Reverend John Williams (1796-1839) went to Tahiti (French Polynesia) as a missionary for the London Missionary Society in 1816. He was active in the Society, Hervey, Southern Cook and Samoan Islands. In 1839, he moved to Fasitoouta, Upolu, in Samoa and established a station there. On 20 November 1839, he was killed at Erromango, New Hebrides (Vanuatu), along with another LMS missionary James Harris.