He was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England, on 1847-12-07, son of William Pearson, a butcher, and his wife Sarah Johnson, and attended St.
The first party of CMS missionaries, led by Lt. G. Shergold-Smith, had landed at Bagamoyo in July 1876, but a year later two had been killed in a skirmish, and two others had died of fever.
They met Colonel Gordon in Khartoum, who tried to persuade Pearson to serve in Sudan instead.
Pearson and his party reached Rubaga in Uganda on 14 February 1879, over nine months after setting out.
Their denominational rivalry reduced the effectiveness of their message, as the Catholics refused to kneel for the Anglican prayers and vice versa.
After serving in Uganda for two years Pearson returned to England for health reasons, using the more conventional route via the East Coast and Zanzibar.