“He Keeps Two Sundays”

In the dry, dusty diamond fields of Kimberley in the early 1870s, a solitary figure stood out—not for his wealth, strength, or status, but for what he didn’t do. Each Saturday, while hundreds of miners toiled under the African sun, William Hunt sat by his mining claim, Bible in hand, dressed in his Sabbath best. In a town where digging meant survival, he became known, half in jest and half in awe, as “the laziest man in town” because, as the locals said, “he kept two Sundays a week.”

William Hunt may not appear in many history books. He was not a preacher. To the best of our knowledge, he never baptized a single soul. But his simple, steadfast witness helped light the first spark of Adventism in South Africa—more than a decade before any official missionaries arrived.

From Wales to the Wilds of Nevada

William was born October 17, 1824, in Llananno, Wales, the tenth child of Samuel and Elizabeth Hunt. After his father’s death in 1841, William and his brothers John and James left Britain in search of a better life. On May 5, 1842, they sailed from Liverpool and landed in New York six weeks later. But tragedy struck soon after their arrival—James died just days after reaching America.1

William and John eventually settled in Whitby, Ontario. William was a restless adventurer. Like many of his generation, in 1863, he was drawn westward—this time not to escape hardship, but to find gold. One last time he said goodbye to his mother in Ohio and headed for the mines of Gold Hill, Nevada, seeking treasure. But the treasure he found wasn’t buried in the ground.

A Question, a Book, and a Turning Point

By the time William arrived in Nevada, he had already spent two decades studying the Bible, especially the book of Revelation. Over the years he had written to publishers from New York to Philadelphia, searching for a book that could help him understand its meaning, but always in vain.

Then in 1869 he came across a scathing article in the Californian Christian Advocate ridiculing a group of Adventist preachers who had held a tent meeting in Healdsburg, California. The article claimed they were selling books on the book of Revelation. Intrigued, William wrote a letter to “The Elders at the Tent.” He explained his long and fruitless search and requested a copy of a book mentioned in the article. He offered to pay cash on delivery. “I will . . . be greatly obliged to you,” he wrote, for he had been searching for 20 years.2

That letter reached Elder J. N. Loughborough, sparking a correspondence that lasted more than 18 months. William read every tract and book the church sent him. He subscribed to the Review and Herald and, step by step, began to build an understanding of the Adventist message. Eventually William wrote that he had accepted “the whole truth” and had reorganized his life to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.3

A Final Visit—and a Farewell Gift

In December 1870 Elder Loughborough stood to preach in Bloomfield, California, and noticed a man in the audience paying intense attention. It was William Hunt. He had stopped there for a few days on his way to the Pacific.

He never baptized a soul. But his simple, steadfast witness helped light the first spark of Adventism in South Africa.

Before leaving California, William purchased all the remaining literature he didn’t already have. He asked Elder Loughborough for the prophetic charts he had used during the meetings. Loughborough offered to provide him with new ones, but he insisted on the ones Loughborough himself had been using. He paid in gold and added a $10 coin as a personal gift. “I shall probably never see you again,” he said. “But you will hear from me . . . , if I get safely through to my destination. I shall, by the Lord’s help, ever faithfully obey the truth.”4

The First Adventists and the Church in Africa

In October 1871 William arrived in Kimberley, South Africa, where a booming diamond rush was underway. The town was rugged and spiritually barren. Churches were rare, and spiritual life was nearly absent. Yet William refused to conform to the prevailing culture. Each Sabbath he stopped working. He walked to his claim, opened his Bible, and sat in peace amid the noise of shovels and pickaxes that rang around him. He offered literature to those who asked. His witness was not through sermons, but through living out his faith.

One man who took notice was J.H.C. Wilson. After reading a copy of the Signs of the Times William gave him, J.H.C. found answers to questions that had long troubled him. He decided to keep the Sabbath. In 1878 he wrote to the Review and Herald, publicly crediting William’s quiet witness for his decision.5

Another pair of eyes watched William Hunt with curiosity: George van Druten and his friend Pieter Wessels. One day George and his wife, while driving, passed Hunt, who was walking. George joked to his wife that “the people say he is lazy—he keeps two Sundays.” She looked at him and replied, “He looks to me like an old saint.”6

William began studying prophecy with the two men. Both were impressed—not by arguments, but by his deep knowledge of Scripture and unwavering faith. Eventually they too accepted the Adventist message. Soon a letter was sent from Kimberley to the General Conference in Battle Creek, Michigan, asking for a Dutch-speaking minister to be sent. Enclosed was £50 to cover travel expenses.7 The response came swiftly.

When the first Adventist missionaries arrived in Kimberley on July 28, 1887, they found something astonishing: 26 people were already prepared for baptism. A formal church was organized the following month.8 Though William Hunt’s name does not appear on official membership rolls, legal documents show he handled money for a meeting tent purchased in 1887 or 1888 —a sign of his quiet leadership behind the scenes.9

The Final Chapter and Legacy

William Hunt died on April 28, 1897, in his home in Kimberley. His estate was valued at £3,358—a considerable sum for a man who never seemed to chase wealth. George van Druten was at his side during his final hours.10 William left behind no sermons, no books, no published theology—only a story passed down in letters, articles, and the memories of those he influenced.

He never stood behind a pulpit or founded an institution. Yet his life of quiet devotion helped ignite the Adventist message on a new continent. His story reminds us that some of the most powerful missionaries are not those who preach loudly, but those who sit still with an open Bible while the world keeps digging.

1 Family letters, 1/KTW 2/1/1/72, National Archives, Cape Town.

2 “Present Truth on the Pacific Coast XXII,” Pacific Union Recorder, June 28, 1906, pp. 1, 2.

3 “Present Truth on the Pacific Coast XXIII,” Pacific Union Recorder, July 5, 1906, pp. 1, 2.

4 “Present Truth on the Pacific Coast XXVIII,” Pacific Union Recorder, Aug. 9, 1906, p. 1.

5 J.H.C. Wilson, “A Letter From Africa,” Review and Herald, June 6, 1878, p. 183.

6 A.W. Staples, “Obituary of George Jakob van Druten,” Southern African Division Outlook, Jan. 1, 1933, p. 8.

7 J. B. Cooks, “Our First Church in South Africa—Beaconsfield, Kimberley,” South African Union Lantern, Aug. 1, 1885, p. 3.

8 L. Francois Swanepoel, “The Origin and Early History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa, 1886-1920” (M.A. thesis, UNISA, 1972).

9 Unpublished letter, Ellen G. White Research Center, Helderberg College, South Africa.

10 Family letters, 1/KTW 2/1/1/72, National Archives, Cape Town.