With the help of passenger lists, I discovered that Arthur, Dora, and their children immigrated to New Zealand. The electoral directories supplied their addresses, occupations, and spouse’s names.

Arthur Oxborough

Born: 26 MAY 1915 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England

Father: Sidney Stephen Oxborough (1886 to 1947)
Mother: Lily Wainman (1891 to 1961)

Spouse: Dora Turnbull (1915 to 2009)

Married: 1935 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England

Children:

Peter Fenton Oxborough (1936 to 29 DEC 2005)
Stephen Oxborough (1941 to Unknown/Still Living)
John Oxborough (1943 to 1944)
Thomas A Oxborough (1946 to Unknown/Still Living)
Andrew Oxborough (1953 to Unknown/Still Living)

Died: 23 APR 2009 in Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand

Burial: North Shore Memorial Park, Snapper Rock, Auckland, New Zealand

Timeline:

1916 Brierfield, Lancashire County, England (father’s military record)
1918 Death of sister, Gladys
1935 Marriage to Dora
1936 Birth of son, Peter
1939 Chaddesden, Derbyshire County, England
1941 Birth of son, Stephen
1943 Birth of son, John
1944 Death of son, John
1946 Birth of son, Thomas
1947 Death of father, Sidney
1953 Birth of son, Andrew
1958 Immigrated to New Zealand
1961 Death of mother, Lily
1963 Mairangi Bay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand
1969 Mairangi Bay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand
1972 Mairangi Bay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand
1978 Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand
1981 Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand
2002 Death and Burial

Occupation: undercarriage repairman or mechanic (1939), mica worker (1958), timber worker (1963), plasterer (1969), machinist (1972)

Records:

1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 (father’s record)
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
The UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960
New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981

Variations of Surname: None

Immigration to New Zealand:

On 23 JUL 1956, a Canadian Pacific Airlines manifest shows that Peter left Amsterdam, Netherlands, and arrived in Auckland, New Zealand.

On 6 JUN 1958, a passenger list shows that Arthur, Dora, and the two youngest children left the Port of London aboard the RMS Rangitoto. They landed in Wellington, New Zealand.

On 17 JUN 1958, a passenger list shows that Stephen left Glasgow, Scotland, aboard the TSS Captain Cook and arrived in Wellington, New Zealand.

Timeline Via Electoral Directories:

From Ancestry.com’s database, New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981, I mapped out the family’s movements through the years. I have also included the person’s occupation and spouse’s names.

Arthur and Dora Oxborough:

1963 Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (timber worker)
1969 Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (plasterer)
1972 Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (machinist)
1978 Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand (retired)
1981 Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand (retired)

Peter Fenton Oxborough:

1963 Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (advertising)
1969 Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (clerk)
1972 Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (potter)
1978 Kaipara Flats, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand (potter)

Peter’s wife, Robin Dawn, appears on the 1963 and 1969 entries. I do not know her maiden name. Robin Dawn does not appear on the 1972 and 1978 listings.

I could not find further information on Robin Dawn. She may have died before 1972 or they may have divorced.

Stephen Oxborough:

1969 Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (driver)
1972 Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand (contractor)
1978 Albany, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (contractor)
1981 Albany, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (contractor)

Stephen’s wife, Lynda Susan, appears on the 1978 and 1981 listings. I do not know her maiden name.

Thomas A Oxborough:

1969 Rothesay Bay, Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand (admin asst)
1972 Campbells Bay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (sales rep)
1978 Torbay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (sales rep)
1981 Torbay, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (sales rep)

Thomas’ wife, Shirley L M, appears on the 1978 and 1981 listings. I do not know her maiden name.

Andrew Oxborough:

1978 Albany, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand (contractor)
1981 Okura, Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand (contractor)

Andrew’s wife, Gaye, appears on both listings. I do not know her maiden name.

Ancestry.com does not provide birth, marriage, and death records for New Zealand in the late 1900s. For this reason, I could not find any information on the wives of Arthur and Dora’s sons.

Spouse:

Dora Turnbull:

Dora was born on 13 JAN 1915 in Barrow-In-Furness, Lancashire County, England. She did on 28 JUN 2009 in Kawau Island, Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand.

Dora’s father was Ralph John Turnbull. He was born on 8 SEP 1883 in Newbottle, Durham County, England. He died on 20 AUG 1941 in Chaddesden, Derbyshire County, England.

Dora’s mother was Dora Thompson. She was born on 5 MAY 1890 in Millom, Cumberland County, England. She died in 1970 in Chaddesden, Derbyshire County, England.

Dora had three known brothers and sisters:

William H Turnbull (1917)
Bernard Turnbull (1920)
Rita Turnbull (1922)

Notes:

The surname, Oxborough, originated in Norfolk County, England. It appears in church registers as early as the mid-16th Century. As the world population grew, these Oxborough ancestors moved to other counties in England. By the late 19th Century, some had immigrated to Canada and Australia.

Creating Your Family Tree:

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestors.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!