| [Index] |
| Robert HOWE (1795 - 1829) |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
|
Annie Wesley HOWE Robert Charles HOWE (1820 - ) Robert Mansfield HOWE (1822 - 1824) Alfred Australia HOWE (1825 - 1837) Mary McLeay HOWE (1827 - 1827) |
Robert HOWE (1795 - 1829) + Elizabeth LEE Ann BIRD (1803 - 1842) |
George HOWE (1769 - 1821) | Thomas HOWE | |
| female MCLEAY ( - 1800) | ||||
| b. 30 Jun 1795 |
| +. (1) Elizabeth LEE |
| m. (2) 17 Jul 1821 Ann BIRD (1803 - 1842) |
| d. 29 Jan 1829 at New South Wales, Australia aged 33 |
| Parents: |
| George HOWE (1769 - 1821) |
| female MCLEAY ( - 1800) |
| Children (5): |
| Annie Wesley HOWE |
| Robert Charles HOWE (1820 - ) |
| Robert Mansfield HOWE (1822 - 1824) |
| Alfred Australia HOWE (1825 - 1837) |
| Mary McLeay HOWE (1827 - 1827) |
| Grandchildren (5): |
| Robert HOWE (1841 - ), Maria Elizabeth HOWE (1843 - ), George Alfred HOWE (1845 - ), Sarah Jane HOWE (1847 - ), Thomas HOWE (1858 - ) |
| Events in Robert HOWE (1795 - 1829)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| 30 Jun 1795 | Robert HOWE was born | 36 | |||
| 1800 | 5 | Death of mother female MCLEAY | At sea | died on voyage to Australia | 36 |
| 27 Feb 1820 | 24 | Birth of son Robert Charles HOWE | 36 | ||
| 11 May 1821 | 25 | Death of father George HOWE (aged 52) | New South Wales, Australia | 36 | |
| 17 Jul 1821 | 26 | Married Ann BIRD (aged 18) | 36 | ||
| 12 Nov 1822 | 27 | Birth of son Robert Mansfield HOWE | 36 | ||
| 26 Feb 1824 | 28 | Death of son Robert Mansfield HOWE (aged 1) | 36 | ||
| 1825 | 30 | Birth of son Alfred Australia HOWE | 36 | ||
| 21 Apr 1827 | 31 | Birth of daughter Mary McLeay HOWE | 36 | ||
| 20 May 1827 | 31 | Death of daughter Mary McLeay HOWE | 36 | ||
| 29 Jan 1829 | 33 | Robert HOWE died | New South Wales, Australia | Drowned | 36 |
| Personal Notes: |
|
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010570b.htm
Robert Howe was dissipated as a young man and in 1819 fathered an illegitimate son. Next year, however, he experienced a spiritual awakening and, in his own words, was 'wonderfully and mercifully visited by God and snatched from infamy in this world and Hell in the next'. He joined the group of Methodists who were working in Sydney and their influence, particularly that of Rev. Ralph Mansfield, was apparent when he published The Australian Magazine; or, Compendium of Religious, Literary, and Miscellaneous Intelligence, the first periodical to appear in Australia. The first number appeared in May 1821 and the publication continued until September 1822. In the meantime, in 1821 Robert Howe had married the colonial-born Ann Bird, who finally agreed to rear Robert's natural son as her own. She bore him four more children, Robert Mansfield, Alfred Australia, Ann Wesley and Mary McLeay, whose names commemorated the strongest influences in Howe's life. Although his education had not been thorough, Robert Howe continued to edit the Gazette which he had helped his father to publish, but the tone of the paper changed completely. Morality and religion became its main themes. Howe considered that to be 'Printer to Immanuel' was more important than being government printer. A plan to establish another press devoted exclusively to the aims of the Wesleyan mission did not eventuate; but the Gazette reflected Howe's conviction that religion was the only possible means of progress in Australia and the only way to rescue the colony from the 'depths of awful depravity to Righteousness in the Son of God'. This outlook, together with the Gazette's traditional policy of supporting the government, made it impossible for Howe to join the struggle for the freedom of the press between 1826 and 1829. Added to this was the fact that Alexander McLeay, his old benefactor, had become colonial secretary. Despite criticism, the Gazette prospered and for a short time in 1827 became the first daily newspaper in the colony. Robert Howe also continued his father's tradition as a publisher. In addition to religious tracts, in 1826 he published Wild Notes from the Lyre of a Native Minstrel, the first book of poems written by a colonial-born poet, Charles Tompson, whose work had already appeared in the Gazette. Howe's own personal life was never really happy. On the night of 15 June 1822 he was attacked while returning from a meeting at the Methodist chapel. He could not avoid a number of libel actions arising from the strong denunciation of those who opposed his policy, and in 1827 Redfern publicly horse-whipped him. He wrote that he was 'debilitated through excessive fatigue, mental anxiety and unprecedented and unexpected domestic disquietude and grief to which I have for years submitted'. In 1827 he made a will in which he left most of his estate to his natural son and £100 a year to his wife. Next year he revoked this and left his wife an 'equal division' of his effects which amounted to over £10,000. Contemplating retirement, he installed Mansfield as co-editor of the Gazette; but on 29 January 1829 he was drowned while fishing near Pinchgut and his widow became the proprietor of the paper. George and Robert Howe had performed important work. To have a newspaper as early as 1803 was of inestimable benefit to both government and settlers. A series of the New South Wales Pocket Almanack, issued in conjunction with the Gazette from 1806, supplemented the dissemination of news and knowledge throughout the colony. The Gazette kept the settlers in touch with home. News from England and excerpts from English literature kept loyalty to England alive. From the beginning George Howe encouraged education and published material calculated to aid both teachers and pupils. He also fostered literature and before 1810 printed more than forty poems, many of which he wrote himself. During Macquarie's administration he printed a further seventy poems including the patriotic odes of Michael Robinson. He has, therefore, a strong claim to the title of 'Father of Australian Literature'. The main difference between George and Robert was that, whereas George Howe advocated reason and common sense, Robert fostered religion. Select Bibliography R. Howe diary, 1822-23 (State Library of New South Wales); Bonwick transcripts, biography (State Library of New South Wales). Author: J. V. Byrnes Print Publication Details: J. V. Byrnes, 'Howe, Robert (1795 - 1829)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp 557-559. |
| Source References: |
| 36. Type: Book, Abbr: Edward Wills Family, Title: Ancestors Treasure Hunt, The Edward Wills Family and Descendants in Australia 1797-1976, Auth: R V Pockley, Publ: Wentworth Books, Date: 1976 |
| - Reference = 79 (Death) |
| - Reference = 79 (Name, Notes) |
| - Reference = 79 (Birth) |
| - Reference = 79 (Marriage) |