John Taylor Jones
Encyclopedia
Rev. Dr. John Taylor Jones (July 16, 1802 – September 13, 1851) was one of the earliest Protestant missionaries to Siam
(now Thailand) with his wife, Eliza Grew Jones
. He is credited with introducing to Siam the modern world map, and producing a translation of the New Testament
in Siamese
(Thai) from Greek.
, on July 16, 1802, to Elisha and Persia Taylor Jones. He attended preparatory school
at New Ipswich Academy
and Bradford Academy. He attended Brown College from 1819–1820, and worked as a teacher from 1820-1823. He graduated from Amherst College
in 1825, and undertook graduate studies at Andover Theological Seminary from 1827–1830, and then at Newton Theological Institution in 1830.
He married Eliza Grew Jones
on July 14, 1830, and was ordained in Boston on July 28, 1830, as a missionary to Burma
under the American Baptist Missionary Union
(ABMU). He and his wife set sail for the country shortly thereafter.
Rev. and Mrs. Jones worked with Adoniram Judson
in Burma. After Karl Gutzlaff
petitioned the ABMU for more missionaries, the Joneses were reassigned to Siam in 1832. Arriving in April, 1833, they became the first long-term Protestant missionaries in the country.
Jones' proselytizing work was primarily with the Chinese in Bangkok. He founded a Chinese Baptist church in 1835. His first baptism was the rebaptism of Boon Tee, a Chaozhou
Chinese who had previously been baptized by Gutzlaff, but not by immersion
Eliza Jones died of cholera
at Bangkok
on March 28, 1838. Rev. Jones remarried in November 1840, to Judith Leavitt. She died on March 21, 1846. 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 Rev S.J. Smith on 1853-10-26. Sleeper served 42 years as a missionary in Bangkok
Jones died on 1851-09-13. He is buried at the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery
.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(now Thailand) with his wife, Eliza Grew Jones
Eliza Grew Jones
Eliza Grew Jones is noted for having created a romanized script for writing the Siamese language, and for creating the first Siamese-English dictionary.-Biography:...
. He is credited with introducing to Siam the modern world map, and producing a translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in Siamese
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
(Thai) from Greek.
Biography
Jones was born in New Ipswich, New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, on July 16, 1802, to Elisha and Persia Taylor Jones. He attended preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
at New Ipswich Academy
New Ipswich Academy
New Ipswich Academy was a historic private academy in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, which operated from 1789 to 1968.-History:...
and Bradford Academy. He attended Brown College from 1819–1820, and worked as a teacher from 1820-1823. He graduated from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1825, and undertook graduate studies at Andover Theological Seminary from 1827–1830, and then at Newton Theological Institution in 1830.
He married Eliza Grew Jones
Eliza Grew Jones
Eliza Grew Jones is noted for having created a romanized script for writing the Siamese language, and for creating the first Siamese-English dictionary.-Biography:...
on July 14, 1830, and was ordained in Boston on July 28, 1830, as a missionary to Burma
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
under the American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union is an international Protestant Christian missionary society founded in 1814 in the United States...
(ABMU). He and his wife set sail for the country shortly thereafter.
Rev. and Mrs. Jones worked with Adoniram Judson
Adoniram Judson
Adoniram Judson, Jr. was an American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson became the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma...
in Burma. After Karl Gutzlaff
Karl Gützlaff
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff , anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese...
petitioned the ABMU for more missionaries, the Joneses were reassigned to Siam in 1832. Arriving in April, 1833, they became the first long-term Protestant missionaries in the country.
Jones' proselytizing work was primarily with the Chinese in Bangkok. He founded a Chinese Baptist church in 1835. His first baptism was the rebaptism of Boon Tee, a Chaozhou
Chaozhou
Chaozhou is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast...
Chinese who had previously been baptized by Gutzlaff, but not by immersion
Eliza Jones died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
at Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
on March 28, 1838. Rev. Jones remarried in November 1840, to Judith Leavitt. She died on March 21, 1846. He was married for a third and final time on August 20, 1847, to Sarah Sleeper (b. Gilford, New Hampshire
Gilford, New Hampshire
Gilford is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census. Situated on Lake Winnipesaukee, Gilford is home to Governors Island, Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap Mountain State Forest, Gunstock Mountain Ski Resort, and Meadowbrook U.S...
, 1812-05-12 - d. Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, 1889-04-30) who, after Jones' death in 1851, had in turn married Rev S.J. Smith on 1853-10-26. Sleeper served 42 years as a missionary in Bangkok
Jones died on 1851-09-13. He is buried at the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery
Bangkok Protestant Cemetery
The Bangkok Protestant Cemetery is a cemetery catering mainly to the foreign community in Bangkok. To date, the cemetery has over 1800 interments, and it is still accepting burials on a limited basis...
.
Works
- Various tracts in Siamese (1834)
- Brief Grammatical Notices of the Siamese Language (1842)
- Siamese translation of the New Testament (1843)