DESIDERI, Ippolito. Pistoia, Tuscany 21.12.1684 — Rome 14.8.1733. S.J. Italian Missionary and a Pioneer of Tibetology, in Tibet in 1715-21, in India 1714-15, 1721-27, last years in Rome. Son of Iacopo Desideri and Maria Maddalena Cappellini, a patrician family, educated at Jesuit school in Pistoia. Joined Jesuits in 1700 and…
DESGRANGES, Jean-François (Pouillon-Desgranges). Bonneval (Eure-et-Loir) 30.9.1765 — Paris 8.11.1848 (or 1851). French Former Priest and Teacher, the author of the first French Sanskrit grammar. Because of missing information and misinformation (he is often claimed to be an officer), this was very hard nut to crack, only solved through the valuable…
DESGODINS, Auguste. Manheulles (Meuse) 16.10.1826 — Padang (Pedong) near Darjeeling 14.3.1913. Father. French Missionary and Tibetan Scholar. Son of Charles Michel François Desgodins, an officer, and Marie Joséphine de Roton. Studied theology in the seminaries of Verdun and Saint-Sulpice, ordained priest in 1850. After a few years as priest in…
DE’ NOBILI DE MONTEPULCIANO, Roberto (Robertus de Nobilibus, Tattuvapodagar [‑pōtakar]). Montepulciano near Siena 1577 — Mailapur (Chennai) 16.1.1656. Father. S.J. Italian Missionary in South India. Born of a family of high nobility (related to the Duke of Modena), son of Pierfrancesco De’ Nobili and Clarice Ceoli (Oceoli). Joined the S.J. in…
DENIS, Eugène. Corps-Nuds, Brittany 2.2.1921 — Bangkok 11.12.1986. S.J. Father. French Missionary and Pāli Scholar in Thailand. Grew up in a deeply Catholic family. After seminary in Rennes became Jesuit novice in Laval. In 1948 sent to China, learned the language but was soon expulsed by communists in 1951. Ordained…
DENECKE, Walter. 23.5.1899 — 19??. German Indologist. Apparently student of Jacobi and Schubring. Ph.D. Hamburg 1923. Publications: Diss. Digambara-Texte. Eine Darstellung ihrer Sprache und ihres Inhalts. Manuscript of 95 p. Hamburg 1923 (8 p. summary printed). – “Mitteilungen über Digambara-Texte”, Festgabe H. Jacobi 1926, 160-168. Sources: Diss. in Janert; not…
DEMING, Wilbur Stone. Boston, Mass. 13.3. or 24.10.1889 — Bridgeport, co. Fairfield, Conn. 31.10.1971. Rev. U.S. Missionary in India. Son of Rev. Miner Rudd Deming (1844–1925) and Mary Frances Losey. After Revere and Sharon High Schools (graduated 1906) studies at Boston and Brown Universities (graduated 1912). Ph.D. From 1912 member…
DEMIÉVILLE, Paul Henri. Lausanne 13.9.1894 — Paris 23.3.1979. French (born Swiss) Sinologist and Buddhist scholar. French citizen 1931. Professor in Paris. Son of Paul Demiéville (1855–1947, Professor of Medicine at Lausanne) and Annette Manuel. After gymnasium in Bern studied history of music and Russian at Munich, London, Edinburgh and Paris,…
DE MAGISTRIS, Hyacinthus (Giaccinto). near Cremona 1605 — Goa 11.11.1668. S.J. Pater. Italian Missionary in India. Entered S.J. in 1626. After 7 years’ studies of humanities in Italy left for India for the rest of his life. Worked in Cranganore, South India (in 1644-49 secretary and confessor of the Archbishop),…
DELMERICK, James George. 1828/29 (hardly 1831) — 1915. British Civil Servant in India. In 1872 in Rawalpindi, 1874/77 Assistant Commissioner in Delhi. Married 1849 in Agra Isabella Mary Luckstedt (1831–1910), children. Publications: “Notes on Archaeological Remains at Sháhki Dherí, and the site of Taxila”, JASB 39:1, 1870, 89-94; “A History…