Robert Augustus White ALLEN

[Leisa]

Good morning,
I am seeking some assistance in trying to trace my ggrandfather's whereabouts or story.  I am a member of ancestry and have found some details about him, but am at a loss where he was for a period of about twenty years.  The story is that he had four children in Oakey, Queensland and left for work in New South Wales.  When he came back for his wife she was not willing to leave Oakey.  My grandfather always wondered what happened to his father and wanted to trace him but did not have the resources to do so.  I would like to find out my ggrandfather's story as his dissapearance has been a mystery to my family.

These are the details I have already on him.
Born - Robert Augustus White (Mother Christina WHITE - There is no father listed on his b/c.  However, it seems when his mother married Jonadab (John) ALLEN, he has taken the surname ALLEN.
Birth 1878 in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Death 13 September 1956 in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
Married - Catherine (Kate) Cherry in Oakey, Qld the 2nd Feb 1899.
He had four children to Kate.
Robert James Allen (1899 - 1985)
Francis Gordon White Allen (1901 - 1981) My grandfather
John Edward White Allen (1904 - 1992)
Margaret Mary Madeline White Allen (1907 - 1990)
The Electoral rolls I have found show he resided:

Residence1936 — Age: 58
Kembla, Werriwa, New South Wales, Australia
 
Residence1943 — Age: 65
Kembla, Werriwa, New South Wales, Australia
 
Residence1949 — Age: 71
Kembla, Cunningham, New South Wales, Australia
 
Residence1954 — Age: 76
Kembla, Cunningham, New South Wales, Australia

It appears he was living with his mother during the period of 1936 and 1943 and worked as a furnacemaker in Port Kembla.

Any information or help solving this mystery would be very much appreciated. 
Family talk has that he came to his wife's funeral and that his sons didn't realise it was him until later.

Kind regards,
Leisa
 
 

[giblet]

Hi Leisa,

You may have already seen this tho it isnt the years your interested..

Record type
Insolvency file
ALLEN, Robert Augustus White
5444/1903
24/8/1903 to 20/9/1905

Qld state archives
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

[giblet]

Trove newspapers are a handy source of info at times

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?adv=y

His death index is quiet interesting .. I wonder who the informant. They obviously thought John Allen's second name was Augustus.

23956/1956  ALLEN  ROBERT AUGUSTUS W  father JOHN AUGUSTUS  mother CHRISTINA  district TAMWORTH

Birth index
13230/1878  WHITE  ROBERT AUGUSTUS   father -  mother CHRISTINA  district GRAFTON 

His mother's marriage index to Allen
3278/1879  Groom ALLEN  JOHN M  Bride WHITE  CHRISTINA  District GRAFTON 

 

[giblet]

Your Robert Augustus had heaps of siblings

15139/1880  ALLEN  CHRISTINA MARY A  JOHN MUGRIDGE  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON     
18073/1883  ALLEN  SARAH C  JOHN  CHRISTINA ANN  GRAFTON     
20380/1885  ALLEN  JOHN B R  JOHN  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON     
22552/1888  ALLEN  VIOLET  JOHN  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON     
14628/1891  ALLEN  ISABELLA E  JOHN  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON     
15135/1893  ALLEN  SAMUEL W  JOHN  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON     
21702/1896  ALLEN  GORDON L C  JOHN M  CHRISTINA  GRAFTON 

If you have a look in the Trove link i left in a earlier post with some of the above names and you might be lucky to find family notices that include Robert which might help to know what he was up to. 

[sparrett]

I wonder then if ROBERT left after 1906. Was perhaps gone by 1912?

This news item dated 2nd August 1912 describes the ins and outs of a maintenance order upon ROBERT NOBLE for the support of "his deserted and illegitimate child" The order  brought by CATHERINE ALLEN, wife of ROBERT ALLEN of Oakey.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/19839226?searchTerm="catherine allen" +oakey&searchLimits=

This perhaps is the child -

Born1911 REG C9517 Edward Stanley Allen. Father not listed. Mother Catherine Cherry

You may find this man on later E. Rolls.

Possibly there was some marital disharmony between the couple -his parents.

Sue

[muss]

Hi
 There a WW1 record for his brother Gordon Leslie Cameron Allen who was KIA


Muss

[Leisa]

Wow! I woke up this morning and thought I'd check to see if I had any replies to my query not really thinking that out of all the posts that are on rootschat, that mine would be answered.  Not only did I have one reply but four!!!!  Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help so much and very sincerely. Thank you gilbert and Sue.  You are both absolutely wonderful. 

In response to your research (thank you again), I have seen the insolvency file before.  When I told my mum about it, she said that she remembers that he left Qld as there was no work.  We didn't know that he was bankrupt.  Mum said (as I said yesterday) that he went to NSW where he family lived to find work.  He apparently came back twice to Catherine but she didn't want to go with him. 

Now here's where the story gets interesting.  I had no idea that there was a claim for a maintenance order, however, I did know that Catherine met with a neighbour Edward (Ted) Potter.  They were apparently living together.  Mum remembers her being called Grannie Potter, not Grannie Allen as was her married name.  I didn't know whether the name Robert Noble was a misprint and it should of been Robert Allen, except that now I've mentioned it to mum, she can remember the name Noble but doesn't know why. 

There was also another son born to Catherine Cherry whose name was Anthony Roy Potter.  There is a question mark over who his father is.  I haven't been able to find his date of birth out as he must of been born after the records on Ancestry and Qld BDM. 

The death certificate is also very interesting. I will have to find out the informant as it appears that it couldn't of been a family member as they would know that Robert's surname was Allen not Augustus. 

I'm not sure whether Ted Potter and Catherine Cherry ever married.  Mum thinks they were in Nanango Q, but is again not sure.  I haven't been able to find any details of a marriage or divorce.

With all the siblings, using Ancestry I have contacted anyone who has a family tree with Robert Augustus' name on it to see if they have any info.  To date, the two replies I have received have been with no success.

Anyway, again I want to thank you both very much for your help.  It's been invaluable.  I'll let you know any further developments and appreciate any other help you could offer.

Sincerely and warmest wishes
Leisa 

[Leisa]

Thank you Muse for taking the time to help me.  As with Sue and Gilbert, I really appreciate your assistance as it is invaluable.  I'll look into the record and see what I can find out.  I love doing family research and it's amazing to think I had come to what people call a wall in my research and then all of you wonderful people come along and give me new hope.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you
Best wishes and warm regards,
Leisa

[sparrett]

This is not really helping with your inquiries about ROBERT ALLEN, and perhaps you already have these details, however FYI--

POTTER, Catherine , died. 13.01.1954, aged74 yrs , -My wife & our mother., Memorial Iinscription, Oakey Cemetery

ANTHONY ROY, as yoou know, married 1936.

This little item about the couple.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/36808458?searchTerm="anthony potter"&searchLimits=

Sue