William Goodell (missionary)
Encyclopedia
William Goodell was an American
missionary. He was born at Templeton
, Mass.
, educated at Phillips Academy
(Andover)
, Dartmouth College
, and Andover Theological Seminary. He was accepted as a missionary by the American Board
and at the close of 1822 sailed for Malta
and thence the next year went to Beirut
, where he aided in establishing the station which became the center of the Syrian mission. In 1828, on account of threatened war between England
and Turkey
, the missionaries removed to Malta, where Goodell labored in preparing and printing books for the mission; until, in 1831, the way having been opened by the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Navarino
, he went to Constantinople
, where he commenced the Armeno-Turkish mission. During his missionary life he and his devoted wife cheerfully endured many trials and perils and were compelled to move their residence 33 times in 29 years. One of his chief labors was the translation of the Bible into Armeno-Turkish (Turkish
written in Armenian letters
), in making and revising which he spent 20 years. In 1865, after 43 years of toil, he returned to the United States
and died in Philadelphia at the residence of his son, Dr. William Goodell
, on February 18, 1867. Consult his life by Prime
(New York, 1876).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
missionary. He was born at Templeton
Templeton, Massachusetts
Templeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,013 at the 2010 census. The town comprises four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River...
, Mass.
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...
, educated at Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
(Andover)
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, and Andover Theological Seminary. He was accepted as a missionary by the American Board
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
and at the close of 1822 sailed for Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and thence the next year went to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, where he aided in establishing the station which became the center of the Syrian mission. In 1828, on account of threatened war between England
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and Turkey
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, the missionaries removed to Malta, where Goodell labored in preparing and printing books for the mission; until, in 1831, the way having been opened by the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Navarino
Battle of Navarino
The naval Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay , on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. A combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada was destroyed by a combined British, French and Russian naval force...
, he went to Constantinople
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where he commenced the Armeno-Turkish mission. During his missionary life he and his devoted wife cheerfully endured many trials and perils and were compelled to move their residence 33 times in 29 years. One of his chief labors was the translation of the Bible into Armeno-Turkish (Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
written in Armenian letters
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
), in making and revising which he spent 20 years. In 1865, after 43 years of toil, he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and died in Philadelphia at the residence of his son, Dr. William Goodell
William Goodell (gynecologist)
William Goodell was an eminent American gynecologist from Philadelphia, best remembered for first describing what is now referred to as Goodell's sign.- Biography :...
, on February 18, 1867. Consult his life by Prime
Edward Dorr Griffin Prime
Edward Dorr Griffin Prime was an American clergyman and journalist. He was born at Cambridge, N. Y., and graduated from Union College in 1832. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1838 and had pastorates at Scotchtown, N. Y. and New York City. In 1853 he became substitute editor of...
(New York, 1876).