Sophronia Wilson Wagoner

Sophronia Zulema Wilson Wagoner (1834 – February 9, 1929) was a pioneer worker in the missionary field and leader in social work for more than 60 years.

Career After completing her education, she taught school for several years. Her first husband, Harry Epply, died soon after their marriage, and she accepted the offer of her brother-in-law and his wife to go live with them in Cincinnati.

As a pioneer worker in the missionary field, Wagoner stood among the first who interested themselves in this cause in St. Louis. She was one of the charter members of the first Auxiliary of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, organized west of the Mississippi River. It was founded on April 4, 1870. Many donations to Foreign Missions were made by and through her efforts, and memorials and scholarships in India and Japan bearing her name stood as a glowing tribute to her untiring energy in this field. Wagoner found great satisfaction in the fact that she saw the Women's Foreign Missionary Society grow from a small organization which numbered about fifteen members to a circle that enlarged and reached every civilized country. In St. Louis at her time there were about ten societies, with three hundred or more members, each holding monthly meetings in the homes of the members. The first branch in St. Louis met at Union M. E. Church at Eleventh and Locust Streets. Jennie Fowler Willing was the organizer; Mrs. T. C. Fletcher, wife of ex-Governor Fletcher, was the president; Mesdames Clinton B. Fisk, E. 0. Stanard, J. N. Schureman, Wagoner, B. B. Bonner, Kennedy and Mrs. Woodburn were charter members. The Des Moines branch — an outgrowth of the meeting held in Union M. E. Church — had a membership of about 20,000. In 1912 more than $75,000 was collected to carry on the work in India, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Italy, Africa and other distant countries. The membership dues were two cents ($ in dollars) a week and a daily prayer. The first work of the society was to assist in building a schoolhouse in Tokyo, Japan, for educating girls. When it was completed, one scholarship was taken by the society and the girl selected was educated and graduated from the school with honors. The girl was Sophia Wagoner, named after Sophronia Wilson Wagoner. The Des Moines branch, comprising Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas, had forty-seven woman missionaries in various parts of the world, managing schools, colleges, hospitals, where many thousands of girls were educated in industrial and other lines of work, which tended to make them useful homekeepers, teachers and nurses. Sophronia Wilson Wagoner was district president for many years and had an interest in various schools in India and China. The first secretary was Mrs. Pierce; Mrs. Lucy Prescott was the first correspondence secretary. It was called the "Western Branch". Mrs. William A. Jones was the first treasurer. When the headquarters were transferred to Des Moines, the wife of Bishop Hamline was made president. At Thaudaung, India, Burmah, stood a chapel called the "Wagoner", which was a personal donation by Wagoner to the mission.