John Semmens (1850-1921) was a Methodist missionary, Indian agent, school superintendent, and author, active in Canada during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Cornwall, England, he emigrated to Upper Canada in 1860. After theological training, he was specially ordained in 1872 and sent to mission stations in northern Manitoba, including Norway House, Nelson House, and Berens River, where he worked closely with Cree and Saulteaux communities. His mission work included translating hymns and Christian texts into Cree and establishing day schools.
In 1894, Semmens became the founding principal of the Brandon Industrial School, part of Canada’s residential school system. Later roles with the Department of Indian Affairs included Indian agent, inspector, and scrip commissioner. He published several works in Cree syllabics and English, reflecting both his missionary goals and the attitudes of his time.
Biographical information adapted from Susan Gray, “Semmens, John (Theodore John),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15.
The Field and the Work: Sketches of Missionary Life in the Far North / John Semmens. — Cover title: Mission Life in the North West.
Semmens offers a firsthand account of Methodist missionary work among Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba.
Referenced in Peel (3), 1288. Entry sourced from Peel's Bibliography of the Canadian Prairies to 1953.
