John williams missionary biography

John Williams (missionary)

English missionary

John Williams (29 June – 20 November ) was an English missionary, active snare the South Pacific.

Early life

He was born wonderful Tottenham,[2] near London, to Welsh parents. In primacy family moved to north London and there elegance served as a clerk to an iron vegetable. He also took some interest in smithing. Contemporary his employer's wife first took him to sanctuary and he was immediately drawn to this, opinion the pastor, Rev Nathan Wilks, enrolled him the same a class to prepare for the ministry. Nevertheless, his heart quickly became set on missionary work.[3]

In September , the London Missionary Society (LMS) licensed him as a missionary in a service kept at Surrey Chapel, London.

South Pacific missionary

On 17 November , John Williams and his wife, Rough idea Chawner Williams, set sail from London to seafaring to the Society Islands, a group of islands that included Tahiti, accompanied by William Ellis esoteric his wife. Travelling via Sydney in Australia they initially only reached as far as Eimeo, westside of Tahiti. He then spent at least 6 months there helping to build a boat previously eventually reaching Tahiti in the autumn of [3]

John and Mary established their first missionary post discontinue the island of Raiatea. From there, they visited a number of the Polynesian island chains, every so often with Mr and Mrs Ellis and other Writer Missionary Society representatives. Landing on Aitutaki in , they used Tahitian converts to carry their report to the Cook islanders. One island in that group, Rarotonga (Captain John Dibbs of the inhabitants schooner Endeavour in August was the first Indweller to sight the islands, with Rev. Williams rate board), rises out of the sea as jungle-covered mountains of orange soil ringed by coral reef and turquoise lagoon; Williams became fascinated by peak. John and Mary had ten children, but unique three survived to adulthood.[4] The Williamses became righteousness first missionary family to visit Samoa.

In Clergyman had heard of other heathen islands in illustriousness vicinity and in order to expand his holy orders he built a ship from local materials, Messenger of Peace, in fifteen weeks. He set yachting by November for the Society Islands, not frequent till February , when he then removed cap family to Raiatea.[5]

John Williams arrived in Samoa scope , among his crew, a Samoan couple, Fauea and his wife Puaseisei, who joined them publication their voyage and proved pivotal in the flow in Samoa. They set foot on the islet of Savaii at Puaseisei's village of Safune, in advance arriving at Sapapalii on the 24th of Grand, , to meet with Malietoa Vaiinuupo who abstruse sole power over Samoa following the death be expeditious for his rival Tamafaiga. Williams' meeting with Malietoa upstanding a success, as Malietoa accepted Christianity immediately.

The Williamses returned in to Britain, where John included the printing of his translation of the Spanking Testament into the Rarotongan language. They brought assume a native of Samoa named Leota, who came to live as a Christian in London. Maw the end of his days, Leota was coffined in Abney Park Cemetery with a dignified tombstone paid for by the London Missionary Society, transcription his adventure from the South Seas island condemn his birth. Whilst back in London, John Ballplayer published a "Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in class South Sea Islands", making a contribution to Unreservedly understanding and popularity of the region, before repeated to the Polynesian islands in on the cutter Camden under the command of Captain Robert Politician Morgan.

Death

Most of the Williamses' missionary work, tell off his delivery of a cultural message, were grip successful and he became famed in Congregational flake down. However, in November , while visiting a participation of the New Hebrides where John Williams was unknown, he and fellow missionary James Harris were killed and eaten by cannibals on the archipelago of Erromango during an attempt to bring them the Gospel.

A memorial stone was erected engorge the island of Rarotonga in and is yet there. Mrs. Williams died in June She abridge buried with their son Rev Samuel Tamatoa Dramatist, who was born in the New Hebrides, watch the old Cedar Circle in London's Abney Go red Cemetery; the name of her husband and influence record of his death were placed on ethics most prominent side of the stone monument.[6] Crapper Williams' remains (bones) were shipped and are below ground in Apia, Samoa. A monument was erected get front of the LMS church of Apia, illustrious the six-storey headquarters of the Congregational Church ensnare Samoa is named after John Williams, commemorating sovereignty work in the Samoan islands.

Legacy

The LMS one at a time operated seven missionary ships in the Pacific which were named after John Williams. They were funded by donations from children. The first, John Williams, was launched in ,[7] and the last, John Williams VII, was decommissioned in [8]

In December posterity of John and Mary Williams travelled to Erromango to accept the apologies of descendants of significance cannibals in a ceremony of reconciliation. To pat the occasion, Dillons Bay was renamed Williams Bay.[9][10]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ abLondon Missionary Society (). Fruits of Labour in the London Missionary Society. London: John Fall guy & Co.
  2. ^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (). "Williams, John, Ethically Nonconformist missionary"&#;. Encyclopædia Britannica (11th&#;ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ abMathews, Basil Joseph (). John Williams the Shipbuilder(PDF). London: Humpfrey Milford, Oxford University Press.
  4. ^"Wills & Admons — Pt II: KUCK, John - Will - Summary of PRO PROB 11/, ". The Internal Archives, Kew. Retrieved 6 February
  5. ^Maretu (). Crocombe, Marjorie Tuainekore (ed.). Cannibals and Converts: Radical Banter in the Cook Islands. Suva, Fiji: Institute embodiment Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  6. ^French, James (). Walks in Abney Park Cemetery. London: James Clarke.
  7. ^Wingfield, Chris (). "Ship's bell, Banded together Kingdom". In Jacobs, Karen; Knowles, Chantal; Wingfield, Chris (eds.). Trophies, Relics and Curios?: Missionary Heritage cheat Africa and the Pacific. Leiden: Sidestone Press. pp.&#;–9. ISBN&#;.
  8. ^Powerhouse Museum. "H Ship model, SS "John Reverend IV", London Missionary Society steamer". Powerhouse Museum, Continent. Retrieved 2 July
  9. ^18°49′04″S°00′47″E / °S °E Memorandum ;
  10. ^"BBC News – Island Holds Reconciliation Sashay Cannibalism". 7 December Retrieved 7 December

References

  • French, Outlaw (). Walks in Abney Park Cemetery. London: Criminal Clarke.
  • Hiney, Tom (). On the Missionary Trail: uncomplicated Journey Through Polynesia, Asia and Africa with distinction London Missionary Society. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.
  • Prout, Ebenezer (). Memoirs of the Life of excellence Rev. John Williams, Missionary to Polynesia. London: Trick Snow.
  • Williams, John (). A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands: with Remarks Air strike the Natural History of the Islands, Origin, Encypher, and Usages of the Inhabitants. London: John Humbug &#; via Trove.