In the autumn of 1896 Roots crossed the Pacific to start his new life as a church missionary in China. His initial assignment was as an English instructor at the Boone School in
Wuchang. Roots was consecrated at
Emmanuel Church in
Boston on November 14, 1904, as the second Bishop of
Hankow, succeeding
James Addison Ingle. The
Protestant Episcopal Church Mission in Hankow underwent severe challenges during Roots' period as bishop; Hankow being captured in 1912 during the
Xinhai Revolution and the adjacent district of Wuhan becoming one of the main battlegrounds between the imperial and revolutionary forces. St. Paul's Cathedral in Hankow was used as a hospital to treat the battle wounded and normal church activity was very much restricted. Roots was in turn succeeded as bishop in 1925 by
Alfred A. Gilman. Roots was awarded an Honorary D.D. by both the
University of the South and
Harvard University. He died in 1945 on
Mackinac Island, where he is buried. == See also ==