Thomas Leach Day was a tailor.
1 My reason for writing, Tony, is because I am descended from the following family:
Thomas Leach DAY and his wife (never found a marriage certificate anywhere yet though) Catherine PLUNKET/T.
From a BDM perspective, they both appear on the 28th January 1844, in the St.Patrick's Roman Catholic BDM registers, as the parents at the baptism of their daughter Helena (later known as Ellen Selina) DAY. The record gives her birth date as 15th December 1843 -- and I think that it is given as having occurred in Auckland.
The same parents appear on the 9th March 1845 in the BDM registers, this time of St. Paul's ANGLICAN church in Auckland, as parents at the baptism of their son also named Thomas Leach DAY. The entry gives his birth date as 31st December 1844; and again I think that it is given as having occurred in Auckland (but that may be an inference which I took from the baptism).
The same parents had other children, including my ancestress, born after 1846.
Oh, BTW: This Thomas Leach DAY also gave his occupation as "tailor" in each of these above entries, and in others.
I mention this because I notice from your database that you show the arrival in Auckland on the "Mandarin" of Thomas DAY, a Parkhurts, Isle of Wight boy, whose occupation is also given as "tailor".
YET, my fellow family researcher and I, who for a long time felt that this might have been 'our' Thomas Leach DAY on the "Mandarin", have subsequently discovered the birth of our T.L. DAY in Westminster, London in 1806; thereby making him far too old to be the Parkhurst boy.
In Auckland Public Library from the 1843 Auckland Police census, taken in February 1844, , we have found 'our' T.L. DAY and his family, mentioned as living in Williams Lane, Auckland.
And similarly in the 1844 Return of the Population ... for the County of Eden, taken in January 1845; he and his family are shown as living at West Queen Street, Auckland.
Now unfortunately I have to go into 'vague' territory, as I cannot find the record of this next event. In the Archives at Wellington, they have a record of a WITNESS to a land claim by Mannheim BROWN; and this witness is Thomas Leach DAY, who asserted that he was in Kororareka or Russell (not too sure now which was used) in the early 1840s I think, when Mannheim BROWN was on his claim there.
Oh, BTW, Tony, the BDMs above for the children of Thomas Leach DAY and Catherine PLUNKET/T, are also listed in the online Auckland BDM indexes.
Around 1850 or so, this DAY family migrated to Australia -- we suspect the goldrush was possibly the impetus; and to the best of our knowledge they did not return again to NZ.
Unfortunately we have not been able to find an Oz Death Certificate for EITHER of them, to be able to pad out their history further.
Hoping that this might assist you some in your project.
Again, I wish you all the best with it.
Ray HAWKINS in Oz. ray15@optusnet.com.au.