The outstanding Mrs. Johanna Celestina Horst Mead and Kanyakumari District. Part Final

Mrs Johanna Celestina Mead's arrival  at Nagercoil :  Rev. Charles Mead shifted his Mission Head Quarters from Mylaudy to Nagercoil in 1818, on account of his civil appointment as Judge of the Nagercoil Court .Mr Mead got Col.Munro's Traveller's Bungalow at Nagercoil, to reside at from  Col. Munro.[ the then British Resident for Travancore State].  Rev Mead formed plans for erecting houses for Christians around Home Church Nagercoil..[ CMA p.679] . The first settlers at Nagercoil Christian Quarters near Home Church were Rev Mead's Servants and a few LMS Mission Agents and some  boys from Mylaudy [CMA, P.681] After her marriage with Rev Charles Mead of LMS, Mrs.Johanna Celestina Mead arrived at Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District with her husband in 1819 . Along with her she also brought some native christian families from Tanjore to settle at Nagercoil. The Tanjore Christian poet , Mr Vedthanayagam Sastri's cousin Arulai  and her husband Arulanandam accompanied Mrs Johanna Mead [and Arulai's husband Mr.Arulanandam was appointed  as catechist of Nagercoil Church],and they were given a house at the present Mead's street.

In the Mead street  Arulai's younger brother Christian, Catechist Vedamonickam Pillai [He belonged to Kurup family of Payenkuzhi,near santhapuram, Kanyakumari District], were settled . Following them, Arulanandan Pillay and Christian Pillay from Tanjore, Rayen Pillay and Daivd Pillay from Tranquebar ; Nallathambi Pillay of Palaymcotta , Gnanayutham Mudaly from Vadakkankulam and Savarimuthu Pillay from Kattapuram  also migrated to Nagercoil {CMA, C. H. T. p.p 681-&682] and settled at the Christian Quarters at Nagercoil. Most probably these Christian families should have mingled  through marriage with their contemporary local Christians who settled at Nagercoil from  places like Mylaudy . Mrs Johanna Horst Mead started to plan for the women's emancipation through education in South Travancore ,She was leading a happy and content life with her husband . At this time Mr and Mrs Mault arriived at Nageroil in 1819; as LMS  missionaries to work with Rev Mead.

Female Education and Mrs Johanna Horst Mead:. Mrs. Johanna Celestina Horst  Mead, Mrs Martha Mault, Mrs Miller , Mrs. Thompson, Mrs Norton, Mrs. Bailey and Mrs Baker were the pioneers connected with the Pioneer educational enterprise among the women of Travancore.  In1819, Mr Mead and Mrs Mead planned and decided  to establish one Boys' School and one Girls' School, at Nagercoil. Accodingly a Girls School was established at Nagercoil in 1819, and with great difficulty some girls were collected and admitted in the girls School. and the School began with 18 girls[CMA, p. 766.].  Mr and Mrs Mault came from England  and stayed with Mr and Mrs Mead , the  Girls' School was greatly improved. Mrs. Mead an Mrs Mault made mutual division of their work in the Girls School.  Mrs. Mead taught the student in the Girls Boarding School, plain sewing, spinning knitting , etc, Mrs Mault taught them crochet and embroidery [in1821 inroduced the pillow lace].

Mrs Johanna Mead moved to  Neyyoor in 1828:  The mission field in  South Travancore was divided into Two divisions namely: East Division [Nagercoil HQ] and West Division {Neyyoor, HQ}.Rev Charles Mault remained at Nagercoil  and he was in charge of the Eastern Division . Rev Charles Mead moved with his family and his Native Assistant Mr. Devavaram Biddolph of Mylaudy and family  to Neyyoor in1828 and Rev Mead was in charge of  the Western Division which extended from Colachel in the South to Kotticode in the North and from Ammandivillai in the East to Trivandrum in the West.   [It is appropriate here to mention and remember that Rev. Charles Mead married the daughter of Mr. Devavaram Buddulphis daughter Ms.Lois Davavaram Buddulph, as his third wife after the death of Mrs Johanna Celestina Horst Mead].

Mrs Johanna Celestina Mead opened a Girls School at Neyyoor: After having moved to Neyyoor, Mrs Johanna Mead established a Girls Boarding School at Neyyoor in 1828 and this Girls Boarding School flourished for many years in many ways under the ardent and zealous care and supervision of Mrs Johanna Mead.. The Girls Boarding School at Neyyoor played a crucial and significant  role to spread education  and self dignity among the women in and around Neyyoor and in the whole of South Travancore. The Girls Boarding School  at Neyyoor and other Boarding Schools established by the Missionaries during that period of time were the means of training many girls and women in the habits of order, cleanliness, industry and useful leaning .Besides Scripture the  girls students in Girls Boarding Schools were taught a fair knowledge of History , Geography, Arithmetic and elements of natural Philosophy was imparted in vernacular.In 1837 in South Travncore there were 15 Girls Schools containing 361 girls and in 1840 in the two districts of Neyyoor and Nagercoil out of 7540  school children 998 were girls..

Home schools at Neyyor : Mrs Johanna Mead was a great strength and force to Rev Mead 's endeavors for the cause of education. In the Home Schools established by Mr and Mrs Mead at Neyyoor there were 86 girls and 84 boys and all of  them were clothed and fed. Mrs Mead with the help of Mr Mead established CALTON SCHOOL the first Girls School at Neyyoor and in this School under Mrs  Johanna Mead's direct supervision and management, the older girls , generally under English supporters' names, were taught sewing , knitting, spinning and other general domestic duties besides their regular studies.[CMA 881] This normal School  supplied Female Teachers and wives to catechists..

Establishment of The 'Letitia-Bona-Julia Knill Schools: Under Mrs Johanna Mead's initiative with the support of Mr Charles Mead, many Letitia-Bona- Jilia Knill Schools were started in and around Neyyoor. In these schools  so many girls were educated and sent out to Villages to commence separate Girls Schools.[CMA p. 882].Mr.Charles Mead and Mrs. Johanna  Mead also started Village Day School for Girls and  Hoxton Orphan School for orphans and infants in Neyyoor district. 

Education ignited fight for dignity in South Travancore: The once denied education was given to the women specially to the poor and neglected sections of the women population of Kanyakumari district by Mrs Johanna Mead and Mrs Martha Mault and others, and  education  brought conspicuous changes in the dressing style , behaving pattern and living standard  of the poor and underprivileged women of South Travancore  And also education equipped such educated poor women to move in public places in decent dress like the Christian women in Western countries.  There were great social disturbances in South Travancore on account of the Christian women  appearing in decent dress , during the year 1822, and from 1828 to 1830. However after long fight for the basic right , the educated poor  and underprivileged women of the neglected sections of the society got the privilege to dress in decent manner. The women specially the Christian women and  the other poor neglected women of South Travancore are bound to remember and thank Mrs . Johanna Mead and other Christian women missionaries, for the great valuable and remarkable services they had done for the cause of women's education  and dignity,  in South Travancore.

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Death of Mrs Johanna Mead : Mrs Johanna Celestina Mead worked with her husband Rev Charles Mead as a wise counselor , helper, companion and supporter in all his benevolent endeavors and services in South Travancore, continuously with sense and spirit of great commitment and devotion nearly for 30 years Burt unfortunately she was affected by liver complaint and she died on the 6th February , 1848 at the age of 45 years and 44 days. Mrs Johanna Celestina Horst Mead was the first Misssionary Lady in South Travancore. The great Church historian C.M. Agur writes about Mrs Johanna Celetina Horst Mead, " She played a very important part in the early Missionary establishments for boys and girls at Nagercoil and Neyyoor. She was a mother to orphans and a supporter to the poor and helpless. The Christian villages of Nagercoil and Neyyoor  owe much to her liberality" [ CMA, Church History of Travancore , p. 899].
These words had been written on her Cemetery at the L M S Cemetery at Neyoor,"Here are deposited the remains of Johanna Celestina wife of Revd.C. Mead and daughter of Revd.C.H.Horst . She departed to enter into the rest which remaineth for the people of God, on the 6th February 1848, after 29 years of missionary labour, aged 45 and 14 days"

Conclusion: No doubt Mrs Johanna Celestina Horst Mead was one of the greatest lady missionaries ever lived in the world..Yes,  she was a visionary and selfless missionary and social thinker and worker.After 5 years from her death Rev Charles Mead married  Miss Lois Biddulph, in September, 1852, the daughter of Mr. Charles Mead's native Assistant Devavaram Bidddulph,  against great social opposition. Rev Charles Mead and Mrs Lois Devavaram Biddulph Mead were blessed with four children including Miss Johanna Carlotta Mead, and  this Johanna Carlotta Mead married Mr. C.M. Agur, B. A, the Author of the monumental book "The Church History of Travancore"[Madras, 1903, p.1188+ ] . Definitely Mrs Johanna Celestina Horst Mead was an outstanding  women .Really she was a mother to orphans, poor , helpless women and helpless men.

P. BABU MANOHARAN. {Rights reserved][This article will be altered and modified if needed later ]