David Oliver Allen
American missionary From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Oliver Allen (1800–1863) was an American missionary to India and an author.
Allen was born in Barre, Massachusetts to Moses and Mahitable Allen.[1] His father relocated the family to Princeton, Massachusetts while David Allen was an infant.[1] He initially began collegiate studies at Williams College, but moved to Amherst College upon that institution's opening.[1] He graduated from Amherst College in 1823 and spent a year teaching in Groton, Massachusetts.[2] In 1824 he began study at Andover Theological Seminary and completed their course in 1827.[1][2] He decided upon missionary work his final year, and was ordinated on May 21.[1] Seven days later he was married to Myra Wood.[1] Allen was called to Bombay, India as a missionary before he graduated as the situation there was deemed an emergency.[1][2] He arrived in Bombay on November 27, 1827.[1] His wife accompanied him, but she died on February 5, 1831.[1] In 1844 he took charge of the Bombay printing establishment. He wrote tracts in "Mahratta," (Marathi language) and supervised a new translation of the Bible into that language. Weakened by the Indian climate, he returned to America in 1853.[2]
His History of India was published at Boston in 1856.[2] 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."
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