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William Shaw Davis

William Shaw DAVIS was born at Grahamstown in the year 1832. He was the son of the late Rev. William Jefford DAVIS, one of the pioneers of our Missions in Kaffirland. He spent seven years at Woodhouse Grove School and received much spiritual good there; but he always attributed his conversion to God to a sermon preached by the Rev. Frederick MASON.

The visit of the Rev. William TAYLOR to the Clarkebury Mission was made an unspeakable blessing to him. It was at that time that he translated into Kafir the hymn called “The Eden above,” which has been the means under God of awakening and bringing thousands of the Natives to the Saviour. In after years he composed and translated a number of the hymns in the Kafir Hymn Book, which has been favourites with our people. In 1871 he became a candidate and was accepted.

His first appointment was at Shawbury, where four years of self-sacrificing labours had a marked effect on the Chief and tribe. After a year spent  at Kamastone he returned to Shawbury at the request of the Home Committee. It was during this second term at Shawbury that he established the Girls’Institution which proved so great a blessing to our people. After three years spent at Etembeni. one of our most difficult Circuits, he was called to take charge of the Boys’Training Institution at Clarkebury. His perfect knowledge of the Kafir language and his sympathy with the young, coupled with his spiritual character, had a wonderful effect on the youths who came under his care. Many of them received “the grace of God,” and some have entered the ministry. He was quiet and gentle in his manners. His character was pure, his conduct exemplary.

He was an upright, kind-hearted, genuine, unassuming man, and a faithful and useful minister of Jesus Christ. The last two years of his life were spent at St. John’s, and though prostrated his weakness he did what he could, and his last effort was the erection of a  beautiful sanctuary which was dedicated to the service of God just three weeks before he died. He fell asleep in Jesus on the 29th of January, 1902, in the 70th year of his age and the 31st year of his ministry.

From: Minutes of Wesleyan Methodist Conference of 1902

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