William Sproats ¹⁰⁵⁸

  Research Notes:

Gary McKinnon notes:
My interest in Gwendoline stems from a mystery that has eluded me and my (dec.) mother for 20 years, which you may assist. My wife and Mum and myself visited the grave of Charlotte (Barber) Sproats in 1998 (yes that long ago). See the attached photo. Additional to Charlotte, William her son was buried with her one year later (I can't read all the words for him, I wish I had taken a better picture). Then a stone block has been placed on the grave with the words (I think) "From Ernest - Annie and Stanley" (Yarrow) a memorium by Annies brother I suspect as their ashes were interred at this grave site. So I think I've sorted that one. The 20 year mystery is who is in the urn which says "In Loving Memory From Daddy, Gwen & Wal" ? Mum did not know of anyone with those names, nor did Aunty Doll (Annie Elizabeth Yarrow), strange they did not know of Gwen ? Well I think my wife cracked it by searching in Trove. Sidney Sproats (Ob's son) had at least one child to Frances Evelyn Collings. If so then this may explain who the names at the grave are. From Trove here is the text.

Family Notices
The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Saturday 7 January 1939 p
15 Family Notices
SPROATS - In loving memory of my dear wife,
Frances who departed this life January 8 1938.
We think of you dear mother,
With grief that's deep and true,
Not just to-day but every day,
In silence we remember you.
Inserted by loving husband Sid daughter Gwen,
and Wally.

From this I deduce Daddy is Sid, Gwen is daughter of Sidney and
Frances, but is Wal a brother or husband ? And who is in the urn -
Frances ? The grave being Sid's mother's he may have thought that was
OK. Rookwood were unaware of the urn. Sometimes it is placed illegally.
So maybe you can shed some light on this mystery and put it to bed.
Here's the link to the Trove record...

<https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17563039?searchTerm=gwen%20Sproats&searchLimits>=

Shirley Sproats replied:
Yes, I have had quite a dialogue with Gary re this gravesite.

Sidney married twice. His first wife was Frances Evelyn Collins whom Sidney married on 26 May 1913; interestingly, I have her dying on 29 December 1938 - clearly, according to the newspaper in memoriam, she died on 8 January 1938. I have daughter Gwendoline Elsie marrying in 1945 to a Frances Roy Lugton - Gwen was not married at the time of her mother's death so I don't know who Wally is - maybe Lugton's nickname or was there another child? Marrying some 7 years after the death of her mother, Lugton may not have even known Gwen so perhaps not him!

Sidney married his second wife, Margaret Mary Murdoch, in 1940.

I didn't drill down to this generation when I was doing my research for the Sproats' book but having said that I have recorded information given to me by others but not validated. I validated all the BDM's for the book buying certificates.

As I suggested to Gary, the best way or the next step in sorting this out is buying a certificate for Frances Evelyn's death and that should give the name/s of their children and will also inform if she had a full body burial or a cremation. Use a transcription service as nearly half the price! Reference is: 2059/1945 registered in Chatswood.

It is certainly an interesting question - who is Wally? My reasoning would be that had Wally been a son the in memoriam would have said so ie daughter Gwen and son Wally - it doesn't. Wally might have been a young man they had taken into the family and raised - just a thought!

So, sorry - it remains a mystery but getting a copy of the death certificate should give you helpful information to work with.