Henry Johnson

Born in 1840, Henry Johnson was the son of Christian converts in Sierra Leone. In 1865 he went to England to train for the ministry and in 1866 he was ordained a deacon in London. The following year he was made a priest by the Bishop of London. He worked in England for two years before returning to Sierra Leone to work on translations. A prolific translator, he translated most of the New Testament books into the Mende language. He eventually became the Archdeacon of the Upper Niger and on 12 November 1885 was awarded an honorary M.A. by the University of Cambridge.

Photographed by William Menzies of 213 Upper Street, Islington [London]. The sitter is identified by an inked inscription recto in the lower margin, which also gives the date, 19 June 1866. A pencilled inscription on the album page mentions the CMS [the Church Missionary Society].