Doncaster Times Issue 2 - November 2016

Various census returns were used in the search for
John William Oates and his family
John William
Oates
– Remembered –
‘At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.’
While researching my family tree, I started
to think about those family members
who may have served in the First
World War. In the beginning it wasn’t John I was
looking for but his older brother Arthur Oates.
The Oates family came from South Kirby. Frederick
was my maternal Great Grandmother’s brother, and
he married Clara Handley from Hooton Pagnell in
1884, their first five of eight children were all born
in South Kirby including Arthur in 1886. At this time
Frederick was a farm labourer. By 1891 the family
had moved to Askern, living first in High Street,
where Frederick was listed as being a groom, and
later in Church Street. In the 1911 census returns
Fredrick and Clara are recorded as living at 102
East Laith Gate, Doncaster, where Fredrick’s
occupation is now coachman to a medical doctor.
In 1901, Arthur, aged 14 was living away from home
as an agricultural labourer in the household of
farmer William Townend, of the Sun Inn, Bodles,
York Road. The next appearance of Arthur was his
marriage to Annie Flinders in July 1912 at Christ
Church; in 1913 their son Geoffrey was born in
Askern. As there were no more children recorded
I was 99% sure Arthur must have been killed in
the war. I discovered this information a while ago
when records were not as accessible or as up to
date as they are today, now that websites such
as Find My Past and Ancestry have emerged.
I searched for Arthur on the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission (CWGC) site and found a
record of his grave. I next looked for a Service
Record and found one matching his unit and
service number – but this Arthur Oates was born
in Halifax – it is so easy to assume you have
the right person! So I put Arthur to one side.
While searching on the CWGC site I found mention
of a J W Oates – was he John William (Willie),
Arthur’s youngest brother? When I viewed the
record it said “Son of Frederick and Clara Oates
of 102 East Laith Gate, Doncaster” so this time I
was 100% sure I had found John.
•
3 •