Person Sheet


Name Karl T.Ewald RHENIUS, 6367
Birth 5 11 1790, Graudens, Prussia
Death 5 6 1838, Palmacotta Age: 47
Death Memo hæmhorrage
Occupation Missionary (CMS)
Father Otto Gottlieb Nicolaus RHENIUS, 6371
Mother Catherina Dorothea SCHIEMANN, 6372
Spouses:
1 Anna Wilhelmina VAN SOMEREN, 6366
Birth EST 1800
Death 21 8 1874, Bangalore Age: 74
Occupation Missionary (CMS)
Father Tamericus Carolus VAN SOMEREN, 6382 (~1776-1808)
Mother Susanna Emilia Terloen LIGHTBURNE, 6401
Marriage 17 3 1817, Madras
Marriage Memo Godlieb van Someren was a witness
Children: Charles J., 6368
Katherine, 6369
Robert, 6451
Notes for Karl T.Ewald RHENIUS
Vansom.ged201208. He was 24 when he joined the CMS; & had been at the Berlin Seminary; he studied 1 year under Rev T Stott and received Lutheran Orders; on 24 Feb 1814 he was sent to Madras in South India jointly with John Christian Schnarre being the first CMS M issionaries to India;
Rhenius was a brilliant linguist, self confident & independent in spirit. This, combined with the difficulties of Lutherans working under an Anglican Society led to strain between him & the Madras Corresponding Committee .
and in 1820 he was transferred to Tinnevelly, he served for 21 years; under him the number of Native adherents doubled in the Tinnevelly Mission, but as a Lutheran he desired to ordain pastors and so came into conflict with the principles of th e Society; the Committee reluctantly dissolved connexion with him on 3 Feb 1835 & he took up independent missionary work; this led to a schism in the Native Church, which only healed after the death of Rhenius at Palamcotta on 5 Jun 1838; he wa s a founder & the first Secretary of the Madras Tract Society, writing many of its early publications: Tamil Grammar, Tamil Geography, Abridged Translation of Bickersteth's Scripture Help, a work on Evidences of Christianity, French Grammar, Har mony of Gospels in Tamil & worked on revising Tamil Scriptures.
Notes for Anna Wilhelmina (Spouse 1)
Vansom.ged201208.
Last Modified 20 12 2008 Created 14 8 2025 by Guy Meakin's EasyTree

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