Person:Albert Amoore (2)

Albert Hastings was born on 21 November 1846 at Hastings in Sussex, England, was baptized on 16 December 1846 at All Saints Church, Hastings and is recorded in the 1851 UK Census as a scholar, aged 4 years, living at East Hill Lodge, Hastings. He was the sixth child, but only the second surviving son of William Amoore, born 1813, Brewer and Ellen Ruth, born 1814, nee Fermor.

Most of William's siblings also lived in Hastings, his brother Joseph carried on the family grocery business at 57 High St, Hastings and his other brother Charles was a Chemist at 6 Castle St, Hastings. After bankruptcy, his eldest brother Alfred migrated to America with his wife Ruth and five children about 1858 and his youngest brother George migrated to Melbourne with his new wife, Adelaide on the ship “Sussex” in Jan 1857 and later had five children in Victoria.

William died in 1856, aged about 43, being survived by his wife, 5 sons and 3 daughters ranging in age from 14 to 3 years. Albert was aged about 10 when his father died and about 15 when his oldest brother Frank Tweedy died at Holloway House, Hastings in 1861. From the April 1861 Census we find that Albert (listed as H Amoore) was at a Blue Coat boarding school, Christs Church Hospital School in North-West London and his younger brother Edward was a Boarder at Maidstone, Kent, so despite the death of their father, the children seem to have been reasonably well educated. The two oldest sons, Frank and William, were sent to Norwood National School at around 7-9 years of age. The family appears to have moved to Hackney, London around 1867 after Ruth's father, Edward Fermor, died earlier that year. Albert's eldest brother William Bradley married Hannah Baker in York in 1868, his elder sister Catherine Ellen married William Henry Simmonds at Bedford in 1869 and his younger sister Emma Ruth married Henry Darwood at Hackney in 1870.

From the April 1871 Census, we know that most of Albert's immediate family was still living in Hackney. Mrs. Emma Darwood with her husband Henry and her mother Mrs. Ellen Amoore, Mrs. Catherine Simmonds with her husband William, William Bradley Amoore with his wife Hannah together with his younger brother Walter Nelson Amoore were all separately living there. Margaret Lloyd Amoore was a Governess to the Stuart family in Buckinghamshire, whilst Albert departed for Australia on 21 Jan 1870 and Edward Oscar departed for NZ on 22 Oct 1870.

Albert departed from Gravesend aboard the “Somersetshire” and arrived in Melbourne, Victoria on 30 March 1870, aged 25 with his occupation given as a Miner. He was recorded in the Immigration to Victoria records as Albert Hastings (surname). In Dec 1871, he was recorded as being a Farming Overseer at Dean, a small settlement about 25km N-E of Ballarat, Victoria.

The younger brother Edward departed from Gravesend aboard the “City of Dunedin” and arrived in Dunedin, NZ on 28 January 1871. Frank, son of the elder brother, William Bradley, also migrated to New Zealand around 1895, lived with Edward's family and later married a New Zealand girl.

Albert was joined in Victoria by his younger sister Margaret Lloyd sometime between April 1871 and Dec 1872, however no shipping record has been found for her. She married Henry Rendell, Harriet's brother, at Ballarat in January 1873 and they had a son Robert Fermor Rendell in October that year. However, she returned to England at sometime after Henry died in December 1873.

The mother, Ellen Ruth, died in Edinburgh, Scotland in April 1873 where she may have moved with the family of her eldest surviving son, William Bradley, who was employed as a Clerk.

Albert's youngest brother Walter Nelson, departed Gravesend aboard the "Yorkshire" on 26 October 1878 and arrived in Melbourne on 28 Jan 1879, age 27, single, with his occupation given as a Squatter. He died at Ararat, Victoria in 1892 of Syncope Bronchitis & Asthma aged 38, still single. It is possible that he would have been aware of his brother's sister-in-law Francis (aged 47) who was also living in Ararat at that time.

On Boxing Day in 1871, Albert married Harriet Margaretta Rendell at St. Peters in Ballarat, Victoria. (Registered in the Pioneer Index under the name Amwore).

It seems that after the marriage, Albert took over his wife's job as a schoolteacher at Chatsworth. It was frowned on for a married woman to work in those times and the new Victorian Education Act came into force in January 1872 which required all teacher's to be registered. They had 11 children in total, but only 8 children (5 boys and 3 girls) survived childhood. It seems that the early years of their marriage were spent in Western Victoria. As Harriet's sister, Francis lived in Ballarat until 1887 and her mother also lived in Ballarat until her death in 1894, she probably would have wanted to live within a reasonable travelling distance.

Albert is listed in Bailliere's 1875 Victorian Directory as a teacher at Chatsworth and both Henry Hastings (Harry) b.1872 and Edward Walter b.1874 were born there. In June 1875 Albert was transferred to the Mortchup state school No.1561 and in July 1875 Harriett was also appointed as a teacher at Mortchup until she resigned in December 1880. Albert is listed in Bailliere's 1880/81 Victorian Directory as a teacher at Mortchup/Chepstowe. Phillip Walter Rendell (Phil) b.1875, Caroline Ellen (Nellie) b.1877, Frances Harriet b.1878, Albert Horace (Bertie) b.1880, Frank b.1881, John Balmain (Jack) b. 1883 and Joe b.1886 were all born at Mortchup, a small town about 25km west of Ballarat, in the district of Carngham, Victoria.

Albert was dismissed from the Public Service on 26th of August 1887 “at having been proved to the satisfaction of the Board that Albert H Amoore has been guilty of conduct, which in the opinion of the Board, renders him unfit to continue in the Public Service.” At an earlier enquiry it was found that he was “guilty of extraordinary conduct in inking and chalking the faces of the children”.

The family then appears to have moved to Melbourne, as Mary Margaret was born at Port Melbourne in 1889, in the same year and the same suburb that Bertie died, aged 9 years. Violet Emma was born in Moonee Ponds in 1893, the first year that Albert Hastings is recorded in the Sands & McDougall Melbourne Directory living at 78 Rose St, Ascot Vale and again in 1894.

It is not known what Albert did during the eight intervening years between 1887 and 1895. Around 1895, Albert, aged about 50, seems to have moved to New Zealand for a teaching job, leaving Harriet with five young children to raise, but with 2 adult sons and an 18-year-old daughter to help out. It is not known why he moved to NZ, but it was probably a result of the 1893 Bank Crash and resulting Depression which lasted until 1913 as well as the 1895-1902 Drought which lead to very large numbers of people leaving Australia to find work.

In 1895/96 Harriet was recorded as the head of the family at 160 Eglington St, Ascot Vale. Between 1897 and 1900, it is assumed that the family was living at 5 Darling St Moonee Ponds, 213 St Leonards Rd Ascot Vale and 10 Mirams St Ascot Vale with their eldest son Harry (aged 25-28) being recorded as the head of the family during this period. After Harry married in 1900, Harriet was again recorded as the head of the family from 1901 to 1913 at 100 St Leonards Rd, Ascot Vale

Albert seems to have had a number of strong New Zealand connections with his brother (Edward) and nephew (Frank) having immigrated there. His eldest daughter Nellie married a New Zealander, James Garmonsway in 1911 and his sons Frank and Joe both spent time living & working in New Zealand. The elder brother William Bradley visited New Zealand and died in 1898 on his way home; he was buried at sea and his death was registered in the parish of Stepney.

Records in New Zealand indicate that Albert was a Schoolmaster in Mahoe (North Island) in 1901. In 1907 he was a Grade 1 teacher at Mangorei Upper Primary School receiving a salary of 110 pounds plus a housing allowance of 10 pounds. In 1911 he taught at Tataraimaka Primary School and in 1914 the Taranaki Electoral Roll registered him as retired at Darnell Street, New Plymouth.

Interestingly, in 1914 & 1915 both Albert and Harriet are each listed as living at 100 St Leonards Rd, but as Albert died in 1917 at New Plymouth, he must have returned to New Zealand. He probably did this to look after his daughter Nellie, whose husband and eldest son had both died in the same horse accident in Dec 1915.

Albert died only 18 months later on July 9th 1917 of Prostate Cancer aged 70 at the home of his daughter Mrs. Garmonsway in Vogeltown, New Plymouth and was buried at Te Henui Cemetery, North Island, New Zealand.

The inscription on the memorial headstone reads:

In Loving Memory of Albert Hastings Amoore Died 9th July 1917 Aged 71 years At Eventide It Shall Be Light Harriet, Loving Wife of the Above. Albert, Phillip A.I.F. sons of the above died in France. At Rest.

Listed in 1851Census as aged 4 yrs "scholar" living at East Hill Lodge Listed in Bailliere's Vic'n Directory 1875 as teacher Chatsworth Listed in Bailliere's Vic'n Directory 1880/81as teacher Mortchup, Chepstowe Cause of Death - Cancer of Prostate Aged 70 Years lived in N.Z. for 24 years (from 1893)

1. ↑ Hastings Births, in General Register Office. England and Wales. Civil Registration Certificates. (London, United Kingdom: General Register Office)
   Vol. 7 p. 385, Dec Qtr.1846.

   Certified copy of birth entry No. BXBZ 270520

   
2. ↑ Baptisms, All Saints, Hastings, in Sussex Family History Group. Sussex Baptismal Index
   1760 - 1860.
3. ↑ Deaths, in New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records
   99/2068, 1917.

   Copy of New Zealand Death Certificate No. 1917/99/2068

   
4. ↑ Headstone.

   The inscription on the memorial headstone reads:
   In Loving Memory of Albert Hastings Amoore Died 9th July 1917 Aged 71 years
   At Eventide It Shall Be Light
   Harriet, Loving Wife of the Above. Albert, Phillip A.I.F. sons of the above died in France.
   At Rest.