ISENBERG, Karl Wilhelm (Charles William). Barmen, Bergisches Land 5.9.1806 — Kornthal near Stuttgart 10.10.1864. German Missionary and Polyglot. Of humble origin, son of a tinsmith, W. Isenberg, and Luise Stahl, a deeply religious home. He went to Basel Mission School in 1824, then two years studies in Berlin and in 1830 came to England to learn Arabic and Amhara. In 1833 continued his language studies in Egypt. Worked as Lutheran missionary Ethiopia in 1835-43, in Tigre and Shoa, and, expelled from there, in India (Bombay) in 1845-51 and 1854-63. In 1851-54 in Germany and, after new period in Bombay, finally returned in 1864, already seriously ill and died soon. He knew many languages (esp. Amhara and Marathi, also Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, even Chinese) and wrote manuals, etc. on them (e.g. Amhara and Hindi [?]). Married c. 1834 Henriette Geerling von Wesel, one son (who then married the daughter of —> H. Gundert) and other children.
Publications: Dictionary of the Amharic Language. 450 p. L. 1841; Grammar of the Amharic Language. 10+184 p. L. 1842; other works on Ethiopia.
Sources: *H. Gundert, Biography of the Rev. Charles Isenberg. L. 1885; K.F. Ledderhose, A.D.B. 14, 1881, 614-618; Wikipedia.
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