- Robert James Bateman
Reverend Robert James Bateman (
October 14 ,1860 –April 15 ,1912 ) was born inBristol ,England , and was ordained when he was twenty-one. During his life Bateman served as apastor in England,Wales ,Ireland , and theUnited States . In the United States he worked as a stone mason for his father before later serving as the superintendent of the Florence Crittendon Mission inBaltimore, Maryland . In the late 1890s Bateman moved toKnoxville, Tennessee where he founded thenon-denominational Peoples Tabernacle. Bateman later moved toJacksonville, Florida where he created the Central City Mission.After a trip to Bristol, England in 1912 he booked second-class passage on board the maiden voyage of the RMS "Titanic". He boarded the "Titanic" at
Southampton onApril 10 with his sister-in-law Ada E. Balls. On Sunday,April 14 he conducted a church service in second class, just hours before the "Titanic" hit an iceberg. As the ship was sinking Bateman helped Ada Balls into lifeboat 10. He told Ada Balls "If I don't meet you again in this world, I will in the next" and then tossed his necktie to her.cite book | author=Lord, Walter | title=A Night to Remember | publisher=Page 78. Bantam Books | year=1955 | id=ISBN 0-553-27827-4]His body was later recovered by the "Mackay-Bennett", identified by his gold watch and chain, a Masonic charm pin, fountain pen, pipe lighter, and gold cuff links. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville.
Notes
References
*cite web | title=Noted Historical Family Connection: The Reverend Robert James BATEMAN | work=The BATMAN / BATTMAN / BATEMAN Families of Kingswood and Bitton, near Bristol, England | url=http://creativegraces.net/ | accessmonthday=July 16 | accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=Fr Robert James Bateman | publisher=Encyclopedia Titanica | url=http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/337/ | accessmonthday=July 16 | accessyear=2005
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