Aside from some early and later biographical information pertinent to photographer Thomas J. Nevin’s father-in-law Captain James Day, father of his wife Elizabeth Rachel (Day) Nevin, the primary focus of this blog post is to document rather than describe or interpret a significant era in shipping on the Tasmania-California route. This compilation of documents and lists gathers together ships’ cockets, port officers’ logs, signal charts, maps, passenger and crew lists, newspaper reports and diaries during the Californian Gold Rush and Great Fires of San Francisco, 1849-1851. Captain James Day (1808-1882), navigator, first mate and master mariner, served on board the 313-ton barque Panama from Hobart to California in 1850 (Davison, master) and 1851 (Robinson, master). On those voyages the primary cargo was pre-fab timber house frames, the lesser cargo, potatoes and onions. He was praised by Captain Robinson of the Panama for not deserting ship for the gold fields when the rest of his crew had left him high and dry. … More First Mate James DAY on the “Panama” to California 1850-1851