- Justus Henry Nelson
The Revd Justus Henry Nelson (1850–1937) established the first
Protestant church in theAmazon basin and was a self-supportingMethodist missionary inBelém ,Pará ,Brazil for 45 years.Early years
Justus was born
December 22 ,1850 inMenomonee Falls, Wisconsin , near modern-dayMilwaukee, Wisconsin . His parents, James Hervey Nelson and Sarah Orelup Nelson were Wisconsin pioneers, later establishing an early farm inSouth Wayne, Wisconsin near the Illinois border. He was the second of nine children, the first six of which were boys, followed by three girls. [http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=brian2003&id=I72 Family tree of Justus Henry Nelson] ]Education
At 18, he attended Evansville Seminary for six months. He finally was able to attend
Lawrence University for five years when he was 21, graduating with a B.A. It was there that he decided to be apreacher .He "studied Theology for four years at
Boston University by borrowing $120 from Cousin Nelson Ladue and earned the rest preaching." He received a S.T.B. degree from theBoston University School of Theology ."The Methodist Mission in Belem, Brazil established by Rev. Justus H. Nelson", by Luther T. Nelson (his son), self-published shortly after March 1965]He also studied "for two years at the
Boston University School of Medicine to prepare himself to meet some of the emergencies he would inevitably be called on to alleviate."Marriage
While Justus was studying in Boston, he met Miss Fannie Bishop Capen, who had been born in
Stoughton, Massachusetts in 1852. Her father's family had roots in Holland and France, and her mother's family had earlyNew England roots. His family had been inNew York for five generations before his parents moved toWisconsin . She was working as a matron in an orphans home. They married onApril 13 ,1880 inStoughton, Massachusetts .Becoming missionaries
Justus had learned that Bishop William Taylor was establishing self-supporting missions in Africa and South America in the late 1870s. This seemed "not only a challenge, but a definite call". Not long after Justus and Fannie married, they left for
Belém ,Pará ,Brazil , which is on the southern edge of the mouth of the Amazon River.Trip to Brazil and tragedy
Justus and Fannie arrived in Pará on June 19, 1880 along with Bishop Taylor. They established a school for boys. Additional missionaries were needed to help with their teaching. William Taylor sent Justus' brothers John & Willet, Willet's bride - Hattie Batchelder (Nelson), and Miss Clare Blunt. Shortly thereafter, their school building burned down and two of the group, John Nelson and Hattie Batchelder (Nelson) died of
Yellow Fever . Fannie became ill with Yellow Fever but survived. This double tragedy caused the school to be closed. [ [http://www.pibrj.org.br/historia/arquivos/metodistasBR.pdf History of Methodist Missions. The Methodist Episcopal Church. 1845-1939, Wade Crawford Barday, 1957 (English on page 2)] ]elf-supporting missionaries
They became self-supporting missionaries. Justus remained in Brazil for forty-five years, only returning three times. Fannie spent a large amount of time in Brazil, but returned to the Boston area when it was time for their children's education.
First Protestant Church in Amazonia
On July 1, 1883, he established the first Protestant church in the Amazon Basin - the Igreja Metodista Episcopal no Pará (Methodist Episcopal Church of Pará). It was located on the Rua dos Martires (current Rua 28 de Setembro, 28th of September Street), near the corner of the Av. 15 of August (the current Av. President Vargas).2007 video entitled "Metodismo na Amazonia, Uma história de paixão missionária" produced by Grupo de Estudos do Metodismo na Amazônia of Belém, Pará, Brazil]
Publication of "O Apologista Christão Brazileiro"
He published and personally printed a
newsletter for many years entitled "O Apoligista Christão Brazileiro" (The Brasilian Christian Advocate). It was launched on January 4, 1890. [ [http://www.mep.org.br/arquivos/foradomundodentrodapolitca.pdf Discussion of "O Apoligista Christão Brazileiro" in a dissertation by Saulo de Tarso Cerqueira Baptista (page 24 in Portuguese)] ] The motto of the paper (as well as his personal motto) was "Saibamos e pratiquemos a verdade custe o que custar." "Let us know the truth and practice it, no matter the cost."This publication included
Sunday School lessons, religious articles, and other items of interest. It called attention to fightingidolatry , masonry, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and native spiritualism. The periodical also spread the ideals ofrepresentative democracy andrepublicanism in Brazil, defending theseparation of church and state , elections, and advances ineducation .Arrest
In an early issue, he printed items that were inflamatory to the local Catholic officials. These officials had enough control over the local government to have him arrested. He was tried and sentenced to four weeks, but served four months. While he was imprisoned, his wife Fannie took him his meals out of fear that he would be poisoned.
Medical service
His "medical training proved to be of value in his mission work, mostly in
obstetrics , minor surgery and treatment of skin diseases such as boils and ulcers. No record remains of the number of childbirths at which father officiated. He was called upon for this part of his mission work at any hour of day or night. ... Along with his medical work he also pulled a great many teeth. One year, by actual count he pulled over 5000 teeth."ong translation
Justus translated a number of religious songs into Portuguese. Nine of these translations are in the modern Portuguese Methodist hymnal "Hinário Evangélico" [ [http://www.metodistadavilavirginia.org/Metodismo.htm History of Methodism (Portuguese) - search for Nelson] ] . Included in these are "Ao contemplar a rude cruz" (When I Survey the Wonderous Cross), "Fonte és Tu de toda bênção" (You Are the Source of All Blessing) [ [http://eduardomano.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.htmlhttp://eduardomano.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html Detailed analysis of his translation of "Fonte és Tu de toda bênção" (Nov 9, 2006 blog entry in Portuguese)] ] , "Prece ao Trino Deus", "Saudai o nome de Jesus" (All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name), , , , and , which was recorded in 1998 by Marina de Oliveira on her CD "Momentos - vol.2". [ [http://letras.terra.com.br/marina-de-oliveira/442566/ Coroai by Marina de Oliveira] ] .
Family
They had five children in Belém, one of which died of
malaria . Three of their children, William "Will", Luther, and Sarah Louise "Louise" graduated fromBoston University . Their youngest daughter Elizabeth "Bess" graduated fromReed College . Luther graduated fromHarvard Medical School and practiced medicine inPortland, Oregon . Louise received a second degree fromOregon State University , taught atModesto Junior College , and marriedentomologist Charles E. Woodworth . Justus presided over their 1926Berkeley, California wedding. [ Wedding of College Faculty Members Held in Berkeley, "Modesto News-Herald", June 23, 1926, page 6, column 1 (www.newspaperarchives.com, pay)]His devotion to service and retirement
His son wrote: "His relatives and friends would write and ask him from time to time why he didn't take some time off and come home for a vacation. his answer would be 'I'm having a perpetual picnic here. Why take a vacation?'. His ambition was to finish out a half century of service on the mission field, but times were hard and it became more and more difficult to earn a living besides supporting a mission, so he was forced to retire in 1925 at age 75 even though he was vigorous physically and active mentally."
Later years
He retired to
Portland, Oregon , living near his son Luther. While there he continued printing for two local churches as well as a monthly periodical for the Anti Liquor league, all gratis. He died in Portland of viral pneumonia at age 86 onFebruary 6 ,1937 .Mention in "Rascal"
In 1917, which would have been the year of his father James Hervey Nelson's 100th birthday, Justus and two of his brothers wrote extended biographies about their parents and their pioneer farm life in Wisconsin. These biographies may have served as a literary inspiration to his nephew
Sterling North .Justus is mentioned in the award-winning children's book "Rascal" that was written by Sterling North in 1963 about the author's memories of 1918. [Rascal by Sterling North, ISBN-13: 978-0142402528 (page 48 of 189)]
"His [Rascal's] virtual invisibility was due to the fact that he was lying on a large Jaguar-skin rug which Uncle Justus had sent us from Para, Brazil. The mounted head had realistic glass eys which Rascal often fondled and sometimes tried to dislodge. The little raccoon blended perfectly in the handsomely marked pelt of the once-ferocious jungle cat."
"When Rascal began to rise from that skin, like the disembodied spirit of the Amazonian jaguar, it startled Theo nearly out of her wits."
Also mentioned in the book was Justus' niece, poet and editor
Jessica Nelson North .References
External links
* [http://www.metodista-rs.org.br/historico/historico_metodismo_no_brasil.php History of the Methodist Church of Brazil (in Portuguese)]
* [http://musicaeadoracao.com.br/hinos/historias_hinos/ha_274.htm Music Sacra & Adoracao]
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