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Individual Record for: John Lawrence O'Hara (male)
| Event |
Date |
Details |
| Birth |
1808 |
|
| Death |
15 MAY 1849 |
Place: Black Town, Madras Source: IOR/N2/28/268
|
| Burial |
16 MAY 1849 |
Place: Blacktown, Madras, India
|
| Attribute |
Details |
Date |
| Occupation |
Vepery Church Clerk and Schoolmaster
|
1830 |
| Occupation |
Vepery Church Clerk
|
1840 |
Notes:
The Vepery Church was no stranger to controversy and was at the very
centre of the dispute around caste as aresult of Bishop Wilson's
(in)famous letter in which he declared that "the distinction of castes must
be abandoned, decidely, immediately, finally; and those who profess to
belong to Christ must give this proof ...".
When the letter, translated into Tamil was read at Vepery Church in
January 1834, "the sudras in the congregation left in body and their
children afterwards withdrawn from the school. The catechists and
schoolmasters among them were consequently after due notice
dismissed" - quoted in MR Gibbs The Anglican Church in India 1620-
1970 SPCK, 1972 pp 104
The Madras Almanack of 1841 reports that he is Clerk of the Vepery
Church, this is not reported in the following years edition and the reason
why is is replaced is presumably to do with falling out of favour because
he was the publisher of the monthly "Protestant Guardian and Church of
England Magazine" in 1840. The magazine first appears in the Madras
Almanac in the previous year as a bi-monthly and then there is no further
trace of it before or after this (Source: Madras Almanac 1841 p427).
The Protestant Guardian and Church of England Magazine gets a rather
deprecatory mention in the Calcutta Christian Observer in 1840, where it
is described thus:
"We have received the first two numbers of the Protestant Guardian and
Church of England Magazine published at Madras. The best written
articles in it, are those containing the summary of Europen Intelligence.
We say nothing of their evident political bias" - Oriental Christian
Spectator.
The church in South India was in turmoil at this time.
In the same issue of the Calcutta Christian Observer in 1840 the Madras
Temperance Society was described thus:
"The report of the above Society has been forwarded to us. It contins
many striking facts in reference to the use of ardent sprits, enouh to
make any spiriti drinker pause and examine ere he lift the disputed cup
to his lips again. The Society at Madras has progressed a little during the
past year. We sincerely wish the advocates of Temperance Societies
would take a word of advice which we have often tendered them in vain,
and be termperate in the application of pronciples really good in
themselves, and beneficial in their application when tempoerately good in
themselves, and beneficial in their application when temperately applied,
but which by the violence with which they are enforced often repel or
deter those who might be willing to come under their influence".
On his burial record he is shown as being unemployed. He was regarded
as such for at least the preceeding two years, as this is how is described
in the burial records of his wife Mary Anne who died in 1847.
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Record last updated: 22 FEB 2009