Theodosia Ann Dean (March 29, 1819 – March 29, 1843) was an English missionary to China where she founded and taught at a school. During her career of five years among the Chinese, she learned to read, write, and speak the

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the ...

with rare accuracy for a foreigner.

Biography

Theodosia Ann Barker was born on March 29, 1819, at

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...

, England. She was the daughter of Edmund H. Barker, a scholar, and the editor and author of several literary works. She had an older sister. Discovering in early life a love for books and a capacity for acquiring knowledge, the parents of Dean afforded her every opportunity for study, under their tutelage. From the age of thirteen to sixteen, she attended the boarding school in Bracondale,

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, kept by the nieces of

Henry Kirke White Henry Kirke White (21 March 1785 – 19 October 1806) was an English poet and hymn-writer. He died at the young age of 21. Life White was born in Nottingham, the son of a butcher, a trade for which he was himself intended. However, he was greatl ...

. At the age of seventeen, after completing her studies, including learning several European languages, she started studying the Chinese language under the instruction of the Chinese professor in the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. The following year, she was appointed to sail for China, under the patronage of the Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East. For a few months before her departure, Dean prepared for her voyage and spent time with home friends. On August 9, 1837, Dean left Hackney and proceeded via steamer to Gravesend, from where she immediately embarked on board the ship '' Hashemy''. She enjoyed the companionship of fellow-voyagers from England to Batavia, but on to China, she was a lone passenger. On reaching Macau, she became a member in the family of Rev.

Karl Gützlaff Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (8 July 1803 – 9 August 1851), anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German Lutheran missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand (1828) and in Korea (1 ...

, and continued her study of the Chinese language. In March 1838, at Macau, she married Rev. William Dean of the

American Baptist Foreign Mission Society International Ministries is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States. History The so ...

. Together, they proceeded to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, where she soon established a Chinese school and provided instruction for the next five years. Through her teaching and study, Dean became well-versed in speaking and reading the Chinese language. The health of her husband failing at Bangkok, she sailed with him for China in 1841, where they arrived in May, 1842, at Macao, at which place their daughter was born. In the latter part of October, 1842, she took up her residence at British Hong Kong. Here, she and her husband, who was affiliated with the American Baptist Mission, organized a new Chinese church, and planted a new station for the class of Chinese speaking the Tie Chiú dialect.

Death and legacy

On March 21, 1843, in Hong Kong, she became ill with an attack of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

, and died on March 29, 1843, on her 24th birthday. In 1851,

Francis Pharcellus Church Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. Born in Rochester, New York, he graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Cona ...

published her biography, ''Notices of the Life of Theodosia Ann Barker Dean, wife of Rev. William Dean, Missionary to China''.

References

Attribution

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External links

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''Notices of the life of Theodosia Ann Barker Dean, wife of Rev. William Dean, missionary to China''
by Pharcellus Church {{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Theodosia Ann 1819 births 1843 deaths English Protestant missionaries Christian missionaries in Hong Kong Protestant missionaries in China Female Christian missionaries People from Thetford Christian missionaries in Thailand Deaths from smallpox School founders Women founders