Israel Oates was the first son of Samuel and Sarah, born in 1847, and married to Elizabeth Wadsworth on 24 December 1870 at St Peter’s Church, Bradford. Israel was aged 24, a cabinetmaker living in Horton at the time of the marriage, and the son of Samuel Oates, cabinetmaker. Elizabeth was aged 21, a weaver living in Horton, and the daughter of William Wadsworth, a coachman. Israel and Elizabeth signed their own names, and were witnessed by William Holmes and Christopher Gibson.
At the time of the 1871 census Israel and Elizabeth were living at 41 Ewart Street, Horton, with Israel (24) listed as a cabinet maker and Elizabeth (21) a worsted weaver. Ewart Street is south-west of the cabinet shop in Great Horton Road, perhaps ten minutes walk. Israel Oates died in 1877, aged 30.
Ten years later Elizabeth Oates was recorded living at 40 Ward St, Great Horton, with the occupation stuff weaver[1]. In 1881 the head of the household is Elizabeth’s mother Rebecca Wadsworth (73), and includes daughter Hannah Wadsworth (37, unmarried, stuff weaver), granddaughter Annie Oates (9, scholar) and grandson Charlie Oates (8, scholar). Annie and Charlie were born after the previous census and before Israel’s death.
In 1891 Elizabeth (42) was living at 20 Ward St, married to Joseph Edwin Tatham (39, a ‘woolsorter (alpaca)’. Annie Oates (19, alpaca waver) and Charles Oates (18, ‘cotton warp dresser’) live in the same household as Annie Tatham (16, worsted weaver, born in Shelf nr Halifax) and Florence Tatham (14, yarn reeler, also born in Shelf). In 1881 Joseph E Tatham (28) had lived at Brow Lane in Shelf with his wife Hannah (27), and daughters Annie (6) and Florence (4). Hannah was also recorded as Anna or Ann Tatham at the baptisms of Annie and Florence at the church of St Michael and All Angels, Shelf. Joseph’s first wife Hannah Tatham died in 1883 in Halifax. Joseph Edwin Tatham was born on 8 May 1852 to Joseph and Maria Tatham in Shelf, and died about 1901. Joseph and Hannah had likely been married in 1873 in Halifax. Elizabeth and Joseph were likely married in 1887 in Bradford.
As has occurred on other branches of the family in Yorkshire where names are in common wider usage, a different Joseph Tatham, married to Elizabeth Annie Tatham, with a daughter Florence Tatham, were also resident in Bradford around this time. This alternative Joseph and Elizabeth are the same age, both 41 in 1901, and this Florence M Tatham is six years younger than the Florence Tatham, daughter of Joseph Edwin Tatham and Hannah Tatham.
There are also other Joseph and Elizabeth Tathams living elsewhere in Yorkshire throughout the nineteenth century, including at least nineteen different Joseph Tathams born between 1838 and 1898 in Yorkshire.
Benjamin Tatham was born to Joseph Edwin Tatham and Hanna Tatham on 1 September 1879 in Shelf. Other offspring of Joseph Edwin and Hannah or Elizabeth are evident in the 1901 census, and the relationships warrant further investigation.
[1] Wove ‘stuff’, a coarse cloth, more especially of worsted, made of long or ‘combing wool’ distinguished from other woollen cloths by the absence of any nap or pile. See http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/s.html