Elijah Coleman Bridgman and his first cousin, James Granger Bridgman, were born and raised on family farms in Belchertown and Amherst, Massachusetts. They ended their lives over 7,000 miles away on the other side of the world. These two first cousins were among the first Christian missionaries to China.
One of the effects of the evangelical Great Awakening in the early 19th century, was a drive to send Christian missionaries to newly colonized areas around the world. The first Protestant missionary (Robert Morrison of the London Missionary Society), arrived in China in 1807 (Wikipedia).
Elijah Coleman Bridgman was the son of Theodore and Lucretia Bridgman. Born in 1801, he was raised at the Bridgman family homestead, Pond Hill, in Belchertown, MA. The story went that Elijah was “converted” when he attended a revival in Hampshire County during the Second Great Awakening (Historic Homes of Amherst). Elijah went on to Amherst University (1826) and Andover Theological Seminary (1829). His life changed forever when the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions appointed him to go to China to work with Robert Morrison. Elijah was the first American Protestant missionary in China (Wikipedia).
Elijah had free passage aboard the Olyphant & Co. clipper ship “Roman.” He docked in China on February 25, 1830. The early Protestant missionaries were not welcome in China and were confined to Portuguese Macau and the Thirteen Factories trading area controlled by the East India Company (then known as Canton). They encountered resistance to their work from the Chinese government (Christianity was outlawed), the Jesuits (who had been in China for 100 years by then), and even from the East Indian Company (Wikipedia). Their opportunity to proselytize was limited to those who worked in the trading area.
Elijah, nevertheless, was incredibly busy:
- He preached and taught at churches in the factory area, while attempting, of course, to make converts
- In 1832 he founded the Chinese Repository. This journal attempted to explain Chinese culture, history, literature and culture to Americans. It was published from 1832-1847.
- In 1834 he became secretary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
- He was a founder and President for many years of the Morrison Educational Society
- In 1838 he helped to form the Medical Missionary Society of China
- From 1839-1841 he worked in Macau helping to create a Chinese chrestomathy to aid in learning the language
- After China’s defeat in the First Opium War, Elijah served from 1842-1844, as a translator during negotiations between the United States and China for greater access to the country. He continued to serve as a translator from 1845-1852
- From 1840-1847 he worked with a group of missionaries to translate the Bible into Chinese
- He was the first president of the Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, and edited its journal until his death (Wikipedia)
In 1844, Eliza Jane Gillet traveled to China as an Episcopal missionary and teacher. She immediately met Elijah Bridgman who apparently “believed her to be God’s answers to his prayers for a wife” (Boston Univerisity). Elijah and Eliza were married in 1845. She converted to the Congregational Church and the couple worked together in Canton. After the First Opium War, five port cities in China were open to the missionaries. In 1847, Elijah and Eliza moved to Shanghai to continue their work. Eliza founded a girls school in Shanghai and ran it for 15 years. She was considered an outstanding and devoted teacher (Boston University).
Elijah returned to America once. In 1852, he and Eliza (and an unidentified Chinese woman) visited Belchertown . They stayed for four months and tried to recover their health. Missionaries often suffered poor health due to hard work and deadly diseases such as typhoid. Elijah was no exception. After a prolonged battle with dysentery, he died in Shanghai in 1861. Eliza went on to found the Bridgman Academy in Peking, the precurser of the Women’s College of Yenching University. She died in 1871. Elijah and Eliza are buried in Shanghai.
Whatever you believe about the nature of the kind of work that missionaries do, there’s no doubt that Elijah and Eliza Bridgman were highly respected by those who worked with them. Elijah’s writings reflect the bias and prejudices of the day, but do show an effort to understand Chinese culture. He is widely considered to be America’s first Sinologist or “China Expert” (Wikipedia). Both he and Eliza were dedicated to their calling to minister and teach in China. Elijah lived and worked there for over 32 years until his death. He did not ever seem to consider returning to America.
James Granger Bridgman was born in 1820 in Amherst, and was raised at the Bridgman Tavern with his eight brothers and sisters. Elijah Bridgman sent letters home from China about every eight months, and these were widely shared and admired in family, community, and church circles. The letters inspired others to missionary work, and Baxter Bridgman, older brother of James, wanted to join his cousin in China. An injury in the family brickyard derailed Baxter’s hopes, and this may have led to James’ decision to become a missionary. Jonathan and Harriet Bridgman were not known to oppose James’ decision and, at that time, giving a son to “the Lord” and missionary work was a “godly” thing to do (Historic Homes of Amherst).
The Bridgman’s were big believers in education, and James enrolled at Amherst College when he was only sixteen and graduated (2nd in his class) in 1842. He worked as the principal of Monson Academy for one year, then was appointed missionary by the board and prepared to leave for China. His cousin Elijah paid for his passage (Historic Homes of Amherst).
The day James left for China was a difficult one for the close-knit Bridgman family. Communication from China was virtually non-existent. Once James climbed into the carriage to be driven by his brother to Hartford to begin his journey, his family knew they might never see him again. It was as if he was “going out of this world” (Historic Homes of Amherst). The journey by clipper ship took four months, and then four months later the family finally received word that he had arrived safely. His journey began just like his cousin Elijah’s, but it had a very different ending.
When James arrived in China he immediately started to learn Chinese. He was recorded as a resident of British Hong Kong from February 1844-1846. He was ordained on May 31, 1846, and so was the first Protestant minister ordained in China. In 1847, he took over the role of editor of the Chinese Repository. He worked to translate a book about the Chinese language.
In 1850, the Bridgman’s in Amherst suddenly received word that due to ill health, James had received permission to return home to recuperate. “Joyful anticipation now filled every heart,” but instead the family received terrible news. Baxter Bridgman was reading a religious newspaper and discovered a notice that the American missionary, James Bridgman, had died and been buried at Whampoa (Dane’s Island) in China (Historic Homes of Amherst).
The devastated Bridgman’s did not know what had happened, or even if the news was true, until they received letters of condolence from cousin Elijah and James’ fiance, a fellow missionary. The missionaries were by no means popular in China. After China’s defeat in the First Opium War, foreigners were allowed to reside and work in five port cities in China, but were widely resented. The letters the Bridgman family received explained that while James was walking along the street in Canton, someone had thrown a rock that hit him in the head. His head injury had lead to “inflammation” of the brain and ultimately to insanity and violent behavior. It was determined he should return home. Apparently before he could be sent home to recuperate, James attempted to take his own life by cutting his throat. He lived for five days (Historic Homes of Amherst).
In his letter, Elijah Coleman Bridgman expressed great regard for James and his work and mission, and sent along a copy of James’ life work – “Notitia Lingual Sinicae of Premare” translated into English. The original of the book is in a college library, but you can still purchase a reprint of it on Amazon. Though James mission was cut short, I can read the introduction to this book and hear his voice and his passion for the work.
Two cousins had the faith and courage and curiosity to travel across the world to work, live, and ultimately die, far from Massachusetts where their families had lived for generations. Their time in China ended very differently, but both made their mark and deserve to be remembered.
Read Notitia Lingual Sinicae of Premare, translated by James Granger Bridgman
Read an issue of The Chinese Repository
(Note: Most of the black and white pictures above were roughly colorized using Adobe Photoshop Elements colorization tool).
Source:
Bridgman, Elijah Coleman; Wikipedia; retrieved 01 Sep 2020
Bridgman, Eliza Jane Gillett; Pioneer Educational Missionary in China; Boston University School of Theology History of Missiology; retreived 01 Sep 2020
Butt, Rudi; Bridgman, James Granger; Biographical Dictionary of Residents of Hong Kong, The First Ten Years – 1841-1850; retrieved 02 Sep 2020
Historical Photographs of China; University of Bristol Library; Special Collections; Bristol University; retreived 01 Sep 2020
Protestant Missions In China; Wikipedia; retrieved 31 Aug 2020
Walker, Alice M.; Historic Homes of Amherst; Amherst Historical Society; Amherst, MA; 1905