Person

John Williams (missionary)

1796–1839 · 19th century · Also known as John Williams

John Williams was an English Congregationalist missionary of the London Missionary Society who worked in the South Pacific from 1817. Based on Raiatea, he spread Christianity through the Society, Cook and Samoan islands using Polynesian teachers, and visited Rarotonga in 1823 with Papeiha. He was killed on Erromango in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in 1839 and became a celebrated missionary martyr.

John Williams (missionary)
Image: George Baxter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Rarotonga

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). John Williams (missionary). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-williams-missionary
MLA
“John Williams (missionary).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-williams-missionary. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “John Williams (missionary).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-williams-missionary.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘John Williams (missionary)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-williams-missionary (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻