Background
John Avery was born on September 18, 1837 in Conway, Massachusetts, United States to Joseph and Sylvia (Clary) Avery. Due to the circumstances Avery was left alone at early age dependent on his own resources.
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John Avery
Edit ProfileEducation
In 1861 Avery graduated from Amherst and soon after started teaching at Leicester Academy and later tutoring at Amherst.
Later, in 1863, he started learning philology at Yale Colledge.
In 1867-1868 Avery studied Sanskrit and Zend (Avestan) in Germany.
Career
During the studying at Yale University Avery held a position of tutor in physics in the the Sheffield Scientific School.
For the remainder of his life his scholarly interests were chiefly concerned with the languages and literature of India. He was elected a member of the American Oriental Society in 1870, and furnished papers at each of its meetings.
From the year 1875 until his death he was assistant editor of the American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal.
For over twenty years he devoted himself to the antiquities, ethnology, and philology of the ancient tribes of northern India and at the time of his death he was engaged upon a book on the aboriginal tribes of India, which was never published.
From 1870 to 1871 he was professor of Latin and from 1871 to 1877 professor of Greek at Iowa College, Grinnell; and from 1877 to 1887 professor of Greek at Bowdoin.
In June 1887 he retired from his professorship in order to devote himself to his favorite study of Sanskrit, but died in the ensuing September at North Bridgeton from a disease contracted in nursing his only son.
Achievements
Membership
Member of the American Oriental Society.
Personality
As a teacher he was industrious and conscientious rather than inspiring, while his erudition was sometimes over the heads of college boys.
Connections
On August 21, 1866 he married Cornelia M. Curtiss of New Haven, Connecticut, by whom he had one child.
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Born
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Died
January 9, 1887 (aged 49) -
Resting place
Pine Grove Cemetery, Brunswick, Maine, United Sates -
Nationality
American