JOHN, Christian Samuel. 1746/47 — 1813. Rev. German Pietist Missionary in South India. Worked from 1771 in Tranquebar. He was also interested in nature, collected shells, medicinal plants and other naturalia and sent some specimens to Germany. For this he was given doctorate by Academia Leopoldina. He tried to develop…
JISL, Lumír. Svijanský Újezd, Liberec region 18.4.1921 — Prague 22.11.1969. Czech Scholar of Tibetan, Mongolian and Japanese, a Specialist of Buddhist Art. After school in Toruń from 1940 studies of archaeology and ethnography at Prague. In the wartime worked as insurance official in Liberec, then continued studies (graduated 1949). From…
JARRETT, Henry Sullivan. Madras 17.6.1839 — East Grinstead, Sussex 15.4.1919. British Colonial Officer in India. Colonel. Son of Thomas Stanhope Jarrett and Eliza Julia Chambers. Educated at Prior Park, Bath. Joined Indian army in 1857, just in time to serve against the insurrection. In 1870-94 Secretary and Member of Board…
JANVIER, Levi. Pittsgrove (or Daretown), NJ 25.4.1816 — Anandpore (or Sabathu) 25.3.1864. Rev. U.S. Presbyterian Missionary in the Pañjāb. Son of Rev. George Washington J. and Margaret Fries. Graduated 1835 from Princeton and worked as teacher. Ordained priest. D.D. Sent to India in 1841. Worked in Fatehpur, Ludhiana, Ambala and…
IRVINE, Francis. Drumoak, Aberdeenshire 8.2.1786 — Edinburgh 16.12.1855. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer in India. Son of Alexander I. and Jean Forbes, mother died soon after his birth. Joined army as cadet in 1804 and left for India. Served in Bengal Native Infantry, resigned as Captain in 1824. Already 1820 moved…
IVERSEN, Ragnvald. Tromsø 18.1.1882 — Trondheim 21.8.1960. Norwegian Linguist. Son of Anton Christian I., a carpenter, and Emilie Jacobsen. Studies at Kristiania (Oslo), cand.phil. 1910. Worked as teacher inn Arendal and Hønefoss. Ph.D. 1921 (diss. on Norwegian). In 1922-52 Professor of Norwegian at Norges Lærerhøgskole (Teachers’ College) in Trondheim. Married…
HUDSON-WILLIAMS, Thomas. Caernarfon, Gwynedd 4.2.1873 — 12.4.1961. British (Welsh) Celtologist and Comparative Linguist. Professor in Bangor. Son of R. Williams. Educated in Bangor. Studies at University College of North Wales in Bangor (graduated 1894) and Greifswald (Zimmer). D.Litt. 1911 London. From 1896 Assistant Lecturer in French and German at Bangor,…
HRKAL, Eduard. 18?? — Vienna 11.8.1948. Czech Linguist. Called Professor (1939), probably at the gymnasium of Mariańské Lázně. Active as early as 1895 and 1910 (articles about the French dialect of Picardie). He suggested that Etruscan belongs to the “Turanian division of Ural-Altaic” and apparently invented Turkic etymologies for Etruscan…
HOWELL, William. Madras (?) 1.11.1790 (1789?) — Madras c. 1867. Rev. Missionary. Son of the elder W. H. (d. 1803), a soldier who had arrived in India in 1789, and his wife (died perhaps in 1793). Educated in Madras. When 14 apprenticed as Assistant Surveyor in Madras Survey under Major…
HOPE, Theodore Cracraft. 9.12.1831 — London 4.7.1915. Sir. British Civil Servant in India. The only child of James Hope (1801–1841), a noted physician, and Anne Fulton (1809–1887), an author (historian). Educated at Rugby and Haileybury. In 1853 joined Bombay Civil Service. Worked in Gujarat, especially in Ahmedabad and Surat, from…