William Ellis
Reverend William Ellis was a well-known British missionary who spent time in Polynesia and later Hawaii.
Ellis began his missionary life with the London Missionary Society having attended their school and becoming ordained in 1815. In 1816 Ellis and his wife Mary were posted to the Polynesian Islands (then referred to as the Society Islands). Along with other missionary families they then lived in Hawaii for until 1824. Whilst there Ellis travelled throughout the islands making notes about a ranges of topics, meeting with Hawaiian royalty and founding small churches. Importantly Ellis also translated the Hawaiian language and established a printing press.
In 1824 the Ellis' returned to England where he published books on Hawaii and Polynesia, including the geography of the region. He continued to work for the LMS in various roles and after Mary's death in 1835 married the writer Sarah Stickney.
In 1853 Ellis visited Madagascar on behalf of the LMS but only gained access to the island in 1861 on his fourth attempt. Ellis lived on Madagascar for three years and returned to England to much acclaim which was reinforced four years later on the conversion of the royal Madagascan court to Christianity.
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