Bridget Delia OATES – grave tales

Bridget Delia Oates nee Broderick – Ancestry.com

The following photograph is of the headstone and grave of Bridget Delia Oates, who was the beloved wife of Richard Knight Oates, born in County Clare Ireland on 28 Jan 1873. She died at Kalgoorlie on the 17th Sep 1909 aged 37 years. This photograph was taken just after the headstone, ledger, and grave fencing were erected on the 8th of July 1910. It was commissioned by Delia’s husband, Mr. Richard Oates. Richard and Bridget married in Menzies WA in 1900. They had two children: Charles Broderick ‘Brod’ OATES born in 1901 and Henry John ‘Harry’ Oates in 1904.

Grave of Bridget Delia Oates Kalgoorlie Cemetery 1910

The photograph was taken perhaps to send to her family far away in Ireland.  It was not uncommon in those days to take photographs of graves and sometimes that of the deceased as well. The St John of God Hospital where she died was only recently demolished, it stood behind the St Mary’s Primary school in Kalgoorlie where the school car park is now located.

From the Kalgoorlie Miner Saturday 18th Sept 1909

FUNERAL NOTICES. The Friends of Mr. RICHARD Knight OATES, of Kookynie, are respectfully invited to follow the remains of his late dearly beloved wife (Bridget Delia) to the Roman Catholic portion of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. The funeral will leave St. John of God Hospital at 5 o’clock This Day (Saturday), September 18th. A. & J. Kyle, Undertakers, Cassidy st.

RICHARD Knight OATES – Ancestry.com

The following photograph was taken in April 2015, just short of 105 years from when it was erected.  As you will see the headstone is undamaged and the railings are intact. Sadly though all the nine ‘Immortelles‘ are now gone.  The headstone is tilting slightly to the right. We are fortunate in Kalgoorlie in that we have little vandalism compared to more urban areas and the ground here is very solid.  Another feature of the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Cemeteries is a large number of immortelles still surviving. Many have broken glass but some are still intact after more than 100yrs.

Bridget Delia OATES , Kalgoorlie Cemetery 2015

The following details have been provided by John Pritchard one of our volunteer researchers:-

I eventually found the church baptism record of Bridget Delia Oates nee Broderick. It records 28/01/1873 as her baptism/birth date which was done at a place called Pollaghanumera in the parish of Killanena in County Clare. This does not fit in with the age on her headstone but it wasn’t uncommon for young females to take a few years off their ages when they got to Australia possibly to attract a younger partner.

Bridget’s father, John Broderick born in 1842 passed away on 15 Apr 1883 when she was about 10 years old. Her Mother Bridget remarried under her maiden name Moloney to a McNamara on 10 Feb 1891.

Richard was to remarry in Northam WA in 1910 to Mar Jane ‘Min’ CULLEN and they had a further nine children.

Oates and Co-Produce merchants Kookynie WA

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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