David Frédéric Ellenberger

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Frédéric Ellenberger (born April 14, 1835 in Yverdon , Switzerland ; † November 27, 1920 in East London , South Africa ) was a Swiss Protestant missionary who worked for a long time with the Baphuthi in what is now Lesotho . He belonged to the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris (SMEP).

Life

Frédéric Ellenberger's parents were Jakob Ellenberger and his wife Salome, née Salchli. Ellenberger began his missionary work in 1861 in the SMEP Bethesda Mission to the Baphuthi. The place is in what is now the South African province of Free State . He was accompanied by his wife Emma Ellenberger, née Hartung. They had eleven children together. In the first part of the Seqiti War from 1865 to 1866, he protected the parishioners and received an invitation to settle in Masitise in what is now the Lesotho district of Quthing after the area was taken over by Boers from morena Moorosi . Missionary work there began in 1866. He and his family lived in a house that was built into a cave. In addition, a school was built, where Emma Ellenberger also taught, and a church. Ellenberger supported the Baphuthi when the British colonial authorities tried to confiscate parts of their land.

After his retirement, he wrote the book History of the Basuto, Ancient and Modern on behalf of the British government with the support of his wife and son-in-law JC Macgregor , which was published in London in 1912. Before his death he was able to translate parts of it into Sesotho .

aftermath

Several of his children subsequently worked in southern Africa. Jules Ellenberger (1871–1974) was Resident Commissioner in the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland . René Ellenberger (1873–1944) founded the SMEP archive in Morija and completed the translation of his father's book into Sesotho. Victor Ellenberger (1879–1974) became pastor in Hlotse and later a missionary in Barotseland . He published numerous research papers, as did two of his sons, the geologist François Ellenberger and the psychiatrist Henri Ellenberger .

Part of the Ellenberger House in Masitise is set up as the Masitise Cave House Museum and is open to the public. There are numerous finds from the 19th century.

The Masitise Mission is led by the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa . Masitise High School is one of the largest secondary schools in the country.

Works

  • History of the Basuto, Ancient and Modern. Edited and translated by JC Macgregor. Caxton, London 1912.

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c d e Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham MD / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , pp. 101-102.
  2. ↑ according to other information in 1973, see rulers.org
  3. ↑ Description of the museum at golesotho.co.za (English), accessed on October 25, 2017 (archive version)
  4. ↑ Contemporary meeting, JSTOR 200184
personal data
SURNAME Ellenberger, David Frédéric
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss Protestant missionary
DATE OF BIRTH April 14, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH Yverdon , Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH November 27, 1920
Place of death East London , South Africa