David Oliver Allen (1800–1863) was an American missionary to India and an author.

Life

Allen was born in

Barre, Massachusetts Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census. History Located on the ancestral homeland of the Nipmuc, the area was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and referred to as th ...

to Moses and Mahitable Allen. His father relocated the family to

Princeton, Massachusetts Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by H ...

while David Allen was an infant. He initially began collegiate studies at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, but moved to

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

upon that institution's opening. He graduated from Amherst College in 1823 and spent a year teaching in

Groton, Massachusetts Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. An affluent bedroom community roughly 45 miles from Boston, Groton has a ...

. In 1824 he began study at

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambrid ...

and completed their course in 1827. He decided upon

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

work his final year, and was ordinated on May 21. Seven days later he was married to Myra Wood. Allen was called to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, India as a missionary before he graduated as the situation there was deemed an emergency. He arrived in Bombay on November 27, 1827. His wife accompanied him, but she died on February 5, 1831. In 1844 he took charge of the Bombay printing establishment. He wrote tracts in "Mahratta," (

Marathi language Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...

) and supervised a new translation of the Bible into that language. Weakened by the Indian climate, he returned to America in 1853. His ''History of India'' was published at

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1856. The full title of this book is ''"India Ancient and Modern. Geographical, Historical, Political, Social, and Religious; with a particular account of the state and prospects of Christianity."''

References

1800 births 1863 deaths Amherst College alumni 19th-century American historians 19th-century American male writers American Protestant missionaries Protestant missionaries in India People from Barre, Massachusetts Translators of the Bible into Marathi 19th-century American translators American missionaries in India Andover Theological Seminary alumni Historians from Massachusetts American missionary linguists 19th-century American clergy American male non-fiction writers {{US-historian-stub