John Taylor Jones

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John Taylor Jones
Siam

John Taylor Jones (July 16, 1802 – September 13, 1851) was an American missionary, and one of the earliest

Protestant missionary to Siam (now Thailand) with his wife, Eliza Grew Jones. He is credited with introducing to Siam the modern world map,[1][2] and producing a translation of the New Testament in Siamese
(Thai) from Greek.

Biography

Jones was born in

preparatory school at New Ipswich Academy and Bradford Academy. He attended Brown College from 1819 to 1820, and worked as a teacher from 1820 to 1823. He graduated from Amherst College in 1825, and undertook graduate studies at Andover Theological Seminary from 1827 to 1830, and then at Newton Theological Institution in 1830.[3]

He married

Rangoon.[4]
: 267–268 

After

treaty were proceeding at an unprecedented pace. Rev. Jones informed Roberts that Major Burney, the British ambassador at the court of Ava who had six years previously negotiated the Burney Treaty, told Rev. Jones that Americans were decidedly preferred to any other foreigners.[4]
: 269  The praklang sent down a boat to convey Rev. Jones and his family to their new residence at Cokai, which had been arranged by the French-, English-, and Siamese–speaking Portuguese consul Mr. Silveiro, near a campong [settlement] of Burmese. The residence had been previously occupied by a Mr. Abeel, another American missionary, of whom Roberts writes:

Grave of J.T. and Eliza Jones and children

Mr. Abeel is held here in the highest estimation, by those who have the pleasure of his acquaintance. He possesses talents of a very superior order, and acquirements that do great credit to his industry; is mild and conciliating in his manners, forcible in his arguments, yet possessing a sufficient degree of zeal, never giving offence to the government, nor creating dislike by being over-zealous, and thereby disgusting the natives; but the bad state of his health would not permit him to remain on this good missionary ground, which may be made, in a few years, ready for the harvest.[4]: 268, 270 

Mr.Jones had completed in September 1833, a catechism on geography and astronomy in Siamese, besides translating into that language a small Burman tract containing a summary of Christian doctrines.

Eliza Jones died of cholera at Bangkok on March 28, 1838. Rev. Jones remarried in November 1840, to Judith Leavitt. She died at sea on March 21, 1846, while en route back to the US with her husband and daughter. He was married for a third and final time on August 20, 1847, to Sarah Sleeper (b. Gilford, New Hampshire, 1812-05-12 - d. Bangkok, 1889-04-30) who, after Jones' death in 1851, had in turn married Jones' adopted son Rev S.J. Smith on 1853-10-26. Sleeper served 42 years as a missionary in Bangkok.[5]

Jones died on 1851-09-13. He is buried at the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery.

Works

See also

References

  1. ^ The Nation. "Buddhist Reformation Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine", October 20, 2004. Retrieved on February 21, 2009.
  2. ^ Thongchai Winichakul (1997). Siam Mapped, p. 37.
  3. ^ Amherst College Class of 1825 Archived 2016-10-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on February 21, 2009.
  4. ^
    OCLC 12212199
    . Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  5. ^ Gravestone in Bangkok Protestant Cemetery, seen on 2009-02-25.

External links

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