Amelia Alice BOORMAN (1869-1918) - #14 (52 Ancestors)

Theme: Maiden Aunt

Terry’s paternal Great Aunt Alice was the sister of his grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN.  Alice was actually named Amelia Alice BOORMAN by her parents William Scoons BOORMAN and Frances Jane “Fanny” ROBSON”.  According to her birth certificate, she was born on 12 Jul 1869 at 2 Cedar Terrace in Fulham, Middlesex, England.

Alice was the third of their seven children, and grew up in the London districts of Fulham and Battersea near Wandsworth, just across the Thames.  Her father supported the family as a grocer, and then as a coal merchant clerk.  By 1891 at the age of 21, Alice was already employed as a board school teacher. Like her older sister Lillie (Frances Eliza), she never married.  Perhaps because of that, we have been able to find out some interesting details about her life.

Like many in her family, Alice emigrated to the west coast of Canada - my home town of Victoria BC - sometime between 1892 and 1896.  Probably in 1894 if the 1901 census is to be believed, or in 1895 according the 1911 census.  Although she was not listed individually in the city directories in this period, she was mentioned in the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper on 29 July 1896, page 6, as “Entitled to Teach - Results of the Recent Annual Examination for Teachers’ Certificates … qualification to teach in the public schools of British Columbia”.  Examinations were held starting on 3 July.  Alice was granted one of the 17 “Third Class Grade A Certificates, Maximum Marks 1950.  Boorman Alice A,  [mark] 1114”. She was 10th in her class.

On 27 May 1897, Alice attended the wedding of her older sister Henrietta BOORMAN to their maternal cousin Jim ROBSON.  I have previously written about this Victoria wedding and the large group photo showing many family members, most still unidentified.  Many many years after this event, a grandchild wrote a caption on the back of the photo.  It says, in part “Granny's Maid of Honour -- directly behind her and her two Brides-Maids.”  Unfortunately no names for them are known with certainty.  But we know from the marriage registration document that the witnesses were Walter Wm BOORMAN and Alice A BOORMAN, both of Victoria. They were both siblings of the bride and cousins of the groom, and likely the names of the Best Man and the Maid of Honour.  But Alice could have been any of the three woman attendants standing behind the bride in this cropped version of the photo.

---

Alice Amelia BOORMAN was probably the Maid of Honour at her sister Henrietta's wedding in 1897.
But which of the three attendants is she?

Alice had three sisters (as well as three brothers), so it seems likely that the bride and the three attendants were all siblings (however some could be the groom’s sister(s) instead - he had four of them).  Alice’s oldest sister Frances (known as Lillie) stayed behind in England when the family emigrated to Canada, and was operating a lodging house on the Isle of Wight in 1901.  Did she make the long journey to western Canada in 1897 to attend the wedding before returning to England? Perhaps not, as it was such a long way.  No such travel records can be found for her or any of the family traveling to Canada in the 1890s.  

Alice's youngest sister Kate is still quite a mystery; according to the 1901 census Kate was living in Victoria with her brother William and his young family.  Kate’s birthdate is incorrectly recorded, but she is listed as William's sister.  It also says that both William and Kate immigrated in 1889.  But Kate (born Oct 1877) would have been only eleven or twelve at that time, and it seems unlikely that her parents (who didn't emigrate until about 1894) would have entrusted her care in a new country to their son who was barely 18 in 1889.  Regardless, it seems probable that Kate was already in Canada in 1897 and attended her sister’s wedding as a bridesmaid, age 19.

Alice was said to be age 30 in 1901, living with her parents (a little vanity is allowed as she would have been almost 32).  Their street address is not provided in the census, but directories list the males at least at 129 Michigan in the James Bay area.

In 1907, Alice would have been greatly sadden by the lost of her oldest brother Walter William BOORMAN due to typhoid.  She was listed as “Miss Boorman of Victoria” in Walter’s obituary.  Only three sisters were mentioned, so what happened to the fourth?

Then in 1909 her father died of cancer: another painful loss for Alice and the family.

We know that Alice pursued her career in teaching, specializing in sewing and needlework.  An amazing 2-page spread in the Sunday Supplement of The Victoria Colonist on 14 Mar 1909 was titled “Useful Arts in Victoria Schools”.  It’s an enlightening history of the development of public education in the City of Victoria in this early period.  Alice is mentioned once as “Miss Boorman” in the article, and pictures of some of the students were included.  Sure wish they had included a photo of Alice as well.  Here are a couple of excerpts:

“It is more than nine years since Dr. Robertson, now of Macdonald College, visited Victoria, and in an enthusiastic address convinced his audience of the benefits that would follow a thorough training of the hand and eye.   As a result of his visit the Board of School Trustees accepted the offer of Sir William Macdonald to establish a manual training centre as an experiment - the school board only giving it a home.  The annex to the Central School was taken for the purpose.” …

The program started off with woodworking (“manual training”) for the boys, but quickly expanded to include classes in drawing, design and colour work.  Domestic science and then needlework were also introduced for the girls.  This required extra training for the teachers, who were often ill prepared to teach these subjects.

“… Needlework was taught by some of the women teachers to their girls when the boys went to manual training, and a short course in plain sewing was given in the three classes in the intermediate grade of the Girls School.  This did not meet the needs at all, and through the efforts and influence of Mrs. Jenkins, Miss Boorman was appointed to teach all the girls in the common schools the art of plain needlework.  This work has been hitherto done with very little assistance from the regular teachers, and but few can form any idea of the arduous labor required of the teacher who takes full control during five days in the week of more than a thousand girls ranging from the tiny tot, who does not know the finger upon which the thimble should be place, to the girl in the senior class, who can cut, fit and finish a garment.”

A Sewing Bee at the Public School in Victoria in March 1909,
no doubt arranged and taught by Miss Alice Boorman.
From The Victoria Colonist, 14 Mar 1909, Sunday Supplement, page 1

So Alice played a recognized role in this progressive expansion of Victoria’s public school curriculum.  The complete news article can be found on the Daily Colonist website. In several other editions I have also  found mention of Alice BOORMAN, providing more insight into her life and activities:

Alice was publicly rewarded for her work with a pay increase that same year …
1909 British Colonist   April 16 1909   page 02     Normal School for City of Victoria  - Teacher’s Salaries
….That Miss Boorman’s  salary be increased by $30 per annum.

Other work-related clippings:
1909 British Colonist July 02 1909   page 2  CAN NOW SEW    Diplomas awarded to the girls… 
Miss Boorman is the special teacher in sewing…

1909 British Colonist Sept. 02 1909   page 03   SOCIAL AND PERSONAL
Miss Boorman of 1328 Alfred Street will resume her sewing classes on Saturday next.

It also seems that Alice managed to find time for her own personal needlework projects as well, and on at least two occasions, entered her own handiwork in the exhibition:
1907 British Colonist September 29 1907  page 30    Prizes awarded at Fall Fair  - Fancy Work
Most Handsome toilet set – Alice A. Boorman, Victoria.

1909 British Colonist   September 18 1909  “Victoria’s Show”   page 2
2nd prize for children’s pinafores  in the ladies sewing category  Miss A. Boorman

Another time she might have helped out at the fair?
1908 British Colonist  September 23 1908   page 014   THE EXHIBITION IS UNDER WAY (cont. from page two)     ….supervision of Miss Boorman the teacher of various grades.

I was heartened to find this news clipping, which shines some light on Alice’s civic and political views:
​1907 British Colonist  December 22 1907  page 15    COURT OF REVISION IS NOT ADVERTISED
The name of Alice Boorman is included in the list of the names of women who voted against removing the names of women from the voters lists.

The following notice may just be announcing a summer holiday?  Or was this break health related?
1910 British Colonist June 02 1910    page 05   SOCIAL AND PERSONAL
Miss Boorman will not receive this Friday, nor until the first Friday in September.

---

In the 1910 city directory, Alice was living at 1328 Fisguard with her brother Albert and family.  In the 1911 census, Alice was living with her widowed mother at 1324 Fisguard (now Balmoral) in the Fernwood area of Victoria, and next door to her brother Albert and his young family.   In 1913 and 1915 directories her address was listed as 1324 Fisguard.

We have found a marvellous article on the history of this house, published in the Winter 2007 edition of the local community periodical "Fernwood News". Not only does it list Alice Amelia BOORMAN as the original owner of 1324 Balmoral Street (previously 1324 Fisgard) since 1910, but it also provides some of her genealogical information as well.  Details of subsequent owners are also covered.  The house was designated a heritage building in 2007.  The authors also mention nearby houses belonging to her relatives.  Here is a partial clipping with transcription (click on the following images to enlarge):

History Corner
1324 Balmoral (Previously 1324 Fisguard)
Designer/builder: David Herbert Bale
The original owner, Alice Amelia Boorman (c.1871-1918), lived here from 1910 with her widowed mother, Frances Jane (Robson) (1844-1924), until Alice's sudden death after an operation to repair a ruptured ulcer.  Alice was a needlework specialist, teaching the subject at local schools.  Frances came to Canada with her family  and  husband  William  Scoones  Boorman  (c.1843-1909)  from  London, England, in 1894.  The family lived on Michigan Street in James Bay for nearly ten years.  William was a clerk at the Driard Hotel for several years before his death.  He had two houses built near this house in 1905, also designed by David Herbert Bale, 1328 and 1340 Balmoral (originally Alfred, then Fisguard), and a family tennis court between the two, where 1334 Balmoral now stands. Son Albert Sidney Boorman (1876-1947), a cabinetmaker with J. A. Sayward and then a box factory foreman with  Canadian  Puget  Sound  Lumber  Co.,  lived  at  1328  with  his  wife  Frances “Fanny” (Oliver) (c.1888-?), whom he married in 1910.  Alice lived at 1328 until 1324 was built; after Alice's death, Albert and Fanny lived in 1324 until the early 1920s. Another son, Walter William (1871-1907), a bookkeeper with B. Williams & Co. (528 St. Charles, Rockland), lived at 1340 with his wife Marian Emelda “Mamie” (Guthro) (c.1876-?), until his death from typhoid fever. ...

Credits: Fernwood News, Winter 2007, page 3
The Fernwood News would like to thank Jennifer Barr and the Victoria Heritage Foundation for their assistance.  Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods, Volume One (Fernwood and Victoria West) is published by the Victoria Heritage Foundation, 2004. Copies of this volume and Volume Two (James Bay) are available at local bookstores.

As noted in the above article as well as in her obituary and death registration, Alice sadly died on 13 Jun 1918 in Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital following surgery for a "ruptured gastric ulcer".  I am wondering if she had an overly nervous personality, or did she find her job and recent family losses so stressful that she developed an ulcer?  The informant for her death was her brother Albert S BOORMAN who said she was living at 1328 Balmoral. Had she moved back to this old address, or was she still next door at 1324 with her mother?  Perhaps in his grief, the number 1328 came more readily to mind? He may not have been the most reliable informant, as he "could not say" what his sister's birthdate was, and also said that Alice had been in Victoria and Canada for only 15 years.  In fact it was at least 22 years.  She was only 48 years old when died, at much too young an age. 

Alice was one of the BOORMAN family members buried in the historic Ross Bay Cemetery, fairly close to home.