History of Milton, (Armstrong County) Pennsylvania United States of America

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James Curtis Hepburn, missionary, was born in Milton, Pa., March 13, 1815; son of Samuel and Ann (Clay) Hepburn; grandson of James and Mary (Hopewell) Hepburn and of the Rev. Slater Clay; and great grandson of Samuel Hepburn, who was born near Glasgow in 1698, fled to Donegal, Ireland, on account of religious persecution and thence emigrated to America in 1773, arriving in Philadelphia and settling in Northumberland, Pa. He was graduated at the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1832, A.M., 1885, and at the University of Pennsylvania, M.D., 1836, and practised medicine at Norristown, Pa. He was married to Clara Maria Leete, of Guilford, Conn. In 1840 he volunteered as a medical missionary of the Presbyterian board of foreign missions and was sent to Siam. His destination being changed to China, be remained in Singapore until the end of the "opium war" in 1843. He then went to China, where he worked in Amoy, 1843-46. He practised in New York city, 1846-59, and then went to Yokohama, Japan, where he labored, 1859-92. In addition to his medical missionary work he assisted in the translation of the Holy Scriptures, made a Japanese-English and English-Japanese lexicon which passed through three editions and became the basis of all other similar works; translated and published several Christian tracts and hymns, and the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, and in 1892 published a Japanese dictionary of the Bible. Lafayette college conferred on him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1868.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Milton, (Armstrong County) Pennsylvania

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