Wakefield, Thomas (1836-1901)

Thomas Wakefield FRGS, FR Hist. Soc  was born on 23 June 1836 in Derby to  Thomas and Juliana Wakefield. His parents were Baptists, and in 1851 his father was a porter in Chester.

The 1851 census records that Thomas worked as an errand boy before entering the United Methodist Free Churches ministry.

Ministry

Thomas was the first missionary sent by the UMFC to East Africa, where he worked continuously from 1861 to 1888, except for a furlough of two years, and laid the foundations of what is now the Methodist Church in Kenya. The story is told in the biography of his first wife  and his biography written by his second wife.

A modern biography by Barbara Wolstenholme tells the joint story of Thomas and Rebecca Wakefield.

Reports back from Thomas Wakefield may be found in the UMFC Magazine.

On his return from East Africa he was President of the Annual Assembly of the United Methodist Free Churches in 1888. He was a member of the Connexional Committee in 1888-1889, 1891 and 1894-1895, and Convenor of a District meeting in 1896

Family

Thomas married Rebecca Brewin on 2nd December 1869 in Louth. She returned with him to East Africa, where they had two children

• Helena Rebecca (Nellie) born 16 August 1870 at Melindi, Zanzibar. Died 1943
• Herbert born 8 June 1873, died 12 July 1873 at Kilifi, in East Africa (now Kenya)

Rebecca died soon after their son on 16 July 1873.

Thomas remarried, to  Esther Susannah Summers (1855-1926) in 1882. They had five children

• Ada Maude Sommers (1883-1952)
• Wilfred Robert  (1885-1947) An auditor (1911)
• Thomas Butler  (1888-1917) An insurance clerk (1911)
• Leonard John (1890-1917)  An advertising manger (1911)
• Laurence Edwin (1892-1970) An insurance clerk (1911)

Thomas died on 15 December 1901 at Churchtown, Southport, Lancashire.

Circuits

• 1858 Camelford, Wadebridge and Bodmin
• 1859  Wadebridge and Bodmin
• 1860 Helston
• 1861 East Africa
• 1863 Ribe, Mombasa, East Africa
• 1866 Gallas, East Africa
• 1869 Ribe, East Africa
• 1879 on furlough, Sheffield
• 1881 Ribe, East Africa
• 1883 Jomvu, East Africa
• 1888 Leeds West
• 1890 Kingswood
• 1891  Bradford, Bridge Street
• 1894 Derby, Becket Street
• 1897  Southport Churchtown

References

Wakefield, E.S. Thomas Wakefield: missionary and geographical pioneer in East Equatorial Africa. London: Religious Tract Society, 1904 which may be viewed here

Wolstenholme, Barbara  Not Dear to Themselves: The Story of Thomas and Rebecca Wakefield and the Establishment of the Methodist Church in East Africa Loughborough: Teamprint, 1994.

Beckerlegge United Methodist ministers and their circuits (1968) p247

Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers