FERGUSSON, John. 17?? — Cape of God Hope 4.9.1773 (?). British Colonial Officer in India. Captain. The author of the first English Hindustani dictionary in 1773, describing the colloquial speech of soldiers for the use of officers, mixing together different forms of language (but with some preponderance of Magahī). Early…
FERGUSON, Donald William. Colombo 8.10.1853 — Croydon near London 29.6.1910. British (Scottish) Journalist and Scholar of Sri Lankan History (especially of Colonial Period). Son of —> Alastair M. F. (d. 1892) and Anne Mackerras. The father came to Ceylon in 1837, was a long time the chief proprietor and editor…
FERGUSON, Charles Albert (“Fergie”). Philadelphia, PA 6.7.1921 — Palo Alto, CAL 2.9.1998. U.S. Linguist (Bengali Scholar) and Linguist. Professor in Stanford. Born in a working-class family, grew up in Philadelphia From 1939 studies at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia: B.A. 1942, A.M. 1943 (thesis on Arabic), Ph.D. 1945 (Bengali). In…
FENICIO, Jacobo (Jacome, Finicio). Capua c. 1558 — Cochin 1632. Father, S.J. Italian Missionary, in India 1583-1632, working in Malabar Mission, mainly in Cochin and Calicut (Kochi & Kozhikode). Around 1603/09 he wrote in Portuguese an interesting account of Indian religion, which was used as a manuscript by his successors…
FENIGER, Siegmund (Nyānaponika Mahāthera). Hanau 29.7.1901 — Forest Hermitage, Kandy 19.10.1994. German Bauddha and Buddhist scholar in Sri Lanka. Born in Hessen in a merchant family and had Jewish education. Lived then in Oberschlesien working in a bookshop. In 1922 the family moved to Berlin, where he became acquainted with…
FELIX, Father —> Felix FINCK
FELBER, Erwin. 1885 — Vienna 27.5.1964. Austrian Musicologist. Son of Wolf Wilhelm F. and Johanna Back. Ph.D. 1911 Vienna. In 1938 emigrated to China. From 1939 artistic director of European Jewish Artists Society in Shanghai, also taught Western music at university there. Returned to Vienna after war. Publications: Diss. publ.…
FÉER, Henri Léon. Rouen 22.11.1830 — Paris 10.3.1902. French Indologist and Buddhist Scholar. Librarian in Paris. Probably son of Paul Féer (1792–1847) and Jeanne Marie Labauche (Wikitree on Isabelle Féer mentions him as her uncle, but the same on Paul Féer does not list him among his children). Educated in…
FEDERICI, Cesare de (Fedrici). Erbanno (Brescia) c. 1530 — 1600/03. Italian (Venetian) Merchant and Traveller in India. Left Venice in 1567 (Charpentier & Lach 1563, long stay in the Near East), travelled via Aleppo and Basra to Ormuz, by ship to Diu and Goa. From Goa he went by land…
FAZY, Robert. Foëcy, Cher (France) 28.6.1872 — Lausanne 2.3.1956. Swiss Judge interested in Oriental Studies. Son of an engineer and economist, of ancient Genevan family. During his childhood he lived in France, Silesia, and Bern. After studies of science and law at Geneva he worked from 1897 as a lawyer…