Good, John B.
b. 1833-09-28
d. 1916
Reverend John Booth Good was born on 28 September 1833 in Wrawby, Lincolnshire. From early in his career Good was a missionary for the S.P.G -- the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts -- continuing this line of work in British Columbia, specifically in Nanaimo, Yale, and Lytton.1 Good was first educated at Lincolnshire and then later at St. Augustine's College, Canterbury where he studied medicine, mathematics, science, and theology.2 Along with his education at St. Augustine's, he was likewise educated at a diocesan teacher's training college at Lincoln; and by 1850, at the age of 17, Good was offered a teaching position at Halton-Holgate, Lincolnshire.3 In 1854, after his graduation at St. Augustine's, he accepted a position with the S.P.G to do missionary service in British Columbia.4
By the time of Good's leave to British Columbia, the BC diocese was in the process of formation; temporarily sending Good to Nova Scotia -- he left England on 25 January 1857.5 During his time in Nova Scotia, Good was ordained by Bishop Burney and spent the next three years doing missionary service.6 In January of 1860, Good returned to England where he married Sarah Ann Watson; later traveling together to British Columbia, landing in Victoria in April 1861.7 In September 1862, Vicar George Hills appointed Good to Nanaimo, here he helped in the construction of what would become a chapel and school for Indigneous peoples; the first task that Good oversaw was to convince the pupils' need for cleanliness.8
Good later moved from Nanaimo to Yale, and then to Lytton in 1866 where he was charged with the “care” of 8000 Indigenous people from 72 different villages,9 while simultaneously becoming fluent in Indigenous language, which led to transcription and transliteration of liturgy.10 Good spent 16 years laboring in Lytton until he was appointed in 1882 as priest-in-charge of his former parish in Nanaimo.11 For another 17 years, Good worked in Nanaimo until he was forced from his position in 1899 due to the development of parish life and Good's inability to comply with the new style and subside with his traditional view of conducting parish life.12 In his entire missionary career, Good spent nearly 40 years in the service of the Anglican church in British Columbia until his death in 1916.13
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Hills, George

Places in this document

British Columbia

Lytton

Nanaimo

Nova Scotia

Victoria

Yale