Amelia Lemore

[Gavin Bell]

I have been trying to find out what became of Amelia Lamore (Lemore???) for some time now and all I have ascertained is that she was an eye-glass maker who lived in Chicago, Illinois. I have never been able to find much more background on this women, or what became of her after the disaster. I anyone knows anything please contact me.

Thanks

Cameron Bell

 

[Brian Gierat]

I live only a few miles from her home at 2236 Austin Avenue here in Chicago which still exists. Any information on her would be great...I need to know if she had any children especially.

 

[Phillip Gowan]

Hi Brian,
Sorry to say, Amelia was childless and at the time of her death her closest relative was a niece who never lived in the United States. She seems to have lived a very bland existence after coming to this country and she worked for many years in an optometrist's office. Her husband was a pharmaceutical salesman (such as they were in those days) from Virginia but they separated after only a few years of marriage and Amelia never remarried. Any chance of your getting a photo of her house?

Regards,
Phil Gowan

 

[Brian Gierat]

I will try to get a photo. I would also like to know more about when....where....how she died. The fact she lived "a very bland existence" is interesting to me....there is a story there somewhere. I work a Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago and I have a feeling she might have been there. The hospital is over 100 years old and would have been the closest hospital to her residence. I am drawn to her story for some reason. Any more info would very helpful. Thanks Phil for your expertise!

 

[Brian Gierat]

Well, from reviewing all the past posts about dear Amelia...there seems to be something very interesting here. Strange and elusive even! Now I'm really hooked!
I believe the hosptial I work at (Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago) is a big clue. I am also going to search all of the area cemeteries too. Maybe someday a book will come out of all of this? I also believe the years of 1940 to 1942 are significant. When I work up the courage I am going to knock on the door of her old address and ask the current residents if I could check the place out...how cool would that be?!
Phil....this is driving me crazy!!!!! The road of research so far has been really fascinating though.

 

[Phillip Gowan]

Brian,
Sorry it is driving you crazy--Brian Meister and I searched long and hard for her as she defied the usual research methods. We are in the process of writing a book that will detail all we know about her and will include three good photos--the one on her bio on this site, one of lesser quality and one excellent photo taken when she was younger. Like many other survivors, she said little about her Titanic experience in later years but personal problems may have eclipsed the Titanic experience.

Regards,
Phil

 

[Brian Gierat]

Well.....I look forward to the book. I will continue to research her...even though it is almost impossible. Something will break eventually.

 

[Brian Gierat]

Concerning the "elusive" Amelia Lemore (Hunt)...her destination after the sinking was 'Linnix' 2236 Austin Ave. Chicago, IL. I live near this area and have no idea what 'Linnix' is?
Help!

 

[Brian Gierat]

Am willing to trade information on Amelia Lemore FOR information. I have some fresh stuff from the 1930 census. Email is [email protected].
-Brian

 

[Brian Gierat]

Um, even though anytime I attempt an inquiry about dear Amelia it seems as though I have the plague...I will attempt a question. Her birthdate is listed in her bio as March of 1873, yet her age on the 1920 census is 40 and the 1930 census is 50 years old. Is this just a classic case of lying about one's age or is her birthdate wrong? Seven years is a big gap.
-Brian (Chicago)

 

[Michael Findlay]

Brian,

Most of the records I have give Mrs. Lemore's date of birth as March 18, 1873. She apparently lied, as did so many other women over the years, about her age. Perhaps she wished to be closer in age to her husband, James Henry Lemore, who was born on May 1, 1877 and didn't want to be reminded that she was four years older than him. I would very suspicious about census records as I have run across hundreds of errors (particularly involving the 'older ladies') - they're only as accurate as the people who furnish the information - and some didn't feel they needed to be honest.

When Amelia Lemore died on May 15, 1950, her age was given as 77 so that would figure into the March 1873 date. Hope this helps.

Michael Findlay

 

[Brian Meister]

Hello Brian,

Although Mrs Lemore claimed to be born
on March 18, 1873, my colleague and I have
determined that that date is not correct.
When Mrs Lemore died on 15 May 1950, her
age was reported as 84, so that would NOT
figure into the March 1873 date. The practice
of purporting to be younger than what was
factual spanned all age groups and social
spheres amongst Titanic's women. Ladies
from Sarah Stap to Rene Harris and
Lucy Ridsdale to Margaret Devaney claimed
all sorts of birthdates to please the
situation.

Hope this helps.

Brian Meister

 

[Brian Gierat]

Michael and Brian....thank you for your insight. I have also learned that she may not have died in Chicago.
-Brian Gierat

 

[Phillip Gowan]

Hey Brian,
No she returned to her native land to pass her last years. Her father lived to be a very old man and she cared for him and then her niece had to care for her. A very solitary life it seems to have been. There's a very interesting story about her marriage to James Lemore that will be shared later.

Glad you've been having some success in Chicago--will send you another address you might check out.

Regards,
Phil

 

[Michael Findlay]

Oh sorry, Brian.

I was referencing a letter that I have which she stated that she was 77 when she died but it didn't seem right. Her death certificate does confirm your age so perhaps she was 84 at time of death - although death certificates are only as accurate as the informant who supplies the information, and we usually know what the result is with that.....

I agree with your comments about the age factor being a sensitive issue with regard to all the women on board, and of that era, in general. It is true though that the "older ladies" did tend to lie more about their true age than did the younger ones. As some of the teenage and younger female survivors aged afterward, well, then they started to shave off some years.....

Even some of the female servants protected their true age. Amalie Henriette Gieger, Mrs. Widener's maid, never could agree on a number. When she died here in New York in November of 1933, her age was given as 57 which is open for speculation - after all, Eleanor Widener Rice and her second husband were the informants on her death certificate! Has anyone been able to trace her birth to Konigsberg, Germany in September 1876? She left a surviving sister and several nephews there if I recall correctly.

Regards to all,

Mike Findlay