I would like to thank the family tree members who took the time to visit the West Suffolk Records Office. I would never have found my 5th great-grandfather without their help. Thank you.

Matthew Oxborough

Born: 1748 in Eye, Suffolk County, England

Father: unknown
Mother: unknown

Spouse: Ann Vinsen (1757 to Unknown)

Married: 6 APR 1778 in Mellis, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Rose Oxborough (1782 to 1863)
Charles Oxborough (1784 to 1869)
John Oxborough (20 JAN 1787 to 16 DEC 1868)

Died: 1795 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1778 Marriage to Ann
1782 Birth of daughter, Rose
1784 Birth of son, Charles
1787 Birth of son, John
1795 Death and Burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973

Variations of Surname: Oxburgh

In 2016, I started researching my Oxborough ancestors. My maternal grandmother was Gladys May Oxborough. I was able to go back as far as her 3rd great-grandfather. Here is the lineage:

Gladys May Oxborough (1913 to 1977)
William Frederick Oxborough (1884 to 1947)
Frederick Oxborough (1858 to 1936)
William Oxborough (1822 to 1900)
Charles Oxborough (1784 to 1869)
Matthew Oxborough (1748 to 1795)

I found Charles Oxborough in the England census records for 1841, 1851, and 1861. I obtained the baptism and marriage information from another family tree called Vinsen Family File 28 August 2009.

The source cited for the baptism record was the West Suffolk Records Office.

The source cited for the marriage record was findmypast.co.uk’s database called Suffolk Marriage Index.

The Vinsen Family File 28 August 2009 also supplied a citation for Matthew Oxborough’s burial record.

A comment on another Ancestry.com family tree made it possible to confirm Ann’s maiden name. It referenced a Last Will and Testament for Thomas Vinsen. He died in 1831 in St Marylebone, Middlesex County, England.

In the excerpt, Thomas mentions his late sister’s children who were living in Beccles. They were Charles, John, and Rose Oxborough.

I would never have found my 5th great-grandfather without the help of these other family tree members. Thank you.

Spouse:

Ann Vinsen:

Ann was born in 1757 in Wortham, Suffolk County, England. I do not know when Ann died.

The baptism record shows that Ann’s parents were William and Mary Vincent.

William Vincent was born in 1736 in Wingfield, Suffolk County, England. His parents were William and Lydia Vincent.

The surname of Vinsen has several variations including Vincent and Vinson. The surname of Vincent was the more common name to appear in the search results.

Daughter:

Rose Oxborough:

Rose was born in 1782 in Barsham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1863 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Rose married William Gooding on 10 MAY 1832 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. Rose was 50 years old. William was 51 years old.

William Gooding was born in 1781 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1859 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

The marriage record notes that William was widowed at the time of marriage. I do not know who he had previously married.

Military History:

William enlisted in the British Army on 28 AUG 1807 in Chatham, Kent County, England. He was a private in the 12th Regiment of Foot.

William was stationed in the East Indies from 1808 to 1814. He may have taken part in the Invasion of Java in 1811.

In 1818, the British Army reduced the number of infantrymen in the 12th Regiment of Foot. William was released from service on 4 DEC 1818 in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland.

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!