Samuel Robbins Brown
Encyclopedia
Samuel Robbins Brown (16 June 1810-20 June 1880) was an American
missionary to China
and Japan
with the Dutch Reformed Church
.
, graduated from Yale
in 1832, studied theology
in Columbia
, South Carolina
, and taught for four years (1834–38) in the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.
and opened, for the Morrison Education Society, the first Protestant
School in the Chinese Empire—a school in which were taught Yung Wing
and other pupils who afterward came to the United States. The several annual reports on this school were published in The Chinese Repository
for 1840 to 1846, to which he contributed some of his papers on Chinese subjects.
at Sand Beach Church
and teacher of boys at Owasco Outlet
, near Auburn
(1851–59). He worked for the formation of a college for women, which was situated first in Auburn and then in Elmira
, New York and now known as Elmira College
. Brown was responsible for sponsoring Yung Wing
(1828-1912); the first Chinese student to graduate from a U.S. university, graduating from Yale College in 1854.
of 1858, Yokohama
and Nagasaki in Japan were opened to trade and residence, Brown sailed for the former port and opened a school in which hundreds of young men, afterwards leaders in various walks of life, were educated. He translated the New Testament
, and taught and preached for 20 years. He was one of the founders of the Asiatic Society of Japan
and in many ways one of the most prominent makers of the new Japan. He returned to the United States in 1867 following a fire that destroyed his home, library, manuscripts, and notes.
, Massachusetts
, and is buried at Monson
, Massachusetts, his boyhood home.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
missionary to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
.
Birth and Education
Brown was born in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, graduated from Yale
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1832, studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, and taught for four years (1834–38) in the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.
China
In 1838 he went to GuangzhouGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and opened, for the Morrison Education Society, the first Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
School in the Chinese Empire—a school in which were taught Yung Wing
Yung Wing
Yung Wing . Born in Zhuhai in Guangdong province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy where Tong King-sing was a classmate.-Biography:...
and other pupils who afterward came to the United States. The several annual reports on this school were published in The Chinese Repository
The Chinese Repository
The Chinese Repository was a periodical published in Canton between May 1832–1851, for the use of Protestant missionaries working in southeast Asia. The Repository was the brainchild of Elijah Coleman Bridgman, the first American Protestant missionary appointed to China. Bridgman served as...
for 1840 to 1846, to which he contributed some of his papers on Chinese subjects.
Return to America
After nine years' service, his wife's health failing, Brown returned to the United States and became a pastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at Sand Beach Church
Sand Beach Church
Sand Beach Church is a historic Reformed Church church located at Owasco near Auburn in Cayuga County, New York. It is a Romanesque Revival style brick structure built in 1854-1855 on the site of an earlier 1807 frame church. The church features a square bell tower that once stood 82 feet high,...
and teacher of boys at Owasco Outlet
Owasco, New York
Owasco is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,793 at the 2010 census.The Town of Owasco is in the eastern part of Cayuga County and is at the southeast city line of Auburn, New York. The town borders Owasco Lake, from where it gets its name...
, near Auburn
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
(1851–59). He worked for the formation of a college for women, which was situated first in Auburn and then in Elmira
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
, New York and now known as Elmira College
Elmira College
Elmira College is a coeducational private liberal arts college located in Elmira, in New York State's Southern Tier region.The college is noted as the oldest college still in existence which granted degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men...
. Brown was responsible for sponsoring Yung Wing
Yung Wing
Yung Wing . Born in Zhuhai in Guangdong province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy where Tong King-sing was a classmate.-Biography:...
(1828-1912); the first Chinese student to graduate from a U.S. university, graduating from Yale College in 1854.
Japan
When by the Townsend Harris treatyTreaty of Amity and Commerce (United States-Japan)
The , also called Harris Treaty, between the United States and Japan was signed at the Ryōsen-ji in Shimoda on July 29, 1858. It opened the ports of Yokohama and four other Japanese cities to American trade and granted extraterritoriality to foreigners, among other stipulations.-The Treaty:The...
of 1858, Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
and Nagasaki in Japan were opened to trade and residence, Brown sailed for the former port and opened a school in which hundreds of young men, afterwards leaders in various walks of life, were educated. He translated 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....
, and taught and preached for 20 years. He was one of the founders of the Asiatic Society of Japan
Asiatic Society of Japan
The is a society of Japanese studies . Founded in 1872, the ASJ is Japan's oldest learned society.-Overview:The Asiatic Society of Japan was founded in 1872, five years after the Meiji restoration, at Yokohama by British and American residents - in particular missionaries, diplomats, businessmen...
and in many ways one of the most prominent makers of the new Japan. He returned to the United States in 1867 following a fire that destroyed his home, library, manuscripts, and notes.
Death
Brown died during his sleep, while visiting an old friend in StockbridgeStockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and is buried at Monson
Monson, Massachusetts
Monson is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,560 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.The village of Monson Center lies at the center of the town....
, Massachusetts, his boyhood home.
Works
- Colloquial Japanese (1863), a grammar, phrase book, and vocabulary
- Prendergast's Mastery System Adapted to the Japanese
- translation of Arai HakusekiArai Hakusekiwas a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo Period, who advised the Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi . Hakuseki was his pen name...
's Sei Yo Ki Bun: or, Annals of the Western Ocean