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Dyer Ball (June 3, 1796 – March 27, 1866) was an American missionary and medical doctor in China. Born in
Dyer Ball (June 3, 1796 – March 27, 1866) was an American missionary and medical doctor in China. Born in West Boylston, Massachusetts
West Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States and a northern suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester. The population was 7,877 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. West Boylston includes the village of ...
, Dyer Ball studied at Phillips Academy and at Yale College for two years. He graduated from Union College, New York
Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia C ...
, in 1826, and then studied Theology at Yale and Andover Theological Seminary
Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...
. He received his licence to preach in 1828, one year after marrying Lucy Mills. After being ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
in 1831, Dyer Ball became an agent of the American Home Missionary Society
The American Home Missionary Society (AHMS or A. H. M. Society) was a Protestant missionary society in the United States founded in 1826. It was founded as a merger of the United Domestic Missionary Society with state missionary societies from ...
in 1833, and settled in Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, where he taught, among other places, at St. Augustine High School The name St. Augustine High School could refer to:
In the United States:
* St. Augustine Academy (Lakewood, Ohio)
* St. Augustine High School (Laredo, Texas)
* St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), Louisiana
* St. Augustine High School (San Di ...
there, and among the local African-American community. Meanwhile, as his appointment to a mission abroad was delayed due to financial circumstances, he also received a medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
from a medical institution in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, in 1837, and learned Chinese.
He was sent to Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
on 25 May 1838, and remained there until 1841, when he departed for Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
due to his wife's ailing health. He then moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
in 1843, where his wife died, and to Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
(Canton Province) in 1845, where he settled permanently. In1846, he married Isabella Robertson, a missionary from Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Their son, James Dyer Ball James Dyer Ball (波乃耶) (4 December 1847 in Canton, China – 22 February 1919 in London, England) was a Hong Kong scholar and author born in Canton. He is noted for works on Chinese culture and for contributing to the development of the syste ...
, became Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court in Hong Kong. His daughter from his first marriage, Elizabeth, became a missionary and was married to Andrew P. Happer in 1847.
His work focused mainly on performing missionary work and preaching. He ran a boys' school and opened a publishing house, where he published Chinese literature, religious tracts and a popular Chinese almanac
An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and other ...
. He also used his medical experience to help the local population.
Dyer Ball died in Guangdong in 1866. He is buried at the Mission Cemetery in Lianzhou
Lianzhou (), formerly Lian County or Lianxian ( postal: Linhsien; ), is a county-level city in northern Guangdong Province, China, and is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Qingyuan. It is known as the host cit ...
.
References
*Alexander Wylie, ''Memorials of Protestant Missionaries to the Chinese:Giving a List of their Publications and Obituary Notices of the Deceased, p108-109 American Presbyterian Mission Press, Shanghai 1867 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Dyer Protestant missionaries in China 1796 births 1866 deaths People from West Boylston, Massachusetts Phillips Academy alumni Union College (New York) alumni American Protestant missionaries Christian medical missionaries American expatriates in China Yale Divinity School alumni