William Moore ⁴

  General Notes:

(The original of the photograph above was kindly provided by the Baptist Church Archives Qld and is from the official album of Baptist Union Presidents - it has been slightly digitally enhanced)

NOTE: This Baptist Rev William Moore is not to be confused with the 19C Methodist missionary of the same name and who also had connections to Brisbane (see his biography).

  Chronology:

1841 - SOMERSET ORIGINS
Information from the Queensland Baptist newspaper as transcribed by the Baptist Archives in Queensland puts William's birthplace as Berrow, Somerset and his birth date as 7th February 1826. His 1853 marriage certificate states that his father was Edward Moore, Labourer.

The parish of Berrow is about 50k south west of Bristol on the Somerset coast. The River Axe seperates it from Weston-Super-Mare about 10k to the north. Villages within a few kilometres working clockwise from the north are Brean, Batch, Lympsham, East Brent and Burnham-on-sea. In 1841 this area contained about 3,000 peope and about 600 lived in Berrow. They were mostly farming families with many of the surnames repeated. The map on the right shows the village of Berrow in about 1900. The full series of maps at greater zoom level and with the surronding area can be found here.

The only Moor(e)s in Berrow were Frances 50 (recorded twice?), Edward 35, Fanny 23, Sarah 20, and Joseph 15. All were employed as servants and resided with other families with various surnames. There are also some Moor(e)s close by in Burnham and there is a William Moor, 15, b Somerset living with Farmer James Da(r)y at Batch, Lympsham which is within 4k of Berrow.

It seems very likely that this is our William and that the Berrow Moores are his mother and siblings forced into service by the 1838 death of his father Edward. This seems to be supported by this observation from his obituary, ".... his early years were passed amidst many difficulties." Until anything to the contrary comes to light I have assumed these Moores are his family and have added the appropriate links where more information can be found on each.

Other Moor(e)s in the area worth noting in 1841 include two John Moors and a George all born arond 1790. One John was head of the only Moor family in Lympsham and was married married to Elizabeth. The other was in Burnham married to Hannah. Strangely both families had sons Edwin aged 20 amongst other children. In 1858 a Fanny Moor, daughter of John Moor, died in Lympsham, strengthening the case for a possible family connection. George Augustus Moore b abt 1790 Berrow aappears in the 1851 and 1861 cenuses as an auctioneer in Exeter where he was married in 1836. All this suggests amn earlier generation of Moors possibly the family of William's father Edward.

(Worth noting although maybe just coincidental, in Berrow in 1841 there is a Sarah Hitchings, 50, Charwoman, with Jane Hitchings, 15. Could Sarah be Margaret's mother? Against this theory is the fact she was recorded as born Somerset not Wales as on the 1851 census. Supporting the theory is the Queensland death certificate of her granddaughter Sarah Hitchings, b 1843, which shows her father to be a Thomas Hutchins. Hutchin(g)s was a very common name in Berrow in 1841 although I've been unable to find a Thomas.) ^{7 8}

About 1842 to 1855 - BRISTOL.

William was baptised by the Rev T. Winter on 6 Nov 1842 at the Counterslip Baptist Church in Bristol. A 1903 summary of his life stated " Of the next 10 years of his life little is told" and this fits well with the next positive documentary record being his 1853 marriage. All the same a little can be pieced together about this period.

Sometime, probably only shortly after the census of July 1841, 15 year old William moved to Bristol probably in search of work. This he seems to have found and " Until the year 1854, Mr. Moore was employed in and around Bristol in the capacity of gardener, gaining considerable experience in the work, and apparently giving every satisfaction to his employers."

We know that sometime shortly after arriving in Bristol William attended the Congregational Church and sometimes that of George Muller. George Muller was a founding member of the Brethren movement but possibly of more interest is his work with children. In the years leading up to 1845 he had set up a number of houses for orphans very close by St Michael's Hill where William later settled. At 15 William would have been considered a bit old to be an orphan but the link is worth keeping in mind.

Sometime in the middle of 1842 William started attending the Counterslip Baptist Church where he underwent the instruction leading to his baptism later that year. The following description was taken indirectly from George Pryce's 'A Popular History of Bristol', which was published in 1861: "At the Countess (popularly called Counter) slip, at the top of Temple Street, the Baptists have a large chapel, which was built in 1805, and is, perhaps, the largest Nonconformist place of worship in Bristol. It was erected for a number (not quite fifty) of the members who separated from the Pithay Baptist Church, and who have built a very commodious and handsome place of worship, with another large structure adjoining, having a noble frontage said to be in the Corinthian style of architecture; the upper part of which is devoted to schools for the accommodation of five hundred children, the lower stories being used as warehouses, for which purpose they were erected. This building was opened in October, 1844, and together with the chapel was raised by voluntary contributions."

This opened a few months after his baptism and it is just possible that 17 year old William undertook studies there. Whatever the details of his earlier education, he was continuing it with evening classes in the time leading up to his departure to Australia.

There is no record of how William and Margaret met but at the time of marriage they were both resident at St Michael's Hill, Bristol. I have been unable to find Margaret in 1841 or 1851 but her daughter Sarah was born at Jeffreston, Pembroke, Wales in 1843 and Sarah was living there with her grandmother in that town in 1851. It seems reasonable that Margaret may have let her mother care for Sarah to allow her to work as a servant in Bristol in the years leading up to her marriage. In 1854 she returned to Jeffreston for the birth of her son.
^{9 10 11}

It seems likely that our William is the William Moore, 25, born "Barrow Somerest", working as a House Servant at Almondsbury Hill, Bristol, about10k north of Bristol. The distance may explain his complaints about the difficulty of making it to evening classes.

The head of this house was Jane Ludlow, widow of Ebenezer Ludlow, a "Sergeant at Law". In 1841 Ebenezer and Jane had resided in Westminster but in 1851 she was described as a "Landed proprietor occupying 70 acres employing 5 men". Looking at the occupations of the others in the house it is tempting but probably fanciful to think that they may have had some influence on William's later career and travel choices. There was Jane's son, John Thomas Ludlow, who for 27 years was the "Rector of Compton Greenfields" and her brother, William Rainey, a "West India Merchant", a calling that suggests a knowledge of far off places the likes of Australia. ¹²

1855 - QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

William and Margaret with son Edward and Margaret's daughter Sarah emigrated to Australia on the Truro and arrived in Moreton Bay in June 1855.

"Extracts from The Moreton Bay Courier:Arrivals
26 May 1855 Truro, ship, 694 tons, from Liverpool, 14th February with 318 Govt. immigrants. The Truro encountered very severe weather in the Bay of Biscay, where she lost her fore-top sail yard. Off Tristan D'Achunna was becalmed 14 days, being six days in sight of the islands. In a gale off Van Diemen's Land she lost her quarter boat. She has made a good run, being 93 days to Sydney and 102 days to Moreton Bay. The immigrants are all in good health, and are reported as an orderly and well educated body of people. They speak highly of Capt. Duncan, the master of the vessel. On the passage there were 10 births and one death - an infant. There are 318 in all, 48 being single women and 48 single men. The steamer Hawk was engaged to bring them to Brisbane, and completed the job yesterday." ^{13 14}

At the time of son John's wedding in Apr 1887 he was described as a Clergyman. Although still to be confirmed it is likely him standing at the left in this group photograph taken on the day of the wedding at Alfred Shaw's home, Hiawatha, in Balaclava. ¹⁵

MISC: 1888. ¹⁶ "Patrick Pacey (Junior), who died in 1887 from injuries he received when he fell from a cart, was buried at the Brookfield cemetery. None of the family wanted to keep the land so the Pacey block eventually passed into other hands. A large parcel was transferred to neighbour Charles Upton in 1879 and further sections were sold during the 1880s. In 1888, after Patrick's death, the remainder of the selection was transferred to the Reverend William Moore, a family friend, who subsequently sold the land. About 1901, the last members of the Pacey family left Brookfield and moved to Taringa. The family's Brookfield home was apparently burnt soon after."

By Jonathan Richards, Upper Brookfield

1903 - GOLDEN WEDDING (Queensland Baptist)

A GOLDEN WEDDING
JULY 1 , 1903
REV. W. AND MRS. MOORE

Mr. Moore was born February 7, 1826, at Berrow,in Somersetshire, and Mrs. Moore at Cresswell, in Pembrokeshire, August, 1825, so that both are 77 years of age. As a boy, William Moore went to reside in Bristol, and early came into contact with the Baptists, saw the ordinance of believers' baptism administered for the first time, and heard it explained. He was convinced of its scripturalness. Soon after this he was converted to faith in Christ as his Saviour and Lord, and after appearing before the deacons and then before the church, was baptised with 13 others on November 6, 1842 (over 6o years ago), and received into fellowship of the church at Counterslip, Bristol, then under the ministry of Rev. Thos. Winter. Of the next 10 years of his life little is told, but they evidently included his meeting with Miss Margaret Hitchins, and their mutual attachment and courtship,etc., leading up to a wedding in the old church of St. Michael , in Bristol, on the 3rd of June, 1853. That was 50 years ago, and God has permitted our friends to meet with a grown-up family to celebrate the golden wedding. Three generations were represented by 12 members of the one family. We may be permitted to give just a few notes of the drift of things from then till now.

On 14th February, 1855, Mr. and Mrs. Moore, with their baby boy, set out for Australia on board the 'good ship "Truro" under command of Captain D Jggan, and, after a voyage of about 16 weeks , landed in Brisbane June 1st. The first handshake was from the Rev. N. Turner, a retired Wesleyan minister , and the Rev . W. J. K. Piddington, the only Wesleyan minister then in the Moreton Bay district. There was but one Presbyterian minister , and no Congregational or Baptist Church in Brisbane. Soon , however, a Baptist Church was formed , and Mr. Moore applied for membership . The church was formed August 6, 1855, with 23 members , of whom Mr. Moore is the sole survivor. In the first year Mr. Moore was elected a deacon, and became a preacher of the Gospel at Bulimba and other places. When land was secured Mr. Moore was one of the trustees, and when the church was opened, on February 5th, 1859, Mrs. Moore, with others, was baptised at the first service,and at the afternoon Communion Service was received into fellowship . Soon there were five preaching stations, and Mr. Moore took full charge of Petrie Terrace about 1865. The place of meeting was too small, and land was given and funds raised, and a new place was built and opened free of debt. A church was formed, and Mr. Moore was elected first pastor of Petrie Terrace Church.The family consists of six sons and two daughters, but two boys and one girl are gone before, so there is pathos in the pleasure as there has been sorrow in the life. God's grace has been sufficient, and strength, according to need, has been given. Our friend says, touchingly, "We are thankful to our Heavenly Father for so many mercies thankful to have all our children at home once more. It was a great pleasure to kneel down with them all at the Throne of Grace." About 6o guests met for the Golden Wedding, among them Mr. and Mrs. Moses Ward, who had come from Tasmania on purpose to be present . The Doxology was sung as a note of praise ; prayer was offered by the Rev. W. Richer ; refreshments were handed round ; presents were viewed ; speeches were full of reminiscences and congratulations and good wishes were made. Mr. Gregory read a nice letter from Rev. W. Whale. The wedding cake, made by Miss S. A. Gregory, was cut and distributed. The family, and then the whole group, were photographed, and the parting time came, every visitor giving a silent benedictionon our old and dear friends Mr. and Mrs. W. Moore.

W. W.
¹⁷

1906 - OBITUARY (Queensland Baptist?)

The Rev. W. Moore, in the course of a longer life than is permitted to most men, has been able to exercise an influence for good which, in one way or other, must have affected many hundreds. The key to his life's work is found in a strong and unwavering faith in the Gospel as the only power capable of elevating mankind, and a warmly sympathetic nature which made him genuinely anxious that others should possess the faith he had found so great a joy and help in his own career. His temperance work, in which he was most enthusiastic, was but a branch of this labour for the good of others, and to it, as well as to the preaching of the Gospel, he devoted many years of labour, which, so far as regards any material reward, were entirely unremunerated.

He was born in a small agricultural village in the West of Somersetshire on 7th February, 1826, and his early years were passed amidst many difficulties. His first removal was to the city of Bristol, where work was available. Here he attended the Congregational church, and sometimes the church over which the Rev. George Muller presided. After a while he went to the Baptist church, and for the first time witnessed the ordinance of baptism as carried out there, and this made a deep and abiding impression, resulting ultimately in his joining the denomination with which he has ever since been identified. Until the year 1854, Mr. Moore was employed in and around Bristol in the capacity of gardener, gaining considerable experience in the work, and apparently giving every satisfaction to his employers. It was during this period that he married, and formed a comfortable little home for himself in Bristol, where his first child was born. The incident leading to the determination of Mr. and Mrs. Moore to emigrate may be given, as it is probably typical of many other cases, and shows that the mere desire for worldly advancement was not always the motive of our earlier immigrants. It seems that his employment at this time often necessitated work not only throughout the dav, but until a late hour in the evening, and he was prevented for three weeks in succession from attending an evening class on which he had set his mind. In answer to his respectful protest his employer desired him to understand that " his time was not his own." This rankled in his mind so painfullyespecially as it was coupled with other restrictions on his libertythat he became very unhappy and at length his wife said, " Let us go to Australia." It was thus from a pure desire for liberty of thought and action that they eventually broke up the pretty little home they had formed, gave up regular and, on the whole, suitable and congenial employment, left all their friends, and came out to this country, of which they knew surprisingly little, except that they might expect to make a decent living, and worship God in their own way without asking permission of anyone. They accordingly left home in the ship " Truro," and arrived in Moreton Bay on 26th May, 1855.

On landing, Mr. Moore's first opportunity of making a living came from the late William Brookes, who then owned a piece of land, about an acre in extent, at a spot where the present railway line to Ipswich crosses Boundary Street, Milton. This land was leased to Mr. Moore for five years, and upon it he soon erected a cottage, to where he removed with his family. He started a garden, and before very long was able to supply vegetables and flowers to the Brisbane people, who gladly bought from him, as there were few, if any, market gardeners here at that time, and no Chinese. Mr. Moore seems to have done fairly well, adding to his possessions from time to time, first a cow, then a horse and cart, and so on till at the expiration of his lease he was prepared to enter upon possession of a farm of his own purchased from the Government in what is now the suburb of Paddington. There he resided for many years, eventually removing to Indooroopilly, where the remainder of his life was spent.

In a necessarily brief notice much that would be of interest must be omitted ; but it should be stated that from the first he identified himself with the religious life of the city, and he was a member of the first Baptist church formed here. He worked with such men as the late T. B. Stephens (father of the late Member for South Brisbane), the late Mr. R. A. Kingsford, and others in bringing out the first Baptist minister from England, Rev. B. G. Wilson. The Baptists at that time had no church building, and the first services were held in the Supreme Court House, the minister preaching from the judge's bench. Subsequently a stone building, the old Wharf Street Church, was erected at a cost of £2000, and opened in February, 1859. All this time Mr. Moore was actively engaged in religious work, taking his part with others in teaching in the Sunday school, and holding services at the outstations of South Brisbane Boggo Road, Oxley, Bulimba, and Nundah. The garden and the cows meanwhile kept the now increasing family supplied with all they needed. But these involved constant and laborious work, and it must have been a difficult task for Mr. Moore always to keep each branch of duty in its proper place. Yet it seems to have been done, for worldly property increased, and religious duties certainly had their share of attention. In 1867 Mr. Moore commenced work at the Petrie Terrace Baptist church-first in Princess Street, and afterwards in Chapel Street, the site of the present church building. His name was for many years identified with this cause, and it was here, after many years of voluntary and unpaid labour, that he eventually accepted the position of a salaried minister, and became duly registered. The Petri e Terrace Sunday school, under the superintendence of Mr. E. Gregory, was for some years the largest in the denomination. For twenty years also Mr. Moore occupied the post of President of the Band of Hope there, taking active part also in the Good Templar movement, being first Grand Chaplain of the Order. At different times the appreciation of his services by the Petrie Terrace people was publicly expressed, notably in a presentation and address on his fiftieth birthday, and two years later on the occasion of his silver wedding.

The surviving family consists of four sons and one daughter, and it may be mentioned that the youngest son but one (William) was amongst the first State scholarship boys sent up to the Grammar School. He did well there, and had a successful career at the Melbourne University, where he took up the study of medicine. Dr. Moore is now one of the leading surgeons in that city. The Rev. W. Moore and his wife visited England in 1882. For some time before his death increasing age and infirmity compelled Mr. Moore to withdraw from many of the forms of usefulness in which he was engaged, but to the end of life he kept up his interest in all that could conduct to the prosperity of the Baptist church, and to the well being of the community at large. His concern for the advancement of education, temperance, and religion was frequently manifested ; and memorials of his work in these later years are seen in the State school at Indooroopilly'and the Kenmore Band of Hope, for which he laboured as long as he was able to get about. Mr. Moore's preaching of the Gospel was simple, clear, and direct, the message being given with the earnestness and warmth of one who could speak from happy experience, and who sought consistently to put into practice in daily life the lessons drawn from a careful study of the Scriptures. Though perhaps unable to give much time to preparation in the ordinary sense, he spent many hours of each week thinking out his Sunday discourses, whilst, as a rule, his hands were busily occupied in his ordinary avocation. His illustrations, like those of the Master Himself, were oftenest drawn from everyday life ; and the parables of the open air-such as those of the sower, the barren fruit tree, the tares, the grain of mustard seed, the vineyard, and others were expounded in the light of practical knowledge, which enabled the preacher to present new and helpful ideas from a study of the long familiar stories. The warmth of his love for children led him first into Band of Hope work, and nothing could surpass the patience and earnestness of his efforts in their behalf from year to year. The thoughtful studiousness of his mind, coupled with untiring diligence in all that he undertook, and the genuine goodwill manifested in his relations with others, won for him a high place in the esteem of his contemporaries, which was shared by all who knew him, whether rich or poor. In many respects his life story was worthy of admiration, and his work might well find imitators amongst all who love their fellow men. If others would seek to employ their powers and their time for the good of others in the same humble selfsacrificing manner as William Moore did for many years, we should hear less of spiritual destitution in the country districts, and the principles of righteousness and temperance would have a far stronger hold upon the community. ¹⁸

William married Margaret Hitchings, daughter of George William and Sarah Hitchings, on 2 Jun 1853 in St Michael, Bristol.^{1 2 3} (Margaret Hitchings was born Cal 1824 in Wales, christened on 4 Aug 1824 in Jeffreyston, Pembroke, Wales ¹⁹ and died on 10 Oct 1919 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia ^{20 21}.)

  Marriage Notes:

They were married by Curate Clement D Strong (at least it looks like that's the name and there is a Chaplain of the same name on the vessel "Glow Worm" docked at Bristol on the 1861 census who seems to have gone on to be the Vicar of All Saints Bristol by 1881).

The couple are both recorded as single of St Michael's Hill. Margaret's father's name does not appear. One must wonder what difficulties this and the existence of Margaret's daughter Sarah created for the couple. Also there is the question of why they were not married in a Baptist Church.

Of interest are the witnesses to William and Margaret's wedding, George and Mary Sanders. It seems they were brother and sister. If I have the right couple in 1861, George became a Railway Officer and Mary a Governess but in 1851 George is described as "Visitor for the Corporation of the Poor", an occupation I believe was related to the workhouse institutions. In what capacity were George and Mary acting at the wedding? If professional it might suggest continuing difficulty in William and Margaret's lives but if they were close friends it suggests a connection to the social welfare infratstructure of Bristol. All speculation of course!