HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James Evans (January 18, 1801 – November 23, 1846) was an English-Canadian Wesleyan Methodist
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
and amateur
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...
. He is known for creating the "
syllabic Syllabic may refer to: *Syllable, a unit of speech sound, considered the building block of words **Syllabic consonant, a consonant that forms the nucleus of a syllable *Syllabary, writing system using symbols for syllables *Abugida, writing system ...
" writing system for
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
and
Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...
, which was later adapted to other languages such as
Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
.


Life

Evans was born in Kingston-upon-Hull in England, but emigrated with his parents to
Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...
in 1822, where he worked as a teacher. He later moved to Rice Lake and continued his teaching work. In 1833 he was ordained as a Wesleyan Methodist minister, and in 1840 he was given authority over the local district in Norway House in
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
. During this time Evans worked on the development of the Ojibwe and Cree scripts. Evans had picked up Ojibwe during his work among the people in
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North Americ ...
. He created the Ojibwe script after first trying to apply a Roman script to their language. Later, he modified syllabics slightly and applied it to Cree, a related language. The syllabic writing system was inspired in part by
Pitman Shorthand Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman (1813–1897), who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent lett ...
. They were easy to learn and led to almost universal literacy among the Canadian Ojibwe and Cree within a few years. Evans's other missionary work was scarred by turmoil. Evans clashed several times with the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
, mostly over their treatment of the native population. Evans accidentally shot and killed his friend and co-worker Thomas Hassall in 1844. He was accused of sexual misconduct with native girls under his care. This was proven to be a ploy by the church to discredit and incarcerate Evans, due to his unwavering dedication in helping the native people. Although he was acquitted, he was sent to London to defend himself again. The stress took a toll on his health, and he died of a heart attack in 1846. His daughter Clarissa Eugenia later married the HBC trapper and explorer
John McLean John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was often discussed for t ...
, who became active in the Methodist community of
Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
,
Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
(now
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
). James Evans's grave was in England, but his remains were cremated and sent to Norway House, Manitoba.


See also

* Other people named James Evans


References


Citations


Bibliography

* . * . * .


External links


Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, James Amateur linguists English Methodist missionaries 1801 births 1846 deaths Canadian Methodist ministers Creators of writing systems People from Kingston upon Hull Canadian Methodist missionaries Wesleyan Methodists People from Northern Region, Manitoba 19th-century English clergy Immigrants to Lower Canada Methodist missionaries in Canada Missionary linguists Linguists of Algic languages