Edward Stephens was one of the earliest settlers in the Colony of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

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He was born in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, the tenth child of Rev. John Stephens (1772-1841), sometime president of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference

Methodist Church of Great Britain

The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...

. His siblings included John (1806-1850) and Samuel

Samuel Stephens (Colonial Manager)

Samuel Stephens was an English businessman who was the first Colonial Manager appointed by the South Australian Company to the new colony of South Australia.He was born the eighth son of one Rev. John Stephens...

 (1808-1840).

He was a clerk and assistant cashier in the Hull Banking Company from 1833 until 1836, when he was appointed cashier and accountant of the South Australian Company. He sailed for South Australia in the Coromandel

HMS Coromandel

Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Coromandel, after the Coromandel Coast of India: was a 56-gun fourth rate, previously the ex-Indiaman Winterton...

 and on 17 January 1837 arrived at Holdfast Bay

Holdfast Bay

Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to Adelaide, South Australia. Along its shores lie the City of Holdfast Bay and the popular beach-side suburb of Glenelg.-European settlement:...

 where he set up business in a tent. He bought eight acres in the new city of Adelaide

Adelaide city centre

The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...

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In 1840 when the company's business was divided, Stephens became the Adelaide manager of the South Australian Banking Company. He was also a nominated member of the Legislative Council

South Australian Legislative Council

The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...

 and was appointed a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

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He was one of the founders of Methodism in Adelaide.

He returned to London in 1855.

He died at Howard Lodge, Maida Vale

Maida Vale

Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...

, and was buried at West Norwood Cemetery

West Norwood Cemetery

West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...

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