Edward John Stevens

The Histories

The Histories of the Stevens—Croot Family Heritage

Edward John Stevens, was living in retirement in 1936 in a pleasantly situated house by the side of the Riverton-Orepuki road some three miles from Riverton, when the ‘Records of Early Riverton and District’ was being collated. The following is his contribution:

Edward John was born in Riverton on July 8th, 1857—the only child of Edward Thomas Stevens and Ann Lidiard.

His father, Edward Thomas, had come to New Zealand with his parents (Mr and Mrs Richard Stevens) and two sisters in the ship “Royal Albert” in 1853. He then married Ann (Makee) Lidiard on 13th August 1854 at Ruapuke Island in a ceremony officiated by Rev..J.F.H. Wohlers.

Edward Thomas Stevens died in early 1857, six months before his son was born.

One of Edward John’s earliest memories was that of going to the Moutere bush where his step-father, William Thomas, had contracted to pit-saw timber for Scully’s brewery. That was in 1861. It was during this visit of Edward John to his step-father’s camp, that the frost—for long known as the “big frost”— came to the district. Creeks were frozen over and bullock drays could then negotiate the swamps with safety. It was this frost that lowered the Nokomai and Shotover Rivers and caused the great rush of gold seekers to the Lake.

When William Thomas’ pit-sawing contract finished, he returned to Riverton, but soon left for Nokomai to try gold mining himself. In his absence, his wife Ann and young Edward John went to Wreys Bush where John Lidiard, Ann’s father, was the overseer of Capt. John Howell’s run. Ann and Edward returned to Riverton in 1863.

Before going up to Wreys Bush, Edward had gone to Mrs Galliot’s school for a month or two, on his return he entered as a pupil at Mr Cameron’s school.

In 1864 the family moved to Otaitai Bush. Although a good 3 miles each way, Edward regularly walked to and from school until he was 8 years old, when he left school to start working for himself.

Excerpt edited from pg. 30
“Records of Early Riverton and Districts

Edward John Stevens (1857—1947)

Edward John Stevens’ first employer was Mr. J. R. Stuck (family of sorts, James Stuck married Hannah Marie Paulin, younger daughter of Ann and John Paulin) and the wage was 7 shillings per week (a shilling is equivalent to 10 cents). The work was fairly heavy for a lad of eight; milking two cows twice daily, feeding 20 pigs and carrying in the firewood. At harvest time he served as a crow when stacking was on.

Leaving Mr Stuck’s employ, Edward went to work for Capt. Howell at Flint’s Bush for 10 shillings a week—an advance on what he had been getting before. Here there were the same number of cows to milk, but 60 pigs to feed and all sorts of other odd jobs to do.

After he was 10, Edward earned better money by going to the stations at shearing time—Avondale, Beaumont, Mararoa, Linwood, Te Anau Downs, Linton and Clifton —picking up wool.

In the off season for shearing, Edward Stevens turned his hand to any work available. At one time he drove a dobbin at Woodlands for Mr. John Campbell who had the contract for forming a railway there.

When he was sixteen, Edward found that he had saved enough money to pay for a little more schooling. So for the better part of a year he became a pupil at Mr Wardrop’s school. Other pupil’s at the time were G. & E. Hogg, W. & R. Bailey, E. & M. Mitchell, James Eveleigh*, and others.

*Is this the same James Eveleigh who became his father-in-law, or was he the brother of Mary-Ann Eveleigh?

An Early Start in Life

Edward Thomas Stevens was the son of Richard Stevens, uncle to Capt. John Howell, the founder of Riverton, and uncle also of Mr. George Stevens, Mrs Paulin and Mrs. Theophilus Daniel.