Elsie’s paternal grandfather, Arthur Bellingham, seems to have disappeared after his 1891 arrest in Doncaster, West Yorkshire, England. Could one of his descendants hold the key to solving this mystery?

Arthur Reginald Oxborough

Born: 12 JUL 1920 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: Henry C Oxborough (1887 to 1966)
Mother: Ada Anna Archer (1892 to 1978)

Spouse: Elsie Bellingham (1922 to 2013)

Married: 1942 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England

Children:

Lyndon G Oxborough (1944 to Unknown/Still Living)
Avril J Oxborough (1948 to Unknown/Still Living)

Died: 6 OCT 1978 in St Albans, Hertfordshire County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1939 London, London, England
1942 Marriage to Elsie
1944 Birth of daughter, Lyndon
1948 Birth of daughter, Avril
1957 Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England
1961 East Molesey, Surrey County, England
1966 Death of father, Henry
1976 Death of brother, Edward
1978 Death and Burial

Occupation: carton folding box die maker (1939)

Records:

1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Electoral Registers, 1741-1974
Surrey, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1962
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: None

Spouse:

Elsie Bellingham:

Elsie was born in 1922 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. She died on 29 JUN 2013 in Tavistock, Devon County, England.

Elsie’s father was Arthur Bellingham. He was born on 7 APR 1889 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. He died in 1964 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England.

Elsie’s mother was Agnes Turner. She was born on 25 MAR 1891 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. She died on 13 AUG 1958 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England.

Elsie had three known brothers:

Arthur Bellingham (1914)
Robert Bellingham (1918)
Bryan Bellingham (1933)

 

Elsie’s Paternal Grandparents:

Elsie’s paternal grandfather was also named Arthur Bellingham. He was born in 1856 in Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire County, England. I do not know when he died.

Arthur married Hannah Hall in 1883 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Catherine Bellingham (1886)
Thomas Charles Martin Bellingham (1887)
Arthur Bellingham (1889)

Elsie’s paternal grandmother was Hannah Hall. She was born in 1860 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. She died in 1915 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England.

What Happened to Elsie’s Grandfather?

On the 1891 England census, I discovered that Hannah and the three children were living with her parents, Matthew and Margaret Hall, in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The document listed her marital status as married, yet Arthur was not included in this listing.

The 1901 England census shows that Hannah and her children were still living at 122 Shield Street with her widowed mother. Her marital status had changed to widowed. Hannah lived at this address until she died in 1915.

I searched for Elsie’s grandfather on the 1891 England census with no positive results. Then, I got a surprise! Another Ancestry.com member had saved a document to their family tree. It was a document found in the West Yorkshire, England, Prison Records, 1801-1914.

This excerpt shows that Arthur and his brother, Henry, had been arrested for being rogues and vagabonds. This was based on the Vagrancy Act of 1824 which made it illegal to “sleep rough” or beg for food or money. They were sentenced on 11 SEP 1891 to 21 days of hard labor.

The document also listed their birthplaces and occupations. This was how I was able to confirm these individuals were Arthur and Henry Bellingham.

Yet, why had the two brothers traveled to Doncaster, West Yorkshire, England? Had they made the 125-mile journey in search of better-paying jobs? I do not know if Henry married. But, Arthur never returned to his wife and children.

I could not find Arthur or Henry in the England census records for the years 1901, 1911, and 1939. As Hannah claimed to be a widow on the 1901 England census, I then looked for a death record for Arthur. I had no luck finding one in the death records for England.

Could Arthur and Henry have committed other criminal acts that led to deportation to Australia? Could they have immigrated to Canada?

I do not know the answer to these questions. Yet, should one of their descendants read this post, they may be able to solve this mystery.

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!