Researching John Trapp

Son of Nicholas Trapp, of Kempsey, Worcestershire, Trapp studied at the Free School in Worcester and then at Christ Church, Oxford (B.A., 1622; M.A., 1624). He became usher of the free school of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1622 and its headmaster in 1624, and was made preacher at Luddington, near Stratford, before becoming vicar of Weston-on-Avon in Gloucestershire. He sided with parliament in the English Civil War and was arrested for a short time. He took the covenant of 1643 and acted as chaplain to the parliamentary soldiers in Stratford for two years. According to his own words, in the Commentary to Job, Job 9:5, in 1657 he was "here in Herefordshire". He served as rector of Welford-on-Avon in Gloucestershire between 1646 and 1660 and again as vicar of Weston from 1660 until his death in 1669. Trapp had married Mary Gibbard in 1624; they had eleven children. Their son Joseph 1638–1698), rector of Cherrington, Gloucestershire, was father of Joseph Trapp, first Oxford Professor of Poetry.

:Be careful what books you read, for as water tastes of the soil it runs through, so does the soul taste of the authors that a man reads. -- John Trapp

:He who rides to be crowned will not mind a rainy day. -- John Trapp

:Unity without verity is no better than conspiracy -- John Trapp

Trapp's works have been quoted by religious writers including Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892). Ruth Graham, the daughter of Ruth Bell Graham, said that John Trapp, along with C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald, was one of her mother's three favorite sources for quotations.

A 6'7" forward from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Trapp played five seasons (1968–1973) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the San Diego Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 7.4 points per game in his NBA career and won a league championship with the Lakers in 1972.

Trapp also played briefly in the American Basketball Association as a member of the Denver Rockets.