Erastus Wentworth (;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Wànwéi'';

Foochow Romanized Foochow Romanized, also known as Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC for short; ) or Hók-ciŭ-uâ Lò̤-mā-cê (), is a Latin alphabet for the Fuzhou dialect of Eastern Min adopted in the middle of the 19th century by Western missionaries. It had varied at dif ...

: ''Uâng-ùi''; August 5, 1813 – May 26, 1886) was an educator, a

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

minister, and a

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 ...

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

, China.

Life

Dr. Wentworth was born in

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...

. He converted to

Methodism 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 br ...

in 1831. Later he studied at the Cazenovia Seminary and earned a bachelor's degree at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

in 1837. Wentworth began teaching after leaving college. From 1838 to 1846, he taught natural science in the

Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary was located in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The seminary was operated in the 19th century by the Black River Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. History The seminary began in 1 ...

; from 1841 to 1846, in the Troy Conference Academy; and in 1846, he became president of the

McKendree College McKendree University (McK) is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. McKendree enrolls approximately 2,300 undergraduates and nearly 700 graduate ...

, remaining there until 1850, when he took the chair of natural philosophy and chemistry in

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

. In 1850, he received the degree of

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

. In 1854, Dr. Wentworth left his position to spearhead a

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

, China, along with some students who were just graduating from Dickinson, including Otis T. Gibson. In 1862, his wife's poor health forced him to return to the United States, where he then worked as a pastor to the Troy Conference Academy. Wentworth edited the ''

Ladies' Repository ''The Ladies' Repository'' was a monthly periodical based in Cincinnati and produced by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1841 to 1876, the magazine devoted itself to literature, arts and doctrines of Methodism, containing articles, ...

'' from 1872–76, after which he semi-retired, writing and serving on committees for the Methodist Church. On May 26, 1886, he died at his home in Sandy Hill, New York, aged 73.

Family

The son of Erastus and Esther (States) Wentworth, and seventh generation descendant of

William Wentworth (elder) William Wentworth (1616–1697) was a follower of John Wheelwright, and an early settler of New Hampshire. Coming from Alford in Lincolnshire, he likely came to New England with Wheelwright in 1636, but no records are found of him in Boston. W ...

, Erastus married three times, was widowed twice, and had twelve children, one in China.John Wentworth
''Wentworth Genealogy: English and American''
p.656.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, Erastus American Methodist missionaries Methodist missionaries in China Christian missionaries in Fujian Cazenovia College alumni Methodist writers Wesleyan University alumni Allegheny College alumni 1813 births 1886 deaths American expatriates in China