David A. Day (February 17, 1851 – December 17, 1897) was a Lutheran missionary who worked in Liberia from 1874 until shortly before his death in 1897. Born in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, his early life was filled with hardship. At 12, he went to work for the government stables in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and at 13, he (illegally) joined the Union Army for the remaining years of the American Civil War. In 1869, he entered the Missionary Institute in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. There, in May 1874, he was married to Emily (Emma) Virginia Winegarden. Day was ordained by the Frankean Synod. The couple arrived together in Africa only a month later, where they remained for the majority of their lives. David only returned to North America twice while living, once 1883, and again after the death of hi