John Seys (March 30, 1799 – February 9, 1872) was an

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reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

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 ...

, and

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Biography

Seys was born in St. Croix, in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

, to a wealthy

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family on March 30, 1799. Born Jan Seij, his family were slave owners. He anglicized his name when he moved to the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...

as a young adult. Seys chose to work as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

(preacher in 1825 and ordained minister in 1829), and his family disinherited him for it. After ordination, he briefly served on the island of

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

before obtaining a position in

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,064 at the 2020 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. T ...

. He moved to

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two Administrative divisions of New York#Villa ...

, in 1832 and then became a missionary among the

Oneida people The Oneida people ( ; wikt:autonym, autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native Ameri ...

in 1833. Following the death of his predecessor, Beveridge Cox, Seys led the Methodist

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

for ten years until poor health forced him to resign in 1844. During his time in leadership he became actively involved in establishing new

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

s in the country. From 1856 to 1858, Seys served as a special agent of the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the repatriation of freeborn peop ...

scouting settlement locations for freed slaves in Liberia that were at an elevated location less prone to

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. This resulted in the founding of Careysburg in 1856, followed by the building of a chapel there. From 1858 to 1862, Seys acted as a

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government agent helping the freed passengers of slave ships captured by the

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, having responsibility for up to four thousand men, women and children at a time. He also served as acting Consul General when the incumbent died. Seys served as

Minister Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...

to Liberia from the United States from January 2, 1867, to June 11, 1870. In this position, Seys faced many obstacles due to the lack of funds coming from the United States. In a February 11, 1871, report to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, Representative

Thomas Swann Thomas Swann (February 3, 1809 – July 24, 1883) was an American lawyer and politician who also was President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as it completed track to Wheeling and gained access to the Ohio River Valley. Initially a Know-Not ...

from the

United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affair ...

stated that Seys "charges salary for sixty days, and also for fifty-eight days, transit in returning to his post, and for the services of W.A. Johnson, vice consul general, $166.66 for four months" which the committee recommended he not be paid. Despite this, he actively pushed against what he saw as the evils of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

. Although he was opposed to the practice of slavery, he would write in defense of Captain Nathaniel Gordon at Gordon's trial for slave trafficking and

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. Seys was conferred an honorary D.D. degree by Indiana Asbury University in 1867. Returning to the United States in 1870, he retired to the

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, area. Seys died on February 9, 1872, at his home in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

after having fathered 12 children with five different women, however many died before him due to ' African fever.' He was interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield on February 13, 1872.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seys, John 1799 births 1872 deaths People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands American people of Danish descent American Methodist missionaries Methodist abolitionists Methodist missionaries in Liberia Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia 19th-century American diplomats People from Springfield, Ohio People from the Danish West Indies