Miles Justice Knowlton
Encyclopedia
Miles Justice Knowlton (February 8, 1825 – 1874) was an American Baptist
clergyman, missionary
to China
, academic and author.
. He attended Madison University (renamed Colgate University
in 1846) in Hamilton, New York
, where he graduated from seminary. Upon his being ordained Baptist minister on October 8, 1853, he was sent to China as a missionary by the American Baptist Missionary Union
. He arrived in Ningbo
in June, 1854 accompanied by his wife, Lucy Ann St. John (1826 - 1907).
In China, Knowlton helped establish several smaller missions in the Ningbo region, and worked as an itinerant minister, regularly traveling to neighboring areas such as Chusan. He traveled to the United States in 1862 for health reasons, but returned to China 18 months later. He once again traveled to the United States in 1871, where he delivered a series of lectures at several theological seminaries. These were published under the title "The Foreign Missionary, His Field, and His Work". He also authored a prize essay titled "China as a Mission Field." He was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Colgate University during this trip.
Knowlton died in Ningbo in 1874.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
clergyman, missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, academic and author.
Missionary career
Knowlton was born in 1825 in West Wardsboro, VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He attended Madison University (renamed Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
in 1846) in Hamilton, New York
Hamilton (village), New York
The Village of Hamilton is a village located within the town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA.-Geography and climate:The village, located at , lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the Chenango River. The village is approximately southeast of Syracuse and ...
, where he graduated from seminary. Upon his being ordained Baptist minister on October 8, 1853, he was sent to China as a missionary by the American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union is an international Protestant Christian missionary society founded in 1814 in the United States...
. He arrived in Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
in June, 1854 accompanied by his wife, Lucy Ann St. John (1826 - 1907).
In China, Knowlton helped establish several smaller missions in the Ningbo region, and worked as an itinerant minister, regularly traveling to neighboring areas such as Chusan. He traveled to the United States in 1862 for health reasons, but returned to China 18 months later. He once again traveled to the United States in 1871, where he delivered a series of lectures at several theological seminaries. These were published under the title "The Foreign Missionary, His Field, and His Work". He also authored a prize essay titled "China as a Mission Field." He was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Colgate University during this trip.
Knowlton died in Ningbo in 1874.
Publications
- The Foreign Missionary, his Field, and his Work (Philadelphia, 1872)
- China as a Mission Field (London, 1881)