Old Photographs John Gibson Paton Scotland

Old photograph of John Gibson Paton in Glasgow, Scotland. John, born 24 May 1824, died 28 January 1907, was a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific. He was born in a farm cottage at Braehead, Kirkmahoe, Dumfriesshire. He was the eldest of the 11 children of James and Janet Paton. From the age of 12, he started learning the trade of his stocking manufacturing father and, for fourteen hours a day, he manipulated one of the six stocking frames in his father's workshop. During his youth Paton felt called by God to serve overseas as a missionary. Eventually he moved to Glasgow where he undertook theological and medical studies. He was ordained by the Reformed Presbyterian Church on 23 March 1858. On 2 April, in Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland John G. Paton married Mary Ann Robson and 14 days later, on 16 April, accompanied by Mr. Joseph Copeland, they both sailed from Scotland to the South Pacific. John and Mary Paton landed on the island of Tanna, in the southern part of the New Hebrides, on 5 November 1858 and built a small house at Port Resolution. Three months after their arrival, a son, Peter Robert Robson, was born on 12 February 1859. But just 19 days later, Mary died from tropical fever soon to be followed to the grave by the newly born Peter at 36 days of age. Despite these devastating bereavements, Paton continued unfailingly with his missionary work in spite of constant animosity from the natives and many attempts on his life. During one attack, a ship arrived just in time to rescue him and take him and missionaries from another part of the island, Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson, to safety at Aneityum. From Aneityum, he went first to Australia, then back to Scotland, to arouse greater interest in the work of the New Hebrides, to recruit new missionaries. During this time in Scotland, on 17 June 1864, in Edinburgh, he married Margaret Whitecross, a descendant of the so called " Whitecross Knights ". Arriving back in the New Hebrides in August 1866, John and his new wife Maggie established a new Mission station on Aniwa Island. Enduring many years of deprivation, danger from natives and disease, they continued with their work and after many years of patient ministry, the entire island of Aniwa professed Christianity. In 1899 he saw his Aniwa New Testament printed and the establishment of missionaries on twenty five of the thirty islands of the New Hebrides. Maggie Whitecross Paton died at the age of 64 on 16 May 1905. Paton survived his wife by nearly two years, dying at the age of 82 on 28 Jan 1907 at Cross St, Canterbury, Victoria, Australia.

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