Benjamin William Bates, who was known as Ben Bates, was born on 29th January 1868 in Gorey, Wexford, Ireland to John Bates (a farmer) and Jane Barbara Webster. At some point he immigrated to South Africa and was first a public servant detective and later a private detective in Johannesburg. He had married Cornelia van Os (widow of van Os, born Rensen) in about 1902 and had a son, Cecil Charles Webster Bates. The marriage must have broken down by about 1907. No divorce record in South Africa. Benjamin Bates had immigrated to Ireland and had married Josephine Bates on 6 May 1907 in St Peters Church, Dublin, Ireland. Josephine Bates was born on 7 April 1864 in Gorey, Wexford, Ireland and was the daughter of William Bates (a coachbuilder) and Anna Stedman. Josephine was of fair complexion, with fair hair and grey eyes. Benjamin and Josephine Bates visited 3613 Fisk Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in June 1907. Apparently Benjamin had previously been in the USA from 1897, for about 3yrs. They were back in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England for the birth of their daughter, Irma Josephine Bates in the last quarter of 1908 and she was baptised on 9 March 1909 at St Thomas, Church of England, in Birmingham and subsequently died soon after in 1909. They were still in Birmingham in 1911. Benjamin appears to have died at 46yrs of age in December 1914 in Pancras, England.
I am interested in tracing back John Bates. There was a Bates family of coach builders in Gorey, but John does not seem to be connected. Josephine' father, William seems to have been. Cornelia Bates moved to then Rhodesia and died in Bulawayo.
