Broderick (Cr) Nicholas Aloysius

Fast Facts

Type of person	Individual
Date of birth	c. 1859
Place of birth	Gawler
Principal occupation	Saddler
Date of death	5 Feb 1898
Place of death	Gawler

Click here to see an album relating to the Broderick family.

Nicholas Aloysius Broderick was born in Gawler in about 1859, son of William Broderick and nee Mary Cain and brother of Cr Denis John Broderick and Patrick Joseph Broderick. His childhood was spent in a humble cottage the family rented at Lot 49 Jacob Street (now the site of the Big W complex/carpark).

Nicholas married Miriam Harriet Watts in 1879 at Port Wakefield; the couple came to reside in his hometown of Gawler and went on to have 11 children (see details below). By the mid 1880s they were residing in one of the three Finniss Street cottages tenanted out by Nicholas' widowed mother Mrs Mary Broderick (contemporary address 43 Finniss Street - these cottages have since been demolished but Mary's more substantial cottage still stands on adjoining 41 Finniss Street).

Nicholas was a saddler and harness maker by trade and had his workshop in Murray Street at the site now known as 153 Murray Street, on the corner of Lyndoch Road. He also served as a Councillor for North Ward between 1895 and 1896.

The family were heavily involved in the Catholic Church community. Nicholas served several terms as the President of the Gawler Branch of the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, and Miriam was one of the foundation members of the ladies' branch of St. Vincent de Paul's Society and a most devoted church worker until the time of her death [aged 89], "never an appeal for the church was organised that she did not assist personally". At least one of their children, Ellen, attended St Joseph's school and of their grandchildren, one of their grandsons, Kevin Flinn, became a priest and two of their granddaughters became nuns.

In February 1898, Nicholas "complained of the excessive heat, and accordingly left his place of business in Murray-street with the intention of returning home. He had all but reached his residence on Church Hill when he was seen to stagger and fall. Assistance was quickly at hand, and he was conveyed inside his residence, but although everything possible was done for him, he never spoke again, with the exception of a hurried call for his wife and children, and succumbed within an hour." The cause of death was determined to be "heat apoplexy" [heat stroke], he was only about 39 years old and his youngest son and namesake, was not yet one.

His widow Miriam survived him by over 50 years, passing away in 1949, aged 89 and was described as "one of Gawler's oldest Catholic residents and church workers." The couple are buried together in Willaston Cemetery in a family plot with three of their children (plots 50 & 51 C 3 - young daughter Myrtle Agnes is not named on the memorial stone. One of their other children who died as an infant is buried in another Broderick family plot (46 B 3) with Nicholas' parents).

Descendants of Nicholas & Miriam Broderick

The couple's eldest son William Thomas Broderick, known as 'Will', was a member of the Gawler Bicycle Club and he "won renown on the cycling track" (there is a portrait of him with his bicycle in his cycling attire and he is in the 1898 Gawler Bicycle Club photograph). Like his father, he died as a result of heat apoplexy, but at an even younger age, just 25.

In the late 1920s to early 1930s, Nicholas and Miriam's second son 'Joe' Joseph Francis Broderick (Portrait of Joe Broderick c1925-1928), was preparing a book on the "The Song of Australia", including biographies on the author of the lyrics, Caroline Carleton, and the composer of the music, Carl Linger; Joe hoped the song may be adopted as Australia's national song, after the National Anthem. It seems he never succeeded in having a book published but his research was published in The Barossa News over four weeks in 1932 (see The Barossa News 9 Jun 1932, 16 Jun 1932, 23 Jun 1932 & 30 Jun 1932) and his research materials may have been preserved in the archives at the Gawler Cultural Heritage Centre. In his later years, Joe became an alcoholic and lived in the shed out the back of his mother's Finniss Street cottage, until his death in 1948.

Third son, Patrick John Broderick served in WWI as a Gunner (Service No. 38478)(portrait P J Broderick in uniform), from November 1916 until he was medically discharged in February 1919 following a severe gunshot wound to the leg. Prior to serving P J Broderick was in the boot trade; initially starting out at Messrs John Hunter & Co, then the Federal Boot Company (F.B.C.) in Gawler before working at Barlow’s in the city. He returned to Gawler around 1905, working for Mr A Sheard for nine years, the last six as manager of Sheard’s Boot Department. In 1914 he opened his own “Broderick’s Boot Store” in Murray Street in the shop next to Mr Jas. Prendergast’s, which had been “thoroughly renovated and fitted up as an ideal boot store”. He continued this business until he enlisted in late 1916, then following his return from war he briefly ran a store in Burra, before returning to Gawler where he traded as “Broderick’s Boot Store” (1920), “Broderick & Co. The Boot Shop” (1921-1923 in partnership with youngest brother Nicholas Aloysius Broderick and draper Fred Richmond), “Broderick & Richmond” (1924-1925 – also a Men’s Outfitter) and finally “P J Broderick – Shoe Store & Men’s Outfitter” (1926-1931).

At the end of 1931 he removed from Gawler; the tough times of the depression were affecting trade and he had suffered the loss of his wife, leaving him with four young children - a farewell was held at the Gawler Club where he was a Life Member. By the 1940s he had settled in Semaphore, but when he died in 1951 his remains were brought to Willaston Cemetery to be buried with his late wife.

After the end of the business partnership between P J Broderick and brother Nicholas Aloysius Broderick, ‘Nick’ ‘a well-known local sportsman’, opened his own competing boot store trading as ‘Nick A Broderick’ from 1924. He later became a publican and was the licensee of Gawler's Globe Hotel (now known as the Kingsford Hotel) from 1932 to 1934, before moving on to the Minnipa Hotel.

Coincidentally, Pete Davis, the manager of the Kingsford Hotel in 2026 (who has been working at the hotel since about 2007) is former licensee Nick Broderick's great great nephew!

Broderick Family Residence & Mrs Broderick's Tuckshop

By 1939-1943 widow Miriam Broderick and her unmarried adult children Joseph Francis Broderick, Mildred Hazel Broderick and Dorothy Broderick were all residing in what had been William and Mary Broderick's cottage at '18 Finniss Street' (contemporary address 41 Finniss Street - street numbers changed about 1950s). Miriam remained there until her death in 1949, the property was passed to her son Patrick Broderick, then after his death in 1951 his unmarried sister Mildred Hazel Broderick, then upon her death in 1978 to their unmarried sister Dorothy Broderick, who kept the property until 1984, by which time it had belonged to the Broderick family for over 100 years.

To support herself, widow Miriam Broderick operated a tuckshop, referred to as "Mrs Broderick's Tuckshop", from the Finniss Street cottage; children from the Catholic School and Gawler Primary School used to go there to buy pies, pasties and lollies [see 41 Finniss Street]. It is not know exactly when Miriam was running the tuckshop - Dawn Eastick who graduated Year 7 at Gawler Primary in 1936 recalled the shop, suggesting Miriam was still running it in the early-mid 1930s but it is unlikely she was still doing so in 1949 when she passed away aged 89.

If you know anything about Mrs Broderick's Tuckshop please message the Gawler History Team information@gawlerhistory.com

Miriam Broderick's Mother

Miriam's widowed mother, Mrs Mary Watts, nee Mary Graham (Portrait of Mary Watts c1880), came to reside with her daughter, at the family's 41 Finniss Street cottage in about 1904 and remained up until her death in 1910, aged 70. A colonist of about 57 years, she arrived in South Australia aged 13 and spent most of her life at Port Wakefield. She is buried at the Willaston Cemetery with her daughter and son-in-law (plot 50 C 3).

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Compiled by Nikki Wight, with thanks to Broderick Family descendant Marie Davis for sharing her photographs & family history information.

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Broderick Family Birth, Death & Marriage Information

BRODERICK, Nicholas Aloysius (Cr)(I)

b. Abt. 1859, son of William Broderick & nee Mary Cain (SA Birth registration not found)

m. 29 May 1879, ‘Miriam WATTS', Port Wakefield, SA (Reg. Clare 119/1175)(d. 1949)

Saddler & harness maker

(Councillor North Ward 1895-1896)

d. 5 Feb 1898, Gawler, SA, aged 39 (Reg. Barossa 249/389)

Buried Willaston Cemetery (‘Nicholas N’ [sic], plot 50 C 3 – with wife ‘Miriam H’ & 3 children)

WATTS Miriam Harriet (BRODERICK)

b. 21 Apr 1859, Balaklava, SA, daughter of Thomas Joseph Watts and nee Mary Graham

d. 27 Nov 1949, SA, aged 89 (Reg. SA 748/6113)

Buried 29 Nov 1949, Willaston Cemetery (plot 51 C 3 - with husband ‘Nicholas’ & 3 children)

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Children of Nicholas Aloysius Broderick (I) & nee Miriam Watts

According to Miriam's obituary, the couple had 11 children, most were not registered at birth but they are believed to be:

BRODERICK Mary Maud (WILLISON)(1879-1946)

• b. 21 Jun 1879, SA (Reg. 'Mary Harriet Broderick')
• m. 15 Nov. 1905 'Thomas Tingey WILLSON', Hindmarsh, SA (Reg. Hindmarsh 788/225)
• Children include 'Thomas Owen Nicholas Willson', b. 7 Nov 1906, Gawler, SA
• d. 14 Nov 1946, Kangaroo Island, SA

BRODERICK William Thomas 'Will'

• b. 10 Dec 1880, SA
• Never married

• d. 6 Jan 1906, Broken Hill, NSW, aged 25

"BRODERICK-- On the 6th January, at Broken Hill Hospital, of heat apoplexy, William Broderick, eldest son of the late N. A. Broderick, saddler, of Gawler, aged 24 years. "May he rest in peace."

BRODERICK Joseph Francis 'Joe'

• b. 12 Sep 1882, SA
• Never married
• d. 9 Aug 1948, aged 65
• Buried Willaston Cemetery (plot 50 C 3 - with parents & sister ‘Mildred Hazel’)

BRODERICK Ellen May 'Nell' (BOWLER)

• b. 9 Aug 1884, SA
• m. 17 Aug 1915 Michael Ignatius BOWLER, SA
• Children include Patricia Myra Bowler (MOORE)
• Following marriage resided Torrensville, then Berri, SA
• d. 18 Feb 1948, SA, aged 63

BRODERICK Mildred Hazel Gertrude

• b. 6 Nov 1886, SA
• Never married
• Worked in haberdashery store in Murray Street, Gawler
• d. 4 Oct 1978, SA, aged 91
• Buried Willaston Cemetery (plot 51 C 3 – with parents & brother ‘Joseph F’)

BRODERICK Patrick John

• b. 7 Jun 1888, Gawler, SA
• Storekeeper at time of enlistment [boot store]
• Served WWI 17 Nov 1916 (Oct 1918 Gun Shot Wound leg, medically discharged 22 Feb 1919)
• m. 1922 ‘Nellie’ 'Ellen Elizabeth McCARTHY', SA (d. 1930, buried Willaston Cemetery, aged 32 - plot 41 O 3)
• Moved to Semaphore, SA
• d. 31 May 1951, SA
• Buried Willaston Cemetery (plot 41 O 3 - with wife Ellen)

BRODERICK Lucy Alice (FLINN)

• b. 17 May 1891, SA
• m. 26 Apr 1916 'Frederick James FLINN', Gawler, SA
• Children Patricia Flinn, Kathleen Flinn, Kevin Flinn (Catholic Priest) & Thomas Flinn
• d. 29 Oct 1970
• Buried Port Pirie, SA

BRODERICK Denis Aloysius (13 May 1891 - 1893, buried Willaston Cemetery, aged 2 years & 4 mths - plot 46 B 3 - with Broderick grandparents, small separate memorial)

BRODERICK Myrtle Agnes (5 Mar 1895 - 1901, buried Willaston Cemetery, aged 5-8 - plot 50 C 3 with parents, name not on memorial)

BRODERICK Nicholas Aloysius (II) ‘Nick’

• b. 5 May 1897 (Reg. Barossa 603/113)
• m. 1920 Catherine Madigan (d. 1953)
• 1931 Nick Broderick’s Store selling school shoes
• 1932 – 17 Oct 1934 Licensee Globe Hotel, Gawler
• (1936 Minnipa Hotel)(still there 1939 electoral roll)
• WWII Army Citizen Military Forces
• d. 17 Apr 1957, SA (Reg. Adelaide 857/2115)

BRODERICK Dorothy 'Doll'

• b. Abt. 1904, believed to be adopted daughter of Miriam Broderick
• Electoral rolls show she resided with Miriam (1939-1943) & she is listed as a daughter in Miriam's obituary; the family's 41 Finniss Street property willed to her in 1979 upon the death of sister Mildred.
• Doll was deaf, she carried out home duties and cleaned at the Presbytery (Catholic Church Clergy's residence)
• d. 1 Aug 1989, aged 85
• Buried Enfield Memorial Park, Clearview, SA (Catholic, Row BW, Site Number 12 - with niece Patricia Myra Moore (nee Patricia Myra Bowler))

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Related Articles

• Councillors of Gawler

References

Memories of Broderick (Cr) Nicholas Aloysius

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