Hanson, Francis R.

(Mar. 27, 1807-Oct. 21, 1873). One of the first two Episcopal missionaries to China. He was born in Durham, Charles County, Maryland. Hanson graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1833. He was ordained deacon on May 19, 1833, and priest on May 30, 1834. On June 1, 1835, he and the Rev. Henry Lockwood set sail from New York to Canton. When they arrived in Canton they found China closed to foreigners. They took up residence in Batavia (Jakarta), Java, an island of the Malay Archipelago, to study Chinese. The tropical weather was too extreme for them, and in 1838, Hanson returned to the United States. In 1839 Hanson became rector of Trinity Church, Demopolis, Alabama, and served there until 1851. From 1851 until 1873, he was rector of St. Andrew's Church, Macon Station, Alabama. Hanson died in Baltimore, Maryland.