Hudson Taylor was buried alongside Maria, his first wife, in Zhenjiang in 1905. The search for Hudson and Maria Taylor’s tombs began in 1983. As both had passed away so long ago, the Public Security Bureau directed the 11 members of the Taylor’s family to the local museum. Through leaving the Taylor’s biography, pictures of the tombs, and the indefatigable efforts of the local pastor, the Taylor family miraculously discovered the six pieces of Hudson Taylor’s tombstone three years later in 1986. However, Maria’s tombstone took much longer to find.
In 2012, the lower third of Maria’s tombstone was discovered by a Taiwan businessman in an antique shop in Yangzhou (on the other side of the Yangtze River). Mr. Huang was soon to determine the identity of the names engraved on the gravestone through a simple search on the internet. He contacted the Taylors and graciously donated Maria’s tombstone to be placed alongside Hudson’s. The remaining of Maria’s tombstone is still remained to be found.
(Source: James Hudson Taylor IV, “By our graves let China be won for Christ”)
