Leonard enlisted in the British Royal Navy in 1916 to fight in World War I. He was discharged in 1919. Leonard received the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service.

Leonard George Oxborough

Born: 30 JAN 1898 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England

Father: Stephen Inkerman Oxborough (1855 to 1946)
Mother: Mary Ann Francis (1856 to 1920)

Spouse: Ethel Marsden (1896 to 1972)

Married: 1920 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England

Children:

Alma Oxborough (20 APR 1921 to 2006)
Jean Oxborough (26 JUN 1928 to 1987)
Kenneth Oxborough (26 JUN 1928 to 2006)

Died: 22 FEB 1960 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1901 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1911 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1920 Death of mother, Mary Ann
1939 Brierfield, Lancashire County, England
1944 Death of sister, Ethel
1946 Death of father, Stephen
1947 Death of brother, Sidney
1950 Death of brother, James
1954 Death of brother, Charles
1954 Death of brother, John
1960 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton weaver (1939)

Records:

1901 and 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
The UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services, 1853-1928
The UK Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: none

Leonard enlisted in the British Royal Navy in 1916 to fight in World War I. He was discharged in 1919. Leonard received the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service.

Spouse:

Ethel Marsden:

Ethel was born on 11 MAR 1896 in Crawshaw Booth, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1972 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England.

Ethel’s father was John William Marsden. He was born in 1870 in Whitworth, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1920 in Rawtenstall, Lancashire County, England.

Ethel’s mother was Margaret Alice Gregson. She was born in 1868 in Thornton in Fylde, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1938 in Rawtenstall, Lancashire County, England.

Ethel had five brothers and sisters:

William Marsden (1895)
Ernest Wilkenson Marsden (1897)
Elsie Marsden (1899)
Margaret Alice Marsden (1902)
Harry Marsden (1907)

Daughters:

Alma Oxborough:

Alma was born on 20 APR 1921 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. She died in 2006 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England.

Alma married a man named William Smith in 1942 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Janet A Smith (1943)

I do not have any information on William Smith.

Jean Oxborough:

Jean was born on 26 JUN 1928 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. She died on 9 MAR 1987 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England.

Probate:

Jean never married or had any known children.

Ancestry.com’s UK & Ireland, Nursing Registers, 1898-1968 shows that Jean was a nurse. In 1955, she was working at the Victoria Hospital in Blackpool, Lancashire County, England.

In 1957, Jean went to New York, USA for two months. The passenger list shows that she returned to Liverpool on 8 DEC 1957.

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 births, marriages, and deaths.

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 that is 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. The records can 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 ancestor.

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

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically 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, and 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!