Rev. Frank Baird

1870-1951

Educator, pastor, and preacher Frank Baird was born in Chipman, Queens County, New Brunswick on 8 January 1870. He received his teacher's license from the Provincial Normal School in 1890 and taught school briefly before enrolling in the University of New Brunswick. He graduated from UNB with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later earned a Master of Arts degree at Dalhousie College. Baird was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church and served congregations in Sussex (1901-1911) and Woodstock (1911-1920) in New Brunswick, and at Pictou and Bedford in Nova Scotia. In 1927 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Presbyterian College at Montréal, Québec. In 1930 the Rev. Frank Baird was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. For the last 30 years of his life, he served as Clerk and Treasurer of the Maritime Synod and held offices on various church boards. In addition to his career in the Church, Frank Baird penned a number of short stories which were set in New Brunswick. He also wrote historical sketches and religious essays and spoke at public events. Some of his sermons and addresses were printed in newspapers and periodicals. The Rev. Frank Baird was residing in Fredericton when he died on 22 June 1951.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Chipman, Fredericton

Archival Material

• Frank Baird fonds
  ⌄
  Location

  Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

  Retrieval Number

  MC241

  Date Range of Material

  1888-1951

  Extent

  0.6 m of textual records

  Scope and Content Note

  This fonds documents the personal and professional life of Frank Baird, particularly with respect to his activities as a writer and minister and administrator in the Presbyterian Church. It consists of personal correspondence, documents relating to his education, diaries (1928-1946) recording activities and appointments, copies of sermons (1908-1940), and copies of addresses he gave on a variety of themes (1906-1937). The fonds also contains manuscript and typescript copies of his writings on historical, religious, and literary themes, as well as copies of his published monographs, Parson John of the Labrador (1924) and Rob MacNab (1923). Also included are copies of articles he collected on New Brunswick, New Brunswickers, and religious subjects, along with newspaper clippings, school textbooks, and a copy of his obituary which appeared in the September 1959 issue of Presbyterian Record.