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John Talbot Gracey (1831-1912), American Missionary to India, was born in Philadelphia on September 16, 1831. He was very studious, and liked to study the sciences. He eventually went off to college to study medicine in an attempt to one day become a physician. However, it was during this time that he realized that his true calling was not to heal people physically, but spiritually. When he made this decision in 1850, he joined the Virginia and later the Pennsylvania Conferences. Gracey received his masters from both Ohio Wesleyan University as well as Dickinson College, and earned the title of Doctor of Divinity from Syracuse University. On March 10, 1858, John married Annie Ryder, who was at the time working at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Early in 1861, Gracey decided that he and his wife were being called for missions in India. At the time, India was still a very remote location, one especially devoid of westerners since relations between India and Britain had not been so great. India was a very important place for missions, and a land in need of help, but few had yet pioneered the mission field in that area. Gracey brought together a team of missionaries, including his wife, to embark on such a journey. They left the United States in June 1861 and arrived in India in October. The trip had been quite dangerous, and the group was lucky to have arrived safely. Now that they were in India, they got right to work. Gracey was a very impressive man, intelligent yet humble and kind. One could always find Gracey sitting with the local children or the older men, telling them stories of the Prodigal Son or the Good Samaritan, and the locals would accept this with excited and wild imaginations. After only living in India for five months, Gracey gave his first sermon in a native tongue. Gracey was also involved with the Methodist Indian Conference, of which he was secretary when he arrived, and President in 1867. During his time in India, John lived in Sitapur, Calcutta, Bareilly, and Naini Tal. He also took a short excursion into the mountains to the north.

In 1868, their homestead in India was abruptly cut short when Annie became severely ill. Upon return to the United States, it was clear that she could not endure the extreme tropical environment, and thus the two could not return together. So after a marvelous seven years serving and teaching in India, John retired from that particular field, never to return to India.

For the latter stage of his life, Gracey took on many different roles. He was involved with a missionary society through the church, giving speeches and writings in the interest of all missions. He was a professor of a historical theology at Drew University. He transferred to the Central New York and Genessee Conferences. While in these conferences, Gracey was the pastor of many churches, from Rochester, Buffalo, and Brooklyn to holding the position of elder at a church in Syracuse for six years. He also organized and presided over the International Missionary Union in 1883, an organization that protects the rights and safety of missionaries. From late 1876 to early 1877, Gracey was invited to join a group in a visit to missions in West Africa. There he evaluated the work and gave suggestions to improving life and efficiency in the mission field. Upon the return to the United States, Gracey stopped in Spain and France as a little vacation.

Gracey retired from the pastorate in 1889, but that didn't end his ministry. He worked for the Northern Christian Advocate as the missionary editor for 18 years. He also continued to speak about his experiences about being a missionary. He wrote a few books on his thoughts as well.

Along with being such an active member in the church, Gracey was a devoted father of three. One of these children of Francis Ida Gracey, who became a very active missionary to China. She devoted her life to helping little children in China have a better life. His wife Annie died on February 17, 1908, and John died four years later, on January 5, 1912.

Rev. Carroll Summerfield Long, D.D., PhD. (1850-1890) American Methodist Episcopal Church missionary was born on January 2, 1850 in Athens, Tennessee. He was the oldest son of Reverend William R. Long (February 18, 1819-November 4, 1847) and Sarah Elizabeth (Atlee) Long (April 4, 1829-December 5, 1889). He attended East Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens, Tennessee) with the intent of practicing medicine. However, he had a change in plans and wanted to live a more religious lifestyle. He became licensed to preach on June 22, 1872 under Reverend J. W. Mann. Higher education was important to Long, and he would return to East Tennessee Wesleyan College to complete his studies, receiving a B.A. in the classics in 1878, a M.A. in 1881, followed by an PhD in 1886.

In October 1875, Long was admitted to the Holston Conference and was stationed in Asheville, North Carolina where he would serve for four years as the pastor of the church. During which he would also serve as the president of Candler College for two of those years. In August 1879, he was elected as the principal of Powells Valley Seminary (Well Spring, Tennessee), where he would hold the position for a short five months before accepting an appointment as missionary to Japan. Long and his wife sailed from San Francisco, California on February 28, 1880 and arrived in Nagasaki March 20, 1880. Long was determined to become emerged within the Japanese culture, and took up to the study of the language and customs upon his arrival. Within less than 13 weeks, Long was able to give his first sermon in the vernacular of the people. Reverend Carroll Summerfield Long would serve a total of eight years as a missionary to Japan. Some of his many accomplishments include founding Cobleigh Seminary (1881), becoming the presiding elder of the Nagasaki and Nagoya districts, as well as founding a school for girls in Nagoya (October 1888).

His missionary experiences were not experienced alone, and in many aspects, could not be completed without his family. On June 3, 1879 he married Flora Isadore Smith (1861-1952), the daughter of Reverend William Conway Smith (1830-1881) and Mary Eliza (Hemens) Smith (1835-1929). They met through “Pen Pal,” as Flora loved to read “The Children’s Corner” and began an relationship through the correspondence that the two would have. During their time in Japan, Carroll and Flora would have 4 children: Mary Elizabeth Long Dayharsh (1880-1975), Flora Hortense Long Harrison (1881-1968), Pauline “Haru” Atlee Long (1883-1931) and “Michi” Geraldine Long Bailey (1888-1985).

Reverend Carroll Summerfield Long made his last return trip to the United States on August 17, 1890, and due to bad health, passed away at the home his friend Reverend J.D. Robertson in Asheville, North Carolina on September 4, 1890 and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery (Athens, Tennessee).