Gracey, John Talbot

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.