John Ross (missionary)

John Ross was born at Rarichie in Easter Ross where Gaelic was his native language. He received his education at Fearn School, University of Glasgow and Theological Hall, Edinburgh.{{cite book | title = Who's who in the Far East |date=June 1906 | publisher = The China Mail | location = Hong Kong | page = [https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinfareast00hongrich/page/279 279] | url = https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinfareast00hongrich}} In 1872 he was sent by the Scottish United Presbyterian Mission ({{zh|蘇格蘭長老會差會}}) to Northeast China, known at that time as Manchuria. John Ross, called in {{zh|羅約翰}}, went first to Yingkou,Dugald Christie, "Ten Years in Manchuria" (1893) and "Thirty Years in Mukden" (1914) then moved to Mukden (the present-day Shenyang) and established a church there in 1889. This church was called Dongguan Church (East Gate Church) because it was built just outside East Gate, as Christian churches were not allowed within the city wall. It was rebuilt after the Boxer Rebellion, and is now still used as a Protestant church. He also started a mission in Fushun.

While in China, John Ross met traders from Korea one day, and decided to make a Korean translation of the New Testament, which was completed in 1887 and brought to Korea. This was the first Korean version[http://digilib.bu.edu/mission/component/content/article/20-p2r/107-ross-john-1842-1915.html John Ross (1842-1915), Scottish Bresbyterian Missionary in Manchuria] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216155912/http://digilib.bu.edu/mission/component/content/article/20-p2r/107-ross-john-1842-1915.html |date=2009-02-16 }} In 1892 he was visited from Korea by James Scarth Gale.

Ross returned to Scotland in 1910, but continued to help the Scotland-China Society. He died in Edinburgh and is buried there mid-way along the east side of the main north-south path in Newington Cemetery. There is a plaque commemorating John Ross on the sea front at Balintore in Easter Ross.

He was married to Isabella Strapp McFadyen (d.1930) who travelled with him in China.

In 1877, John Gilbert Baker named Iris rossii in his honour.{{cite web |title=Thema: Die Planzengattung Iris ... (Gelesen 5316 mal) |url=http://www.orchideenkultur.net/index.php?topic=28569.30 |publisher= orchideenkultur.net |accessdate=13 January 2015}} Ray Desmond (Editor).{{Google books| Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists Including Plant Collectors, Flower Painters and Garden Designers (1994) |thmPzIltAV8C|page=595}}

• [https://archive.org/details/coreanprimerbei01rossgoog Corean primer: being lessons in Corean on all ordinary subjects, transliterated on the principles of the "Mandarin primer", by the same author (1877)]
• [https://archive.org/details/manchusorreigni00rossgoog The Manchus, or The reigning dynasty of China: their rise and progress (1891)]
• [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2374/ History of Corea, Ancient and Modern; with Description of Manners and Customs, Language and Geography (1891)]

{{wikisource|Index:Corean Primer (1877).djvu}}

• Christianity in China
• Christianity in Korea
• Korean Bible
• Scottish United Presbyterian Mission
• Seo Sang-ryun

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.e-n.org.uk/p-3949-Father-of-the-Korean-Church.htm Father of the Korean Church]
• [http://www.rethinkingmission.org.uk/pdfs/Rossandbiblewomen%20(2).pdf Ross and Bible women in the early Protestant mission of northern Korea and Eastern China]

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Category:Scottish Presbyterian missionaries

Category:Presbyterian missionaries in China

Category:Presbyterian missionaries in Korea

Category:1842 births

Category:1915 deaths

Category:Translators of the Bible into Korean

Category:19th-century Scottish translators

Category:Scottish expatriates in China

Category:British expatriates in Korea

Category:British missionary linguists

Category:Linguists of Korean