Margaret was born in 1899, several months before her parents married. After her parents separated, Margaret lived with her mother. Her father had custody of the younger two children.

Cyril Robert Oxborough

Born: 23 OCT 1905 in Newark Upon Trent, Nottinghamshire County, England

Father: James Samuel John Oxborough (1878 to 1938)
Mother: Hannah Mews Hall (1884 to 1961)

Spouse: Margaret Wenn Morton (1899 to 1977)

Married: 1928 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England

Children: None

Died: 1973 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England

Timeline:

1907 Death of brother, Leonard
1909 Death of brother, James
1911 Newark upon Trent, Nottinghamshire County, England
1928 Marriage to Margaret
1938 Death of father, James
1939 Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England
1951 Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England
1961 Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England
1961 Death of mother, Hannah
1965 Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England
1972 Death of sister, Lilian
1973 Death and Burial

Occupation: motor hearse driver (1939)

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
Cambridgeshire, England, Electoral Registers, Burgess Rolls and Poll Books, 1722-1966
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Margaret Wenn Morton:

Margaret was born on 7 APR 1899 in Walsoken, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1977 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England.

Margaret was born out of wedlock to Mary Ann Morton. Margaret’s mother married her father several months after Margaret was born.

Margaret’s father was Henry Wenn. He was born on 19 JUN 1875 in Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire County, England. He died in 1944 in South Benfleet, Essex County, England.

Margaret’s mother was Mary Ann Morton. She was born in 1875 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England. She died in 1960 in Upwell, Cambridgeshire County, England.

Margaret had one sister and one brother:

Alice M Wenn (1900 Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire)
Thomas Leonard Wenn (1905 Lutton, Lincolnshire)

The 1901 England census shows Margaret and her family were living in Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire County, England.

When I searched the 1911 England census, I discovered that Margaret’s parents were living apart:

The first document shows that Margaret and her mother were living with Arthur J Mounsey in Upwell, Cambridgeshire County, England. Mary Ann was listed as a housekeeper. Her marital status was listed as married. Arthur’s marital status was listed as unmarried.

The second document shows that Henry and the two younger children were living with his parents in Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire County, England. Henry’s marital status was listed as married.

Because Mary Ann was living with another man, I assumed that she and Henry got divorced. I was right!

Mary Ann Morton Wenn married Arthur J Mounsey in 1932 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England. Mary Ann was 57 years old. Arthur was 55 years old.

Arthur J Mounsey was born in 1877 in Leicester, Leicestershire County, England. He died in 1958 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire County, England.

Did Henry Wenn marry Ada H Bernhardt?

I could not find either Mary Ann or Arthur Mounsey in the 1939 England and Wales Register. Their entries may have been blocked out because their deaths could not be verified when the register was made public.

Henry Wenn does appear in the 1939 England and Wales Register. He was living in South Benfleet, Essex County, England. His physical condition was listed as incapacitated.

As you can see from the excerpt, Henry’s marital status was listed as married. The name Mary A Wenn was written under this entry. The surname of Wenn was crossed out and above it was written the name of Ada H Bernhardt.

I believe Henry entered his ex-wife’s name by mistake. The entry shows the birth date of 18 MAY 1875, which is not when Mary Ann Morton was born. She was born in the third quarter of 1875.

I did a little searching and discovered who this individual was:

Ada Harriet Emmerson was born on 18 MAY 1875 in Shepherd’s Bush, London, England. She married John Thomas Bernhardt in 1908 in West Ham, Essex County, England.

John Thomas Bernardt was born in 1871 in London, England. He died in 1909 in West Ham, Essex County, England. He died several months after he married Ada.

The entry also seems to indicate that Henry was married to Ada. I found this to be incorrect. I could find no marriage record for either of them in Ancestry.com’s marriage databases.

What I think happened was that the name was corrected but not the marital status and occupation. Ada was probably widowed and working for Henry as his housekeeper or caregiver.

For this reason, I have not included Ada as Henry’s second wife.

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!