John Eliot was born in England in 1604 to a middle class farming family. He attended college at a small Institute called Jesus College in Cambridge when he was 14. During this period of time, his father died, but left an allowance of 8 pounds a year for 8 years so that John could continue in his education.
In 1631, he went to Boston in America John became very interested in the American Indians. In 1632, he moved to New England, which was established in 1628 with the purpose of winning Native Americans to the Lord. He met and married Ann Mumford here, and they had six children together.
John was known as a gifted linguist in England. In 1646, John began preaching to the Indians in English. He learned the Algonkian language from prisoners captured by the Puritans during the war between the Narragansett Indians and Pequot Indians. Within a year, he had learned their language, and was preaching to them in their native tongue.
John would use creation to show the power of God. He would teach them the 10 commandments and how God punished those who broke his laws. And, he would answer any questions the Indians had about God.
John wanted the Indians to be able to read and understand the Bible by themselves. He started to translate the Bible into their language in 1658. The New Testament was finished in 1661 and the Old Testament in 1663. The Bible in Algonkian was the first Bible to be printed in North America.
The “ Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England” was founded in 1649 in England to support the work of John Eliot. This is viewed as the first missionary society by some. With their help, John was able to print Bibles, learning Primers, and other materials to help the Native Americans learn and grow.
Through his witness, the Native Americans understood that not only was God great, powerful, and demanding of justice, but that He was merciful and compassionate and would accept all that came to Him through Jesus Christ.
John planted towns for the Indian converts where they could grow and learn to become missionaries to their own people. Over 14 towns with 4,000 converts were raised during his lifetime; they became known as the "praying Indians". John wanted each town to have their own native minister. In 1681, Daniel Takawambpait became the first Native American minister.
For 58 years, John pastored a church at Roxbury and ministered to the Peqout Indians. John Eliot died in 1691, but his memory as the Apostle to the Indians lives on.
