Edward George Day

Death has removed a familiar citizen in the person of the Rev. Edward George Day, whose patriarchal figure was so well known amongst us, though of late failing health necessarily kept the aged minister confined more to his home than formerly. Mr. Day, who was in his eighty-fourth year, died at his residence, Brown street, at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon from paralysis of the brain.

So read Edward George Day’s obituary in the Register newspaper of 1893.

Edward George Day was born on June 30th, 1810, in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London.  His father educated him and afterwards taught himself.  He acquired an early taste for literature, reading avidly on a variety of subjects.  He particularly liked the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg.  Swedenborg claimed to have received a new revelation from Jesus Christ through continuous heavenly visions which he experienced over a period of at least twenty-five years. In his writings, he predicted that the Lord would establish a "New Church" following the Church of traditional Christianity, which worships God in one person, Jesus Christ. The New Church doctrine is that each person must actively cooperate in repentance, reformation and regeneration of one's life.

Edward was baptized as a child and rebaptised as an adult into the life of the New Jerusalem at the Church in Cross Street, Hatton Garden.  He became actively involved in the church and before he left England he was lay reader, librarian, and Superintendent of the Sunday school at this Church.

He was married in February, 1837, at St. Pancras Church, New road, London, to Elizabeth Chalken, sister of the Rev. Thomas Chalken, of the New Church in England.

He arrived in South Australia on June 20, 1850, on the ship Countess of Yarborough, with his wife, and his five children.

Edward at once became one of the four preachers of the Adelaide Society of the New Church.   Jacob Pitman at that time the minister, (brother to Isaac Pitman, inventor of a form of shorthand) arrived in Adelaide in 1838.  Jacob was ordained a minister of the church in Adelaide and, with others, formed a Society in 1847. The first church was built in Carrington Street in 1850. The Surveyor-General, George Goyder, was a member of the church, as well as Patrick Auld of the Auldana vineyard.

When Jacob Pitman left for Victoria in July, 1859, Edward was appointed his successor in the leadership of the Church, but was not ordained to the ministry until February 10, 1878. The ordination was performed in Melbourne by the Rev. J. J Thornton.  The only other ordained minister of the New Church in Australia is Mr. Bates, of Queensland.  Jacob Pitman came to South Australia aboard the ship Trusty, along with William Holden who settled and named Hope Valley.  Holden also shared a deep commitment to the religion.

Edward was profoundly versed in the theology of his Church, and possessed of high intellectual qualities, he ministered unceasingly to the congregation in Hanson-street, and his services to the time of his death were gratuitous.

Up till January 1893, Edward had solemnized no fewer than 823 marriages and baptized 499 persons.

Edward was for some ten years schoolmaster, storekeeper and butcher at Hope Valley. He would walk every Sunday to the city from Hope Valley, where he would conduct three services for the New Church and then walk back at night.

The gold rush exodus saw many people from the district pack up and leave in the hope of finding riches on the gold field.  Edward was one such man, who in 1852 joined the exodus to the eastern states.  As a result the Hope Valley post office and school closed. 

Edward wrote a letter to Mr S Goldsack which having his permission was published in the Register newspaper in that year.  The letter is written from Mount Alexander where he resided.  The letter describes in considerable detail the plight of the gold digger.

FROM THE DIGGINGS

Forest Creek, Mount Alexander, February 21st, 1852.

Sir— Agreeably to my promise, I take the earliest opportunity to furnish you with some particulars respecting the Goldfields in the neighbourhood of Mount Alexander, to which such vast numbers of the men of Adelaide have transported themselves, as a sure road to wealth; but that it is not so, many have found, and are still finding to their cost ; however, I write not to moralize, but to teach, by the statement of a few simple facts that my fellow colonists may at least have some antidote to the delirium of this worst form of ' Yellow Fever.'

The locality, from which I write, is called the ' Forest Creek,' although most of the hills and flats have specific names, such as 'Golden Point,' 'Adelaide Gully,' &c. The scenery is much the same as in our own 'bush,' rather thickly wooded with gum and stringy bark, With a wattle of a smaller leaf and different style of foliage, called silver wattle. The hills and the flats between them have been very extensively dug into holes of different sizes, shapes, and depths, the depths varying from a few feet to 25 feet, and in many instances excavated for several feet laterally. Considerable outlay of labour and capital has been necessary to carry on these mining operations, and the instances are neither few nor far between, where the final result has not been a balance in favour of the gold seeker. I have walked along this Forest Creek for some five miles; the same appearance is presented to the eye. The bed of the creek is dry and dusty, or filled with a yellow mud, the refuse of the ' Washing.' Along its banks stand tubs, and cradles, with hundreds of washers in large round dishes. Since the drying up of the stream, holes have been sunk on the banks to the depth of 10 to 12 feet ; from these a good supply of water has been procured, but these are fast drying up, owing to the continued dry weather ; and we are in daily expectation of having the cry of ' water, water,' everywhere ; and not a drop to drink. Along the line of the creek which, is as tortuous as the lovers of meandering streams could desire, and up each flat, at the base of the hills, are the tents of the army of diggers, not, it is true, of the military style, this belonging to the Commissioner and other officials; still they are in many instances commodious enough, and those belonging to the stores have white, tri-coloured, and many coloured flags, flying from the forks of their ridge-poles. There are a few tents of doubtful character, who ostensibly sell ' Lemonade ' at sixpence a glass ; but their real character becomes known when the Commissioner by a stretch of authority, consigns them to the ' fiery trial,' which concerts their canvas to tinder, and their ' spirits to pale blue flame.' This may suffice to put you in possession of some idea of the sort of place we are in. The first view of the diggings reminded me of an extensive fair ; but a nearer inspection suggested an idea more sad. The deep pits, so thickly strewn, seemed like so many open graves. Of the expense of living you may form some idea when I tell you that flour is sold retail at 5d. per lb., or in bags of 1 cwt. for £2 ; butter is 3s.; cheese, 2s. 6d. per lb. ; good black tea, 2s. per lb.. ; ship biscuits, 10d. per lb, ; mutton, by the quarter, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each; beef is a scarce commodity and fetches 6d. per lb. candles, 1s. per lb. ; sugar, 6d. per lb.

There is one respectable eating-house near the Argus office, where a good meal can be had for 2s., or a week's board for 25s. The price of a cup of coffee is 6d., and with a slice of currant cake, Is. A newspaper also from the foresaid Argus office is 1s. You will not imagine that the dealers on the diggings, overcharge much when I tell you that 15s. a cwt. is charged by the drays for bringing stores from Melbourne, where most of the above mentioned articles are not more than a fifth less in price, some a fourth, and a third.

I must now say a few words on the profits, of gold digging, and the necessary stock in trade. It is undeniable that many have realized large sums, and some few even now are clearing their £50 or £100 in the course of a month or six weeks ; but the times are bad now. Washing by the dish is a slow process, and unless the stuff is very good, a man had better be working at his own craft, and for the uninterrupted use of the cradle there is not a sufficiency of water. In this profession, as in most others, capital is necessary ; or the possession of a plant of two or three large tubs, a cradle, and dipper, and several tin dishes, for which some £10 must be sunk, and in the event of sinking deep holes, in order to reach the rock where the gold deposit may be, buckets, rope, and windlass must be used. I heard of one party who had expended £60 in a Gold digging outfit, and their profits for a month had yielded some £36 per head. The strait-forward honourable gold seeker gets his license, and applies himself in earnest to sinking hole after hole right down to the rock, in hope of finding the reward of his labour in a deposit of solid gold at the bottom ; this hope is only realized by the few, the majority are disappointed ; getting only stuff that will pay for washing by a cradle, or what is frequently the case, get nothing for their pains  for the same law obtains here as in trade or commerce, the honest and industrious do not always obtain wealth, while the ' lucky vagabond ' is daily adding to his store.  Why these things are, the Theologian can perhaps say. There are many here who have realized considerable sums by ' Fossicking,' as the phrase is, that is, they do not dig, but they peep about and get ' stuff ' from good holes, which they wash, but the scarcity of water has reduced the profits of the ' Fossicker.'

Such is a brief sketch of the present condition of the Forest Creek Diggings. Things are not here what they seem in Adelaide. Getting to the diggings without a shilling in your pocket, over the license fee, is not a certain way to wealth, and many who have so come, with hundreds who have been better supplied, have dug and dug, and still been disappointed.  

I am dear Sir, yours respectfully,

E. G. DAY.

For a time, Edward worked for James Hastwell & Sons, his son-in-law’s father’s business.  He resided at Penfield and would visit the city when necessary to do the buying for their three stores at Penfield.

He later was engaged in storekeeping at Norwood, before moving to Morphett street, Adelaide and taking up position as a storekeeper in the Survey Department.  His work ethic gained the respect and goodwill of all who came in contact with him. As evidence of this, when he retired in July, 1878, after nearly 24 years' service, he received two handsomely engrossed addresses, one being from the contractors and tradesmen with whom he had contact with, the other being signed by the then Commissioner of Crown lands (the Hon. T. Playford), the Surveyor General, G. W Goyder and other officers of the department.

Edward and Elizabeth had six children

1. Elisabeth            b. London

m. Edward John HASTWELL on 25 Feb 1860

2. Edward               b. London

m1. Mary Ann WILKEY 14 April 1860

m.2 Elizabeth WILCOCKS  28 June 1888

3. Theodore           b. London
4. Amy                     b. London

m. James Nicholson Thompson SMITH 2 April 1878

5. Alfred                  b. c.1840 London

m. Julia BARTLETT 5 Dec 1868

One son, Edward became storekeeper at Lefevre's Peninsula.  Edward and Mary Ann had eight children, five girls and two girls.  With his second marriage to Elizabeth he had another girl and two boys.  Edward ran the District Hotel in Gumeracha where his first children were born.  He lived at Broken Hill, Port Adelaide, Penfield and Mt Pleasant.  Edward was heavily involved in several lodges, the Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows.  Two of his sons, Arthur and Theodore Ernest became well known Government surveyors.

Alfred became a storekeeper at Venus Bay near Port Lincoln.  He had four children, three daughters and a son.  As a young man he joined a travelling hawker on his rounds in the South East of the State.  He then became involved in general storekeeping with his brother and brother-in-law Mr E. J Hastwell.  Alfred went to Port Lincoln in the 1860’s where he kept the local store and post office.  In 1902 he gave up the business and returned to Adelaide. 

Theodore, will be re remembered as the agent for a number of British Exhibitions at the Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition in 1887.

Elisabeth married Edward Hastwell, in 1860.    Edward and Elizabeth Hastwell had seven children: Ellen born on 7th April 1861 and Walter on 6th July 1862, both at Forreston, North Gumeracha which was where Elizabeth's brother, Edward Day had a store. Ellen, however, died of diphtheria on 24th September 1863, aged only two years and five months.  The following children were born in Port Lincoln: Amy on 23rd June1864, May on 9th July 1865, Alfred Ernest on 28th September 1866, Elsie on  5th June 1868. Emily Alicia, however, was born on 25th June 1871 at Penfield north of Gawler, South Australia which was where James Hastwell, Edwards father and his family lived.  Edward Hastwell owned a draper shop in Port Lincoln for a number of years, but died at Penfield only a month after his last child was born on 25th August 1871 at the very young age of 41.

Elisabeth did not remarry.  She was living with her father at the time of his death and later returned to Port Lincoln and passed away in her 91^st year in June 1928.

Amy married James Nicholson Thompson Smith on 2 April 1878.  James was born in Tahiti in 1844, he came to Australia with his parents.  He tried his luck at the gold fields before coming to South Australia.  He signed up as a groom on a horse boat headed for India.   In Calcutta he tried to join the Army but was unsuccessful.  He then travelled to England where he tried to enlist again.  After two years of service he headed to New York and participated in the American Civil War.  James returned to Australia, and joined the Education department, where he worked until retirement in numerous schools mainly in Mt Gambier and Watervale. 

They had seven children five boys and two girls.  They gave the most unusual names on their children;

1. Irene Gertrude Isabel Chalklea
2. George Edward Nicholson
3. Octavius Arthur (Latin for  Eight)
4. Venus Ethel Minus Una
5. Decimus David (Latin for Ten)
6. Undecimus Leonard Theodore Oliver (Latin for Eleven)
7. Duodecimus Sydney (Latin for Twelve)

James passed away in 1930.

On the day before his death, he attended Church, which he had to leave before the conclusion of the service. The Reverend, Teacher, Butcher, Store Keeper and Gentleman left three sons, two daughters, seventeen grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren.

Elisabeth passed away at Penfield where she is buried in 1874.  The family then moved to Adelaide.

Edward Day is buried in West Terrace cemetery, no headstone adorns his grave.  Elizabeth died in 8th January 1889 in Adelaide, aged 80 years.

The New Church has a church on Oaklands Road, Marion where a small congregation gather each Sunday in the Swedenborgian tradition.