William Jones Boone (father)
In Batavia he studied alongside the priests Henry Lockwood and Francis Hanson to gain a degree of fluency in the Chinese language.[1] In February 1842 conditions in China were considered secure enough for Boone to relocate his missionary work to Kulangsu, a small island half a mile from the recently opened treaty port of Amoy, to set up the first base for the Episcopalians.[1][4] Influenced by British CMS missionary George Smith he chose to relocate the center of his mission work to Shanghai in 1845 where he served until his death in 1864.Boone was responsible for the recruitment of numerous missionaries; notably Emma Jones, Henry M. Parker and Channing Moore Williams his eventual successor as Bishop of China and Japan.[1] Between 1848 and 1850, Boone was a central figure in the "Term Question" debate on how to translate the word "God" into Chinese for the Delegates Version Bible.