian Job Corps, 2008
Paula Jesser, President, 2008
Nelda Seal, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2008
Joy Fenner, President, 2009
2010-2019
Gloria Mills, President, 2010
Sandra Wisdom-Martin, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2010
Anh Quyah Nguyen, Vietnamese Women Fellowship Group, 2012
Beverlie Cloud, Sisters Who Care, 2014
Shirley McDonald, President, 2014
Stephanie Morales, Sisters Who Care, 2014
Priscilla Justice, Sisters Who Care, 2014
Carolyn Porterfield, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2016
Tamiko Jones, Executive Director-Treasurer, 2017
Earl Ann Bumpus, President, 2019
2020-2030
Brandi Jones, WMU Staff, 2020
Anh Quyah Nguyen, WMU Board Member, 2021
Jackie Faughn, President, 2023
Vickie Lee, WMU Staff, 2024
Bennye Bryant, Sisters Who Care, 2024
Please note that this timeline is updated quarterly. Submissions from Pursue will be added this fall. Make sure to check back throughout the year to witness the timeline's development. For any questions or corrections, feel free to reach out to us at wmutx[at]texasbaptists.org or call (214) 828-5150.
We're here to help. Contact us today.
10325 Brockwood Rd., Dallas, Texas 75238
Phone: (214) 828-5150 | Email: wmutx[at]texasbaptists.org