George Brown (missionary)

George Brown (7 December 1835 – 7 April 1917) was an English Methodist missionary and ethnographer.

Early life and education

George Brown was born in Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. He was the son of George Brown, barrister, and his wife Elizabeth, née Dixon. Elizabeth's sister Sarah was married to Rev. Thomas Buddle, a missionary in New Zealand. Brown reacted badly to his stepmother's discipline and attempted to run away to sea.

Conversion and missionary work

He lived in Samoa between 1860 and 1874, mostly on the island of Savai'i. He learned the language and wrote about Samoan culture.

Brown was a key figure in the early days of training Samoans for the ministry and the establishment of Piula Theological College on the north coast of Upolu Island in Samoa. Brown began writing his manuscript journals in Samoa, recording his experience as a missionary in the Pacific.

He had declined an offer by his friend, Robert Louis Stevenson, to write his biography.

Ten volumes of Brown's manuscript journals survive.

Brown died at Sydney on 7 April 1917..

Zoological specimens

Brown was also a collector of plants and some animals. The George Brown Collection, with over 800 ethnographic samples, is housed in the National Museum of Ethnography, Osaka, Japan.

References

• Niel Gunson, 'Brown, George (1835–1917)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, MUP, 1969, pp 256–257.
• Reeson, Margaret, Pacific Missionary George Brown 1835–1917. Wesleyan Methodist Church. Canberra: Australian National University E Press 2013. XIII, 351 p.
• Brown, George, D.D., An Autobiography: Pioneer-Missionary and Explorer. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.

External links

• George Brown, Melanesians and Polynesians, their life-histories described and compared, Published 1910 by Macmillan and co. Ltd., London - Open Library website
• The George Brown Collection at Minpaku: An introduction to the life and work of George Brown, and his collection of ethnological artefacts, George Brown Project, 2016, (website) National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.

Reverend George Brown Papers, 1879–1917, Brown, George, 1835–1917, Parts 1–3. Anthropological notes and queries about the Pacific Islands, mainly Duke of York, New Britain, New Hebrides and the Solomon Islands Parts 4–7. Personal letters, and papers relating to his missionary work as general secretary. Held at the State Library of New South Wales, MLMSS952

Reverend George Brown Papers, 1860–1917, Brown, George, 1835–1917, A 1686 / vols. 1–7 Letter-books, 1865–1880, 1886–1890, 1902–1909 A 1686 / vols. 8–17 Journal, 1860–1871, 1874–1880, 1888–1897 A 1686 / vols. 18–24 Correspondence and papers, 1870–1917 A 1686 / vols. 25–26 Samoan stories, proverbs, sayings, by Penisimani; collected and partly translated by Reverend George Brown, 1865–1870 A 1686 / vol. 27 Proverbs, phrases and similes of the Samoans by Reverend George Brown A 1686 / vol. 28 Dictionary of Duke of York Island; with Reverend B. Danks, 1882 A 1686 / vol. 29 Memoranda, words, etc., Duke of York Island by Reverend George Brown, 1882 A 1686 / vol. 30 Savage life in the South Seas, 1875–1879. Held at the State Library of New South Wales, Microfilm, 942503