Jane Williams (missionary)

Jane Williams
Born	1801? Nottingham, England
Died	6 October 1896 Napier, New Zealand
Occupation	Missionary and educator
Spouse(s)	William Williams
Parent(s)	James Nelson and Anna Maria Dale

Jane Williams, born Jane Nelson (born: 1801?, Nottingham - died: 6 October 1896, Napier), was a pioneering educator in New Zealand. Together with her sister-in-law Marianne Williams she established schools for Māori children and adults. She also educated the children of the Church Missionary Society in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Jane was baptised on 29 April 1801. She was the daughter of James Nelson and his wife, Anna Maria Dale of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire.

In 1817 Jane became a teacher at the school for girls in Southwell, Nottinghamshire run by Mary Williams, mother of Henry and William Williams who were both members of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). In 1822 Henry Williams and his wife Marianne Williams sailed to New Zealand, to join the CMS mission in the Bay of Islands. William Williams intended to follow his brother after completing his training. On 11 July 1825, Jane married William Williams. On 12 August William and Jane embarked on the Sir George Osborne to sail to Sydney, Australia, then on to Paihia, Bay of Islands, where they arrived on 25 March 1826.

Jane and her husband had nine children:

Jane Williams and her sister-in-law, Marianne Williams, shared mission responsibilities and together cared for and educated their families. They set up a boarding school for Māori girls in Paihia and provided classes to the children of CMS missionaries in the morning with schools for Māori children and adults in the afternoon.

In 1835 William and Jane moved to the Te Waimate mission where she conducted the school for girls and her husband conducted the school boys in addition to as his work on translating the Bible into Māori. On 23 and 24 December 1835 Charles Darwin visited while HMS Beagle spent 10 days in the Bay of Islands.

...
Wikipedia