35 Facts About Samuel Dyer

Samuel Dyer was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China in the Congregationalist tradition who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia.

Samuel Dyer was known as a typographer for creating a steel typeface of Chinese characters for printing to replace traditional wood blocks.

Samuel Dyer was born at the Royal Greenwich Hospital, England, to John Dyer and Eliza.

Samuel Dyer was the fifth of the eight Dyer children.

Samuel Dyer's father was a secretary of the Royal Hospital for Seaman and later became Chief clerk of the Admiralty in 1820.

Samuel Dyer was schooled at home until he was 12 and then educated in a boarding school at Woolwich, in south-east London from 1816, superintended by the Rev John Bickerdike, a minister with the English Dissenters.

In 1820 he experienced a conversion to Christ at Thomas Wilson's Paddington Chapel, in Paddington, Northwest London, under ministry of the Rev James Stratten, and soon Samuel Dyer began teaching Sunday school there.

Samuel Dyer studied law and mathematics at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, but in 1823 he withdrew from University in his fifth term, refusing for conscience sake to declare himself a member of Church of England to graduate.

Samuel Dyer soon had opportunity to study the Chinese under Robert Morrison, who had returned on furlough.

Samuel Dyer's health began to suffer because of his intense regimen of study at Gosport, walking long distances to preach in villages on Sunday, and his habits of self-denial.

Samuel Dyer travelled to Islington to recuperate and study theology, Chinese, and the art of printing, punchcutting, and type-founding.

Samuel Dyer then entered the London Missionary Society training centre at Hoxton where his chief attention was given to the Chinese language, reading the Chinese Bible for devotions.

In 1827 Samuel Dyer was ordained at Paddington Chapel where he preached, taught and was commissioned as a missionary of the Gospel.

Samuel Dyer was married to Maria Tarn, eldest daughter of Joseph Tarn, Director of London Missionary Society, in London in 1827, and shortly afterward the newly wed couple set sail for what was then considered "Ultra-Ganges" India with the Ultra-Ganges Missions, where the only way to live and work among native Chinese could be obtained.

Samuel Dyer had been ordained and commissioned on 20 February 1827 at Paddington Chapel, London.

Samuel Dyer started with a systematic analysis of characters and strokes.

Samuel Dyer grew committed to the production of Christian literature in Chinese, printing Bibles, tracts, and books with the moveable, metal-cast type with a controlled vocabulary that he developed.

Samuel Dyer then took his family to Malacca to join the London Missionary Society China Mission headquarters.

Samuel Dyer soon recognised the strategic importance of his metal-type printing and proceeded with the revision of the Chinese Bible at Malacca.

On 19 September 1839 the Samuel Dyer family arrived in England.

Samuel Dyer began work with John Stronach of the LMS and began learning Teochew dialect.

Samuel Dyer worked on a revision of the Chinese Bible, translations, preparation of books, type-casting, printing, and a comparative vocabulary of Chinese language.

Samuel Dyer helped Chaozhou, a Christian teacher compile the "Life of Christ".

Samuel Dyer moved the LMS press from Malacca to Singapore on James Legge's suggestion before the end of 1842.

Samuel Dyer preached the first sermon at the Malay Chapel in Prinsep Street opened by Benjamin Peach Keasberry in 1843.

Samuel Dyer was able to finally reach China on 7 August 1843 at Hong Kong.

Samuel Dyer was taken to Macau and died there on 21 October 1843.

Samuel Dyer was buried next to the graves of Robert and Mary Morrison at the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau.

Maria Samuel Dyer died three years later at Penang, leaving 3 children in the care of her second husband, Johann Georg Bausum.

Besides preaching among the people, Mr Samuel Dyer had devoted much of his time to the cutting of punches for a font of Chinese types, in which he had attained to a great degree of perfection.

Maria Jane Samuel Dyer married James Hudson Taylor, who went on to found the China Inland Mission.

Samuel Dyer had a strong influence in the beginnings of that agency.

Burella Samuel Dyer had married a year earlier to John Shaw Burdon, but had died in Shanghai very soon after they were married.

Samuel Dyer spared neither time, nor labour nor property, in his efforts to do good to his fellowmen.

Samuel Dyer was born 20 February 1804, Sent to the East by the London Missionary Society And died at Macao, 24 October.