Eliza Talcott (born 1836, died 1911), also known by her Japanese name Eliza Tarukatto, was an American missionary. Talcott was notable for her missionary work in Japan, and is credited as one of the founders of Kobe College.

Biography

Talcott was born in

Vernon, Connecticut Vernon is the most populous town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 30,215 at the 2020 census. Vernon contains the smaller villages of Talcottville and Dobsonville. Vernon contains the former City of Rockville. ...

on 22 May 1836, part of the prominent Talcott family. Her mother and father died when she was young, and so she was educated at the Sarah Porter School in

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles ...

. She would eventually attend State Normal School (now

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

) in New Britain, eventually returning to Farmington to teach at the Sarah Porter School. She identified as a member of the Congregational church. In 1873, Talcott volunteered her services to 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 ...

as a missionary to the

Kobe foreign settlement The , also known as the Kobe foreign concession, was a foreign settlement located about 3.5 kilometers east of the Port of Kobe, in the future Chūō-ku of Kobe, Japan. Established based on the Ansei Treaties, it existed from January 1, 1868, t ...

in Kobe, Japan (which had recently undergone the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

), arriving in March with two other single women; Talcott was thirty-seven at the time, and thus considered relatively old by missionary standards. Once in Japan, Talcott and her fellow missionaries devoted their time to instructing classes of Japanese women, spreading Christian teachings, and learning the Japanese language. Sources have described Talcott as having an aptitude for languages, noting that she learned Japanese quickly. In addition to her teaching, Talcott travelled throughout Japan, which she considered to be a beautiful country. However, some Japanese cultural values (such as divorce laws and views on prostitution) clashed with her Christian views. Most of her work took place in and around Kobe, though in her later years in the country she actively travelled to

proselytize Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invol ...

.Taylor, Sandra C. "The Sisterhood of Salvation and the Sunrise Kingdom: Congregational Women Missionaries in Meiji Japan." ''Pacific Historical Review'' 48, no. 1 (1979): 27-45. Accessed March 13, 2021. doi:10.2307/3638936. She also wrote several articles for missionary newsletters. As part of her activities in Japan, Talcott helped to establish Kobe Girls' School in 1874. Classes held at the school taught

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, sewing, and singing, along with biblical study. The girls' school would eventually become Kobe College in 1894, which considers Talcott to be one of its founders. In addition to her teaching, Talcott used her nursing skills to provide aid to wounded soldiers during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the ...

, working in Hiroshima. In 1895, she became the head of Doshisha University's nursing school. Talcott died of pneumonia in Kobe in 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talcott, Eliza American Congregationalist missionaries American nurses Congregationalist missionaries People from Vernon, Connecticut 19th-century American educators 1836 births 1911 deaths Miss Porter's School alumni Female Christian missionaries Congregationalist missionaries in Japan Missionary educators