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John Brown senior, who was born c1786, began his ministerial career in 1807 at Alnwick, Northumberland. After a few years working in a number of home circuits he was selected by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society to start a mission on the island of Hispaniola, in part due to his knowledge of French. He sailed, with James Catts, from Bristol on 22 November 1815 and originally landed in Tobago. After a short time preaching there they left for Port-au-Prince (arriving on 7th February 1817) but not before they recommended to the Missionary Committee that a mission should be established on Tobago (which it later was). Both Brown and Catts had a difficult time establishing the mission with Catts concentrating on education (founding a short-lived school) and Brown tending to pastoral matters and most of the preaching. Both of them were taken ill with fever in February 1817 which subsequently hampered their efforts.
An incident in November 1818 brought their mission to a rapid close (and led to no Wesleyan Methodist missionary returning for 9 years). A man, who had been seen in the past worshiping at the Methodist chapel, committed matricide. Some individuals, already antagonistic to the mission, used the opportunity to blame the missionaries for the incident, which in turn resulted in acts of violence against both people and property. The situation escalated to the point where President Boyer recommended both missionaries leave: Catts going to the Antigua District and Brown returning to England, landing in March 1819. The Methodist community continued in Port-au-Prince (albeit sometimes in adversity) and actually increased in numbers in the following years.
Brown briefly stayed in London before being sent by the WMMS to work in the Channel Islands for four years. The remainder of his career was spent in Home circuits with London featuring prominently and where he became a supernumerary in 1854. He died at Chelsea on 11th August 1867.
Further Reading:
Bird, M B, The Black Man; or, Haytian Independence (1869); [Haiti]
Findlay & Holdsworth, The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society', (vol 2, 1921);
Pressoir, C, Le Protestantisme Haïtien, (1945-1977) |
John Brown senior, who was born c1786, began his ministerial career in 1807 at Alnwick, Northumberland. After a few years working in a number of home circuits he was selected by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society to start a mission on the island of Hispaniola, in part due to his knowledge of French. He sailed, with James Catts, from Bristol on 22 November 1815 and originally landed in Tobago. After a short time preaching there they left for Port-au-Prince (arriving on 7th February 1817) but not before they recommended to the Missionary C ... View more |
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Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence for John Brown senior, as well as his colleague James Catts (MMS/West Indies/Correspondence/General/FBN 2). Brown's correspondence for his period in the Channel Islands is also extant (MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Channel Islands/FBN 3).
There are two letters by Brown within the Steele Collection (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 46).
The WMMS printed annual reports for 1817 and 1818 contain some information on Brown's and Catt's work as well as some extracts from Brown's letters. |
Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence for John Brown senior, as well as his colleague James Catts (MMS/West Indies/Correspondence/General/FBN 2). Brown's correspondence for his period in the Channel Islands is also extant (MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Channel Islands/FBN 3).
There are two letters by Brown within the Steele Collection (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 46).
The WMMS printed annual reports for 1817 and 1818 contain some information on Brown's and Catt' ... View more |
