John Arthur Crump
John Arthur Crump was a New Zealand Methodist missionary, zoologist, anthropologist, and educator.
Early life and education
Crump was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, the fourth child and fourth son of James Crump, butcher, and Bessie Crump. His father James Crump was born in Kingsland, Herefordshire, and the family's ancestral village was Brimfield, Herefordshire. John Arthur Crump's older brothers were Henry Hoyle Crump, James Edward Crump, and Charles Frederick Crump.Crump was educated at Wesley College, Sheffield, Yorkshire. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1883. After initially undertaking farm work in Canterbury and Marlborough, Crump became a Methodist preacher-on-trial in Marlborough in 1888, and a preacher from 1891 when he passed Synod examinations. He received theological training at Wesley College, Three Kings, Auckland, New Zealand, 1892–93.
Personal life
Crump married Martha Alice Rose 19 March 1894. They had five children Konini Crump, Aloha Crump, Winiwi Crump, Meme Crump, and Wilfred John Crump.Crump was a nephew of Methodist minister to New Zealand Reverend John Crump whose family hosted him in Christchurch following his arrival in New Zealand, and of prominent English footballer, administrator, and referee Charles Crump. Crump was a first cousin of Edwin Samuel Crump, English civil engineer and inventor of the Crump weir.
Missionary
The day after their wedding Crump and wife Alice departed for the mission field in New Britain, Papua New Guinea, via Wellington and Sydney, arriving at Kokopo, New Britain, 19 June 1894, and then Kabakada, East New Britain, 27 June 1894. Crump worked with Methodist missionaries from other Pacific islands, especially from Samoa, and translated the New Testament into a New Britain language. In April 1897 the family was transferred to a new mission station at Kinavanua, Duke of York Islands. In July 1898 Ulu Island was purchased on behalf of the church. John and Alice Crump relocated there, establishing George Brown College to train local ministers, developing an innovative education and community development model based on coconut growing. The name Misikaram, meaning 'Mr. Crump' in Tok Pisin, was adopted as a surname by Crump's co-workers at George Brown College and remains in use as a common surname in parts of Papua New Guinea today.Crump left the Ulu Circuit and retired as a Methodist missionary in November 1904.
Zoologist and anthropologist
Crump made observations on the fauna and flora, and on indigenous and German colonial cultural practices, in East New Britain during the late 1800s. Diaries, photographs and glass slides, and an extensive collection of New Britain objects are held at The National Library of New Zealand Alexander Turnbull Collection and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.Crump's published the first formal observations of the traditional New Britain practice of trephining for the management of depressed skull fracture, headache, and spiritual maladies.
Crump was elected a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London in July 1901 for his contributions to knowledge on the fauna of East New Britain, particularly on herpetology and ornithology.