Broderick William & Mary
| Date of birth | c. 1819 |
|---|---|
| Principal occupation | Labourer & Landlord |
| Date of death | 1880 |
| Place of death | Gawler |
Click here to see an album relating to the Broderick family.
William Broderick was about 35 when he reached South Australia aboard the ship ‘Isle of Thanet’ in 1854. Fellow passenger John Cain’s sister Mary, had already travelled out as a single woman, and she walked from One Tree Hill where she was in service, to Port Adelaide to meet her brother’s ship (over 30kms!).[1] By 1857 they were all in Gawler, when William Broderick married Mary Cain and her brother John Cain married Bridget Ledy.
The Broderick’s had four sons (see details below - including links to pages about them), and from 1862 the family were renting a humble cottage, or possibly 2 small adjoining cottages, at Lot 49 Jacob Street (now the site of the Woolworths/Big W complex/carpark).
William and brother-in-law John Cain worked as labourers, taking on Council contracts such as the breaking of stone to make or repair roads. Early on there was some complaints that William “took contracts at low prices, and then scamped the work”, which was “considered an injustice to other tenderers.”[2] However, he went on to be a valued council employee, employed by them for over 20 years, “During that long period he has spared himself in no way in his humble capacity in order to advance the interests and welfare of the town. And at times of sudden flood, when the stormwaters have rushed down from the higher parts of the town and threatened to damage private property, Broderick might be seen laboring hard in the pelting rain to relieve the pent-up floods and give them safe direction.”[3]
In 1868, John Cain’s wife Bridget, delivered a healthy son with a midwife in attendance, but six hours later she died as a result of haemorrhaging and a medical man suggested had she “been properly treated by a medical man, she would most probably have been alive and well”.[4] In his distressed state John became seriously ill, so William arranged Bridget’s burial at Pioneer Park Cemetery; to cover the costs council stopped payment for his contract work and William appealed by letter that he was “only a laboring man, and could not afford to lose the money”, the Mayor acknowledged it was a case of real need but a decision was held off (the outcome was not found).[5] Despite being healthy at birth, without his mother baby Joseph Cain only lasted six months, his burial details have not been found.
By 1877, the Broderick’s were in a much better position financially and were able to purchase a property with four cottages on Finniss Street. Initially, all the cottages were tenanted out, but by 1879 the family were residing at the property in a cottage that was more substantial than the others - it is likely they just had just had the cottage built and it is the one still standing at contemporary address 41 Finniss Street. The other three smaller, more humble cottages were sited next door, and have since been demolished, it is likely they were row cottages that ran back from the street (contemporary address 43 Finniss Street).
The family’s good fortune changed the following year, in March 1880 on account of a prolonged illness, William was unable to carry out his duties for council, his employer of 20 years, and wrote to council requesting assistance, which was granted.[6] William did not recover; he passed away on the 12th March 1880, aged 60 and was buried in Willaston Cemetery.
Widow Mary was able to keep the Finniss Street cottages and make her living as a landlady. In 1883, she had recently taken in elderly widow Mrs Nicholls as one of her tenants, and as Mary in her kindly way had checked in on Mrs Nicholls at bedtime, she ended up being the last person to see her alive before what at the time was speculated to be Mrs Nicholls spontaneous combustion![7] (see The Mystery of Finniss Street (1883))
Mary herself passed away on 29 November 1898, aged 79, and was buried with her husband at Willaston Cemetery. Her obituary in The Southern Cross (9 Dec 1898) said she was “warm-hearted and kindly dispositioned, and devotion to her family and friends was a special feature of her character. The later years of her life were saddened by the loss of her husband and two sons, the late Messrs. N. A. and P. J. Broderick. There survive two sons, Messrs. D. J. Broderick of Port Adelaide, and William Broderick of Gawler. -R.I.P.”[8]
Broderick Family Birth, Death & Marriage Information
BRODERICK William
b. Abt. 1819, son of Denis Broderick
m. 12 Jul. 1857, ‘Mary CAIN’, Gawler (Reg. Barossa 31/51)
d. 12 Mar 1880, Gawler, aged 60 or 61 (Reg. Barossa 101/157)
Buried Willaston Cemetery, Willaston (Plot 46 B 3 – with wife Mary)
CAIN Mary (BRODERICK)(alternatively KAIN/KEANE)
b. Abt. 1819, daughter of Nicholas Cain
m. 12 Jul. 1857, ‘William BRODERICK’, Gawler (Reg. Barossa 31/51)
d. 29 Nov 1898, SA, aged 79 or 80 (Reg. Barossa 256/462)
Buried Willaston Cemetery, Willaston (Plot 46 B 3 – with husband William)
.
Children of William Broderick & nee Mary Cain
BRODERICK Nicholas Aloysius (I)(Cr)
b. Abt. 1859 (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 Gawler 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 & Joseph F)
b. Abt. 1860 (SA birth registration not found)
Councillor North Ward Gawler 1894-1896
Licensee of Jervois Hotel, Lipson Street, Port Adelaide
m. 6 Feb 1884, ‘Lucy Alice GENT’, Gawler, SA (‘Denis John’, Reg. Barossa 138/518)(d. 1900, stepdau of Thomas Penaluna)
d. Nov 1900, Port Adelaide, SA, aged 40 (Reg. Port Adelaide 273/307)[died at wife’s funeral]
Buried Cheltenham Cemetery, Cheltenham, SA
BRODERICK William Joseph
b. Abt. 1864 (No SA birth registration found)
1904 wheelwright in city (single)[9]
d. 10 Apr 1924, SA (Reg. Adelaide 469/334)
Buried West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, SA (‘William Broderick’, Catholic Old Area, Grid F10, Site Number 86)
b. Abt. 1868 (SA Birth registration not found)
1888-1891 'P J Broderick's Store', Murray Street, Gawler
m. 1888 ‘Catherine LEAHY’, SA (Reg. Norwood 157/625)(1898-1900 ran Gawler Belt Inn)
[photo of Gawler Belt Inn] https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/8603064166
d. 1896, Adelaide, SA, aged 28 (Reg. Adelaide 232/109)
Buried Willaston Cemetery, Willaston, SA (Plot 45 B 3 – alongside parents)
- ↑ (The Southern Cross 9 Dec 1898) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/166440097
- ↑ (Bunyip 4 Jul 1868) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130962131
- ↑ (Gawler Standard 6 Mar 1880) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245313560
- ↑ (Bunyip 27 June 1868) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130962693
- ↑ (Bunyip 4 Jul 1868) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130962131
- ↑ (Gawler Standard 6 Mar 1880) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245313560
- ↑ "Inquest - Death by Burning" (Bunyip 6 Jul 1883) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97291534
- ↑ (The Southern Cross 9 Dec 1898) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/166440097
- ↑ South Australia, Australia, Adelaide Hospital Admission Registers, 1841-1952 via Ancestry
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