Frederick W. D'Evelyn ( – 1932) appears to have been the first person of
Irish birth to accept the
Baháʼà Faith
The Baháʼà Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼà Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼà Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...
. He was born in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
in or about 1855.
Early life
Information about his early life is scanty.
It is known that he qualified in medicine at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and subsequently served in a medical capacity with the British army in the South African campaigns, being wounded in 1887.
He emigrated to the United States and settled in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, where his career blossomed. He held a faculty position at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
and was president of the
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, that is among the largest List of natural history museums, museums of natural history in the world, housing over ...
. He was also active in civic matters and served as president of the
Geographical Society of California and of the
Audubon Society of the Pacific Coast
The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
.
Life as a BaháʼÃ
In 1901 D'Evelyn became a BaháʼÃ, and he served the faith for the rest of his life. He was in the party (along with Helen Goodall, Ellen Cooper, and Mr and Mrs W. C. Ralston) that officially welcomed
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’à Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼà Faith from 1892 un ...
on his arrival in San Francisco in October 1912, and his name appears first of the list of recipients of a tablet from the Master published in
Star of the West
''Star of the West'' was an American merchant steamship that was launched in 1852 and scuttled by Confederate forces in 1863. In January 1861, the ship was hired by the government of the United States to transport military supplies and reinforc ...
on 19 January 1915. D'Evelyn's account of the historic meeting is reproduced in Marion Carpenter Yazdi's Youth in the Vanguard which describes his involvement in Baháʼà activities a number of times. His service is mentioned in other books, such as Mahmúd's Diary and
Leroy Ioas
Leroy C Ioas (15 February 1896, Wilmington, Illinois - 22 July 1965, Haifa, Israel) was a Hand of the Cause of the Baháʼà Faith. His parents declared themselves BaháʼÃs in 1898 and took Ioas to meet Ê»Abdu'l-Bahá during the latter's travels ...
-
Hand of the Cause
Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼà Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders. Of the fifty individuals given the title, the last living was Ê»AlÃ-Muhammad Varqá, who died in 2007. Hands of ...
of God by Anita Ioas Chapman, and he appears a number of times in Star of the West, sometimes referred to as "Frederick W. Evelyn". In addition to his local position he was a member of the Temple Unity Board, the forerunner of the
National Spiritual Assembly
Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼà Faith. Because the Baháʼà Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...
. He was also a close friend of
John David Bosch
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second Ep ...
,
Bosch History
for whom Bosch Baháʼà School
Bosch Baháʼà School is one of several permanent schools run by the National Spiritual Assembly of the BaháʼÃs of the United States (others include Louhelen and Green Acre). It is located near Santa Cruz, California and has year-round prog ...
is named.
In August 1932 he died after a brief illness and was interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a rural cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent".
History
Noble was a Civil War veteran who moved to California in 1865 and was ...
. The Spiritual Assembly of the BaháʼÃs of San Francisco expressed its "grief and sense of serious loss" and paid tribute to "the untiring services and inspiring leadership of their first Chairman, Dr Frederick W. D'Evelyn".
See also
* Baháʼà Faith in Northern Ireland
References
External links
*
Baha'i community of the United Kingdom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Develyn, Frederick
1855 births
Irish Bahá'Ãs
1932 deaths
Converts to the Bahá'à Faith
20th-century Bahá'Ãs