The death is announced of Mr. Jacob Delmage, as one of the few residents of the Northam district who had lived under six monarchs. Mr. Delmage had been in a very critical state of health, and during the night of May 21 the old gentleman passed away. The funeral took place at the Church of England portion of the Northam Cemetery, on the morning, and was largely attended, particularly by the older residents of the district. The Rev. R. H. Moore officiated. The chief mourners were Messrs. F. H. Delmage (son), and George and Edward Martin (sons in-law). The pall-bearers were Messrs. J. Wilkerson, J.P., G. Wilkerson, W. T. Morrell, and Jas. Morrell. The deceased had eight children, 25 grandchildren, and 28 great-grandchildren. His wife, who predeceased him, was Miss Lucy Tapper, and they were married at Perth 66 years ago. Two of his daughters (Mrs. Edward Martin and Mrs. R. Dudley) are dead. His surviving daughters are Mrs. Geo. Martin, of Northam, Mrs. T. Tapper, of Fremantle, and Misses Sarah and May Delmage, of Fremantle. He also left two sons, Mr. F. H. Delmage, of Southern Brook, and Mr. James Delmage, J.P., of Dongarra. Mr. Delmage's father was a corporal in the 62nd Regiment, and came to Western Australia with the first regiment that came from Tasmania in 1833, the late Mr. Delmage being then 13 years of age. On his parents returning home he was left behind as an apprentice to Mr. Lazenby a carpenter, in Perth. After serving his time he came over the hills and entered upon agricultural pursuits. In 1854 he took up the Habgood farm, where the West Northam station now stands. He had about 40 acres under cultivation, which was considered a great deal in those days. Subsequently he farmed a portion of Mr. Jas. Wilkerson's property on the Newcastle-road, and went in for sheep-raising at Mt. Dick. At one time Mr. Delmage was farming in the Swan, and he used to tell of how he ploughed his first field with a team consisting of a horse and a cow.
By the death of Mr. Jacob Delmage, Western Australia has lost one of her oldest colonists. He had attained the ripe age of 90 years, and came out as a lad when he had just entered his teens. He lived for a long time in Perth and Fremantle, but was intimately associated with the early development of the Eastern districts. During recent years increasing infirmity had confined him to his home, though occasionally he came into Northam with his son-in-law, Mr. Martin. Time was, however, when he was the moving spirit in every local enterprise. He was an Irishman by birth, and was full of the national characteristics of humour and kindliness. He was a total abstainer, a great worker, and a man full of enterprise. There were few local institutions with which he was not intimately associated in days gone by. He was one of the first trustees of the Northam Mechanics' Institute, and one of the founders of the Northam Race Club.
'Delmage, Jacob (1820–1910)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/delmage-jacob-14015/text24952, accessed 2 November 2024.
photo supplied by Margaret Thompson
27 February,
1820
Adare,
Limerick,
Ireland
21 May,
1910
(aged 90)
Northam,
Western Australia,
Australia
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