Who Were They

               Jesse Mewett                                                              Rhoda Mewett (nee Giddings)

The birthplace of Edward John (Ted) Mewett was Mount Pleasant, South Australia, where his father, Jesse Mewett, was working as an agricultural labourer in June 1863. Generally, family activities were more restricted to an area comprising Kersbrook, Chain of Ponds, Gumeracha and Forreston (North Gumeracha), about 30 kilometres north-east of Adelaide in the Torrens valley.

Jesse was born in the English village of Willingdon, near Eastbourne in 1835. His parents, Samuel and Martha Mewett and their five children were emigrating to South Australia on board the Platina when Jesse turned three years of age. After a short stay in Modbury, the family was moved to the Gumeracha-Forreston district as tenant-farmers for the South Australia Company. Meanwhile, four more children had been born into the family. In 1852 Samuel purchased 80 acres of land to farm at Kersbrook and the family settled there permanently.

On 7th February 1856 at the Mewett property, Park Farm, Jesse, aged 21, was married to Rhoda Giddings, also aged 21; she had arrived in South Australia with her parents, William and Ann Giddings, and family in the previous year on board the Punjab. This extended family included grandparents, John and Mary Giddings, daughter Rhoda, and seven younger siblings.

Jesse and Rhoda lived at Park Farm with his parents until 1861 or 1862. Two surviving children, Sarah Ann and David William had been born in 1859 and 1861. The first-born child was David who died at 9 months from dysentry. It was a custom to name a later-born child after a deceased child. After Ted, five other children were born to Jesse and Rhoda.

The research into the Mewett family history by my cousin Bob Mewett in the 1970s revealed to me the names of our great-great-grandfather, Samuel, and my great-grandfather, Jesse, and I suspected they were biblical characters. I approached a fellow worker who was something of a Bible student, asking him where could the names of Samuel and Jesse be found. Without hesitation he replied, Samuel 1, chapter 16.

In this passage God tells Samuel, a prophet, to go to Bethleham, to a man named Jesse, because God has chosen one of his sons to be king of Israel.  Jesse calls each of his seven sons in turn to face Samuel, but God through Samuel says “No” to each of them. Then the youngest who is out tending the sheep, is called in. God says to Samuel, “This is the one – anoint him!”  Samuel takes the oil and anoints David.

– almewett