Gustavus Reinhold Nyländer (1776–1825,

Kissy, Sierra Leone Kissy is a neighbourhood located on the eastern end of the capital, Freetown, in Sierra Leone. It is known for its various health services, including the United Methodist Church Health and Maternity ward, as well as Kissy Mental Hospital. Addition ...

) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Lutheran missionary and linguist who worked in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. He worked under the auspices of the Anglican Church Mission Society, Church Missionary Society (CMS). Nyländer grew up in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

and then attended a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. He came to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1805. Nyländer arrived in Sierra Leone in September 1806 with Leopold Butscher and Johann Prasse, all three of them

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

. Their instructions were to leave the settlement to work amongst the

Susu people The Susu people are a Mande-speaking ethnic group living primarily in Guinea and Northwestern Sierra Leone, particularly in Kambia District.African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister

Henry Beverhout Henry Beverhout was an African-Caribbean methodist minister who led a company of Nova Scotian settlers who settled in Sierra Leone. Beverhout was an African-Caribbean person born free in St Croix, an island in the Danish West Indies.Fyfe C. (1991) ...

Charles Wenzel Charles Frederic Wenzel (1769–18??) was a German Lutheran missionary who worked in Sierra Leone. He worked under the auspices of the Anglican Church Mission Society, Church Missionary Society (CMS). Wenzel was from Breslau, Silesia and attende ...

was his brother-in-law. Between 1812 and 1818 Nyländer was based on the Bullom Shore ( Kaffu Bullom). In 1814 he published ''Grammar and Vocabulary of the Bullom Language'' and ''Spelling-book of the Bullom Language: With a Dialogue and Scripture Exercises'' He subsequently moved to Kissy a village founded to cater for

recaptives The liberated Africans of Sierra Leone, also known as recaptives, were Africans who had been illegally enslaved onboard slave ships and rescued by anti-slavery patrols from the West Africa Squadron of the Royal Navy. After the British Parliament ...

, enslaved Africans liberated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

West Africa Squadron The West Africa Squadron, also known as the Preventative Squadron, was a squadron of the British Royal Navy whose goal was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa. Formed in 1808 after the British Parliame ...

near

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

. He died here in 1825 from an illness which affected many missionaries.

Bibliography

Spelling-book of the Bullom Language: With a Dialogue and Scripture Exercises
London: For the Church Missionary Society, 1814.
Grammar and Vocabulary of the Bullom Language
London: For the Church Missionary Society, 1814.
Book Hoa Matthew: The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, in Bullom & English
London: Tilling and Hughes, 1816.
Good Word to All People Who Wish to Go to Heaven
London: For the Church Missionary Society, 1816.
Select Portions of the Book of Common Prayer, according to the Use of the United Church of England and Ireland (1816)
translated by Gustavus Reinhold Nyländer, digitized by Richard Mammana

References

External links

from Dictionary of African Christian Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Nylander, Gustavus Reinhold 1776 births 1825 deaths German translators German Lutheran missionaries German Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in Sierra Leone German expatriates in Sierra Leone Missionary linguists