John Thomas and Sarah Thomas papers
Papers, 1786-1875, of John and Sarah Thomas, including John Thomas's journals and memoranda books, 1821-1875, including his religious reflections, life in England and Tonga, and missionary work; sermon notes, undated; manuscripts on Tonga and the South Seas, including mythology, religion, history, a...
| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/South Seas/FBN 37-42 |
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| Date(s) of creation: |
1786-1875 |
| Level: |
Sub-series |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Thomas; John (1796-1881); blacksmith, ordained missionary |
| Other authors: | Thomas; Sarah (fl 1824-1867); née Hartshorn, missionary wife |
| Subjects: |
| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/South Seas/FBN 37-42 |
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| Summary: |
Papers, 1786-1875, of John and Sarah Thomas, including John Thomas's journals and memoranda books, 1821-1875, including his religious reflections, life in England and Tonga, and missionary work; sermon notes, undated; manuscripts on Tonga and the South Seas, including mythology, religion, history, and ranks of chiefs, undated; photographs, prints and drawings, most unlabelled, of people and places in Tonga, undated [1820s-1850s?]; two accounts of the life of Sarah Thomas by John Thomas [after 1866]; miscellaneous correspondence, 1825-1873, of John and Sarah Thomas, including letters from John Thomas to Wesleyan Mission House; journals of Sarah Thomas (née Hartshorn), 1826-1855, including her experiences in Tonga; account book for building a new Methodist chapel in Glasgow, 1786-1792; steward's account book, 1813-1820, of the Methodist Society, Glasgow, including Leaders' meetings minutes, 1813-1820. |
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| Main author: | Thomas; John (1796-1881); blacksmith, ordained missionary | |
| Other authors: | Thomas; Sarah (fl 1824-1867); née Hartshorn, missionary wife | |
| Extent: |
6 boxes |
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| Admin history: | Born at Worcester, England, 1796; blacksmith at Hagley, Worcestershire; became a Methodist and soon began to preach; married Sarah Hartshorn (d 1867); accepted by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (WMMS), 1824; pioneering missionary to the Friendly Islands [Tonga] in the South Seas - arriving in 1826; preached at Hihifo, Tongatapu, 1826-1828; moved to the island of Ha'apai, 1829; baptized the chief Taufa'ahua Tupou, 1831; a Tonga-wide revival movement began, 1835; Thomas enthroned Tupou, with English rites, as first king of all Tonga, 1845; although the WMMS withdrew from Samoa (1839) by agreement with the London Missionary Society, Thomas advocated re-entry and supported Tupou's policy of sending Tongan Wesleyan missionaries to Fiji and Samoa; persuaded the Australasian Wesleyan conference (which took over the Pacific from the British Wesleyans in 1855) to reverse the LMS decision regarding Samoa; following a visit to England his influence with Tupou waned, 1850s; retired to England and became supernumerary minister at Stourbridge, Worcestershire, 1860; died, 29th January 1881. Further Reading: Latukefu, S, Church and state in Tonga: the Wesleyan Methodist missionaries and political development, 1822-1875 (1974); Luckock, John Thomas: extracts from the journals and private diaries of Rev. John Thomas; edited by Mrs Stuart Luckcock, with an outline of his life and times by Rev. Francis Luckcock (1981); Luckcock, J L, Thomas of Tonga, 1797-1881: the unlikely pioneer (c1990); Rowe, G S, A pioneer. A memoir of the Rev. John Thomas, missionary to the Friendly Islands (1885); Telford, J, Makers of our missions. Pages from the lives of Methodist missionaries (1895); Thomas, J, Hymns, catechisms, prayers, &c. for the use of the Wesleyan Societies in the Friendly Islands (1861). | Born at Worcester, England, 1796; blacksmith at Hagley, Worcestershire; became a Methodist and soon began to preach; married Sarah Hartshorn (d 1867); accepted by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (WMMS), 1824; pioneering missionary to the Friendly Islands [Tonga] in the South Seas - arriving in 1826; preached at Hihifo, Tongatapu, 1826-1828; moved to the island of Ha'apai, 1829; baptized the chief Taufa'ahua Tupou, 1831; a Tonga-wide revival movement began, 1835; Thomas enthroned Tupou, with English rites, as first king of al ... View more |
| Access status: |
Open |
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| Access conditions: |
Only to be viewed on microfiche. |
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| Copyright: | Copyright probably held by Methodist Missionary Society. | |
| User restrictions: | For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance | |
| Language: | English Tonga (Tonga Islands) |
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| Finding aids: |
Handlist available |
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| Related material: | Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence (with extracts from journals) for John Thomas (MMS/Australasia/Correspondence/Tonga/FBN 12-14). Furthermore, the synod minutes will detail his work, and that of his colleagues, in the Friendly Islands district (MMS/Australasia/Synod Minutes/Fiji & Tonga/FBN 2). In addition, we hold a photocopy of a letter (1857) from Thomas in Tonga to his brother-in-law, referring to mission activity there (MS 380449). A letter by him can also be found within the Steele Collection (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 46). The Mitchell Library at the New South Wales State Library in Australia holds letter books, correspondence, manuscripts, etc, by or relating to Thomas, 1829-1879. | Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence (with extracts from journals) for John Thomas (MMS/Australasia/Correspondence/Tonga/FBN 12-14). Furthermore, the synod minutes will detail his work, and that of his colleagues, in the Friendly Islands district (MMS/Australasia/Synod Minutes/Fiji & Tonga/FBN 2). In addition, we hold a photocopy of a letter (1857) from Thomas in Tonga to his brother-in-law, referring to mission activity there (MS 380449). A letter by him can also be foun ... |
| Format: | Archive | |
| Subjects: |