Amanda J. Baird (1847-1922) was born in Sauk, Wisconsin, and died in Kansas City, Missouri. She married Thomas C. Baird, a physician, in 1867. A student of Mary Baker Eddy's, Baird completed the Primary class in November 1888 and the Normal class in May 1889. She joined The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 5, 1892, and was a member of the Christian Scientist Association. She was the mother of Jennie B. Schooley, a Christian Science teacher and practitioner who helped found Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Kansas City (also known as the Western church) along with her mother in 1893. In 1896, First and Second churches of the city were unified into one First Church; however, February 1898 would see Second church pull away once again with Baird as its leader. In 1910, discord in Second Church was brought about by the excommunication of Augusta E. Stetson from The Mother Church in Boston. Stetson started an organization called the New York City Christian Science Institute, falsely proclaiming herself and her students as successors of the Christian Science movement. As a result, The Mother Church sent out warnings to other Christian Science churches against personal denomination, which was charged against Baird in connection with Second Church and her Western Christian Science Institute. A vote on ousting Baird from the church was never taken, although she was suspended for three years. Baird was listed in the directory of The Christian Science Journal as a Christian Science practitioner in Kansas City from 1890 until her death.

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