Reverend John Geddie (1815-72), a Presbyterian missionary, left Nova Scotia, Canada, for the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in 1846. He reached Aneityum in May 1848 in the mission ship JOHN WILLIAMS. He was accompanied by his wife Charlotte Geddie (nee MacDonald, 1822-) and Thomas Powell of the London Missionary Society (LMS). Geddie and Powell established themselves on the southern side of the island, but were coolly received by the inhabitants. When Powell left the island after about a year, the Geddies remained with Samoan teachers. In 1852, the mission was joined by Reverend John Inglis and his wife Jessie from Scotland, representing the Reformed Presbyterian Church. They established a station on the northern side of the island. Meanwhile, Geddie had begun printing books in the Aneityumese language - the first being a spelling book, with readings from Scripture, hymns and prayers. During the next few years many similar works and translations of the Scriptures were published. Geddie retired to Australia in 1872, and died soon afterwards.

The diaries provide information about Geddie's activities during his first ten years on Aneityum.