I could not find a birth record in England for William’s wife, Mary M Cook. That could mean that she was not born in England. It could also indicate that Cook was a married name and not her maiden name. I have ordered the marriage record from the GRO.

William Charles Oxborough

Born: 2 JAN 1888 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: William Oxborough (1864 to 1950)
Mother: Harriet Louisa Barber (1865 to 1954)

Spouse: Mary May Cook (1889 to 1942)

Married: 1922 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Children: none

Died: 12 APR 1952 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1891 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1901 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1911 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1918 Death of brother, James
1922 Marriage to Mary
1939 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1942 Death of wife, Mary
1950 Death of father, William
1952 Death and Burial

Occupation: brass turner (1911), electrical wireman (1939)

Records:

1891 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: None

Spouse:

Mary M Cook:

Mary was born on 14 NOV 1889. I do not know where she was born. She died in 1942 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Mary had previously married Alfred James Beane in 1915 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Arthur James Beane was born on 15 JAN 1888 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. He died on 9 JUL 1917 in the Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Arthur was 29 years old when he died.

Arthur was a stoker aboard the HMS Vanguard during World War I. The British battleship exploded and sank in the Scapa Flow. It was thought that an internal ignition of the cordite caused the explosion.

Who was Mary M Cook?

The 1939 England and Wales Register supplied Mary’s full birth date. This document did not provide her birthplace.

I then searched for a birth record in Ancestry.com’s England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915. There was no entry under the name of Mary M Cook.

This could mean that Mary was not born in England. It could also indicate that the surname of Cook was her married name.

For these reasons, I have ordered the 1922 marriage record from the GRO. This document should list her father’s name.

I will update this post when I receive this document.

Update:

On April 26, 2022, I received the marriage record from the GRO. The document listed Mary’s father as James Cook, deceased, engine driver.

I discovered that Mary’s father was not named James. He was William Cook. He died in 1890 at the age of 33 years old. The person she named as her father was likely William’s older brother, James, who worked as a machinist.

Here is Mary’s updated profile information:

Mary May Cook:

Mary was born on 14 NOV 1889 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1942 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Mary’s father was William Cook. He was born in 1857 in Metfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1890 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England. William was 33 years old when he died.

Mary’s mother was Phoebe Sillett. She was born in 1858 in Metfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1935 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Mary had three brothers and sisters:

William Cook (1880)
Florence Cook (1882)
Emily Cook (1888)

Mary’s mother:

Phoebe had one child after William died:

Edith Maud Cook (1893)

After William died, Phoebe married George Hulford on 3 JUN 1899 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage:

George Hulford was born in 1847 in Holt, Hampshire County, England. He died in 1905 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England.

George had previously married Eliza Wilds in 1875 in Odiham, Hampshire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Eliza Annie Hulford (1884 to 1884)

Eliza Wilds was born in 1854 in Odiham, Hampshire County, England. She died in 1884 in Warfield, Berkshire County, England. Eliza was 30 years old when she died.

Eliza likely died from complications of childbirth. Their child may have died shortly after birth as she was baptized in Odiham.

After George died, Phoebe married Thomas Alfred Billing in 1908 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Thomas Alfred Billing was born in 1860 in Barford, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1914 in Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England.

Thomas had previously married Hannah Mary Brooke on 29 OCT 1885 in West Bradenham, Norfolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Hannah Mary Brooke was born in 1860 in Egmere, Norfolk County, England. She died on 12 DEC 1907 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

There is a memorial on Find A Grave for Hannah. She was buried in the Beccles Cemetery.

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!