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Harry Oates - final resting place

M

mrose1701

master brummie
Can any of you great detectives/sleuths on this site help me find the final resting place of Harry Oates. Harry is listed on the deaths database as dying in Brum in 1950 (no idea what quarter). My next door neighbour was pageboy at his daughters wedding in 1943 and would like to visit Harry's grave if we can find it. Harry spent the last years of his life living in the Moseley area and prior to that lived in Great Barr/Hamstead. Not sure which area he would have been buried and not sure of churches/graveyards associated with these areas.
 
From FreeBDM Harry Oates death was registered in the December 1950 aged 56, Volume 9c page 496, so you could apply for the death certificate with this information
 
His his demise.

[h=3]Civil registration event: Death[/h]
content6.png
Name: OATES, Harry
Registration district: [?] Birmingham
County: Warwickshire
Year of registration: 1950
Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at death:56
Volume no: 9C
Page no: 496

Sadly, the Birmingham Library Archives are now closed until September at the earliest so no one can do look ups,

Perhaps members who have access to the voters rolls can pin point his address prior to his demise in 1950, then you may have the nearest cemetery to his home to contact.
 
Again from FreeBDM Margaret J Oates married a Stanley R Walker in December 1943 which might have been the wedding he was Pageboy at
 
Hi Dwilly - yes this is the wedding he was pageboy at - reception was at the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston. He was not sure if the wedding was officiated there as well- would have to send off for the marriage cert. to establish that.
 
Think you've found the death of Harry on the database - could send off for the death cert. but don't think this will tell us where his final resting place is.
 
Hi Dib44,
Thanks for that - that's Harry. I'm told by my neighbour that he lived in Springfield Rd, Moseley (off Wake Green Road) prior to his passing away. Are there any churches/graveyards local to this area ?
 
Hi Bri - many thanks for that although I guessed he wasn't in either of these even though he worked as a factory owner at the Lion Works in Key Hill Drive at the back of the cemetery. He lived in Great Barr and then the last few years in Moseley before passing away in 1950. Am now sending enquiries to some of the local churches and local cemeteries but not had any luck - will keep searching to see if we can find him !!
 
mrose1701 said:
Hi Bri - many thanks for that although I guessed he wasn't in either of these even though he worked as a factory owner at the Lion Works in Key Hill Drive at the back of the cemetery. He lived in Great Barr and then the last few years in Moseley before passing away in 1950. Am now sending enquiries to some of the local churches and local cemeteries but not had any luck - will keep searching to see if we can find him !!
Click to expand...

A good source for finding if someone was buried or cremated are obituaries.
 
Thanks Brian and Wendy - have emailed Witton but not Handsworth or Perry Barr Crem. - did they do cremations in 1950 or were most people buried then?

I am told he probably would have been mentioned in an obituary in the Birmingham Post/Mail but not sure how to access their old records - have looked on line but not had any joy with that - thought they might be held at Central Library but that is out of action for a while now due to the move.
 
It could be 'Robin Hood Cemetery' as Lesley suggests but as that is in Solihull the burial costs would have been dearer so more likely a Birmingham based cemetery or graveyard.

Would Brandwood or Yardley not have been the nearest Cemeteries for Mosley burials?
 
Hi Bernie - Have emailed Robin Hood as Lesley suggested and Harry's not there according to their records. Also had email back from St Marys/St Anns Moseley and not there either !! Have emailed Brandwood/Yardley and Witton but not had any responses back yet - will keep you posted !
 
My experience is that nearest cemeteries is not always the case.
Depends upon if the cemetery of your choice has a time/date available to suit both you and your undertakers.
Normally undertakeers will offer a choice of dates/places that they can do i.e Iget ito x on y day at z time, or get into a on b day at c time, etc.

Sometimes previous family burials are the reason for choosing a cemetery - if the family have moved from their origins than they may go back to that cemetery.

Nearest is often 1st choice, but if too busy, than alternatives are considerded.

Perry barr crem is Birmingham's only Privately owned and managed Crem and has been going (I think ) from the 1920's - very popular and cheaper than Burials,

A lot of the Brandwood entries are now available on the swanshurst school site - unsure to what date they have reached so far.
Council cemeteries a work better if emailing 1 at a time - If they see a general email to all cemeteries, they tend to place it lower down their list of priorities.
If you just email them individually and seem confident your relative is there - just looking for confirmation of grave number so you can visit - they tend to check it a little better!

Brian
 
Brian - All of that is very useful info and very informative - have sent out two emails that are still waiting answers - will wait and see what materializes before starting on them individually - starting with Handsworth !

We also had thought he might be buried in a family plot - apparently he may have originally hailed from Darlaston - my neighbour reckons he thinks he's in that area after looking at the 1911 census - won't start looking there though - not yet anyway !!
 
My own experiences with several Cemetery offices is that a general email is obviously a 'fishing trip' and therefore can wait.
If someone just asks for 1 persons grave details in order to visit, they believe they will quickly look, and double check if they do not find them.
If you do get a reply stating they are not there, please do thank them for their trouble and say you must have been misinformed - you believed them to be in there.
it keeps them on side, because they are usdually overworked and understaffed as it is with real work, let alone all the form filling and returns the Council insist on!

Try and leave a few weeks before trying the same cemetery again though for someone else. If you send in a request every week, they do get a bit browned off!

Most of them are really helpful & nice people, but are always under pressure to cut costs and staffing and try and charge for all they do.

Brian
 
Perry Barr Crem opened in 1903. At one time it was owned by the Council, but when refurbishments were needed to comply with new rulings on pollution, they sold it and now beling to Dignity Funerals.
 
Thanks Brian and Shortie, have just received email from Kings Norton/Brandwood to say that Harry Oates is not in either of their cemeteries - will keep looking !
 
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