From 1871 to 1878, Charles’ family lived in the coalmining village of Bigges Main, Northumberland County, England. In that time, I discovered that Stephen had changed his surname to Ward.

Charles Oxborough

Born: 13 NOV 1875 in Byker, Northumberland County, England

Father: Walter Stephen Oxborough (1848 to 1894)
Mother: Eliza Copeman (1847 to 1915)

Spouse: Belinda Ethel Taylor (1880 to 1961)

Married: 21 Aug 1904 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Clifford Harold Oxborough (23 OCT 1904 to 1975)
Stanley Charles Oxborough (14 AUG 1909 to 1988)
Gladys Kathleen Oxborough (14 AUG 1909 to 1988)

Died: 1957 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1881 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1891 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1894 Death of father, Walter
1901 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1904 Marriage to Belinda
1904 Birth of son, Clifford
1908 Birth of twins, Gladys and Stanley
1911 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1915 Death of mother, Eliza
1916 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1917 Death of sister, Selina
1927 Death of sister, Eliza
1939 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1940 Death of brother, Frederick
1945 Death of brother, Walter
1957 Death and Burial

Occupation: house painter

Records:

1881 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Belinda Ethel Taylor:

Belinda was born on 19 MAR 1880 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England. She died on 30 JAN 1961 in Ilford, Essex County, England.

Probate:

Belinda went by her middle name of Ethel.

Ethel’s father was Robert Taylor. He was born in 1838 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1902 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England.

Ethel’s mother was Jemima Wolner. She was born in 1844 in Hulver Street, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1927 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England.

Belinda had six known brothers and sisters:

Robert Henry Taylor (1867)
Mary Ann Edith Taylor (1870)
Ann Elizabeth Taylor (1874)
Zingre Laura Taylor (1875)
Christina Taylor (1877)
Ellen Taylor (1883)

Daughter:

Gladys Kathleen Oxborough:

Gladys was born on 14 AUG 1909 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1988 in Brentwood, Essex County, England.

Gladys married Christmas Stanley Fairweather in 1929 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Jean M Fairweather (1929)

Christmas Stanley Fairweather was born on 25 DEC 1906 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1983 in Wanstead, Essex County, England.

About the Twins:

Gladys Kathleen Oxborough was the twin sister of Stanley Charles Oxborough. They were born on 14 AUG 1909 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

What I found amazing was that they both died in November of 1988.  Ancestry.com’s database, England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005, shows that Gladys died before Stanley. This is based on the page numbers given in the listings:

Gladys Kathleen Fairweather (vol 9, page 1701)
Stanley Charles Oxborough (vol 9, page 3223)

The other interesting fact is that they only lived 20 miles apart at the time of their deaths. Gladys lived in Brentwood, Essex County, England. Stanley lived in Southend on Sea, Essex County, England.

Could this have been a twin connection? I found an article written by Linda Pountney that discusses the deaths of the Hager Brothers. She believes there may be a connection between twins that follows them through their lifetimes.

The Oxborough-Ward Story:

In 1871, Charles’ parents traveled 275 miles north to Longbenton, Northumberland County, England. They settled in the village of Bigges Main which was situated just outside the hamlet of Little Benton. Coalmining was a major industry in this area. Walter worked as a bricklayer or mason. In 1878, the family returned to Beccles.

Within that seven years, I discovered that Walter had changed his surname to Ward. I then found that the birth records for four of the children born in Bigges Main were registered under the surname of Ward.

Charles was one of the children who carried the surname of Ward.

Charles also used this surname on his 1916 British Army enlistment form.

My post on Walter Stephen Oxborough goes into more detail about this Oxborough-Ward connection.

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!