In 1906, Frederick Oxborough and his friend, Frederick William Pain, decided to immigrate to Canada. They were both from Beccles and worked as bricklayers. Frederick and Laura settled in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

Frederick Oxborough

Born: 30 SEP 1884 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

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

Spouse: Laura Bell Bond (1895 to 1961)

Married: 19 OCT 1912 in Wentworth, Ontario, Canada

Children:

Lula May Oxborough (20 MAY 1913 to 9 JAN 2008)
Ruth Evelyn Oxborough (1915 to 1983)
Gordon Henry Oxborough (19 APR 1920 to 2 OCT 2006)

Died: 27 AUG 1940 in Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada

Burial: Farringdon Burial Ground

Timeline:

1891 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1894 Death of father, Walter
1901 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1906 Immigrated to Canada
1912 Marriage to Laura
1913 Birth of daughter, Lula
1915 Birth of daughter, Ruth
1915 Death of mother, Eliza
1917 Death of sister, Selena
1920 Birth of son, Gordon
1927 Death of sister, Eliza
1940 Death and Burial

Occupation: bricklayer

Records:

1891 and 1901 England Census Records
1921 Census of Canada
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
The UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960
Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1801-1926
Canada, Soldiers of the First World War, 1914-1918
Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1936 and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947
Canada, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Web: Canada, GenWeb Cemetery Index

Variations of Surname: None

In 1906, Frederick Oxborough and his friend, Frederick William Pain, decided to immigrate to Canada. They were both from Beccles and worked as bricklayers.

In 1912, Frederick and Laura’s marriage record shows that they were living in Caledonia, Haldimand, Ontario, Canada.

In 1916, Frederick enlisted with the Canadian military to fight in World War I. They were living in Middleport, Brant, Ontario, Canada.

The 1921 Census of Canada shows that Frederick and his family moved to Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada.

Spouse:

Laura Bell Bond:

Laura was born on 17 NOV 1895 in Wentworth, Ontario, Canada. She died in 1961 in Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada.

Laura’s father was George Bond. He was born on 25 AUG 1874 in Brant, Ontario, Canada. He died on 14 JUL 1936 in Wentworth, Ontario, Canada.

Laura’s mother was Ailey Irene Parker. She was born on 5 JUL 1877 in Ontario, Canada. She died in 1964 in Wentworth, Ontario, Canada.

Laura had three sisters and brothers:

Vera May Bond (1898)
George Ernest Bond (1900)
Eva Margaret Bond (1906)

Daughters:

Lula May Oxborough

Lula May Oxborough:

Lula was born on 20 MAY 1913 in Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada. She died on 9 JAN 2008 in Sarnia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada.

Lula was buried in the Farringdon Burial Grounds in Brantford.

Lula married Robert Morris Keith around 1969 in Sarnia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada.

Robert Morris Keith

Robert Morris Keith was born on 26 JUN 1904 in Comber, Essex, Ontario, Canada. He died in 1979 in the United States.

Robert had previously married Daisy Beatrice Shepherd on 12 JUL 1926 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Shirley Marguerite Keith (1927)
Donald Robert Keith (1928)
Patricia Geraldine Keith (1930)

Daisy Beatrice Shepherd

Daisy Beatrice Shepherd was born in 1905 in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales. She died in 1960 in Brigden, Lambton, Ontario, Canada.

Robert and Daisy were buried in the Bear Creek Cemetery in Lambton County, Ontario.

Lula’s Obituary:

In 2016, I found Lula’s obituary on a website called Genealogie Quebec. They now require a subscription to view obituaries.

KEITH, Lula May “Lou“ – Passed away peacefully at the Brantford General Hospital, on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 in her 95th year. Beloved wife of the late Morris. Loving mother of Shirley (the late David) Butt. Devoted grandmother of Sheila (Joe) and Jennifer (Jim), and great-grandmother of Michael, Melanie, Zachary, Sarah, and Ryan. Predeceased by her brother Gord, and sister Ruth. She will be sadly missed by her 4 step-children, her special step-granddaughter Beth, and many other family members and friends. Friends will be received at the BECKETT-GLAVES FAMILY FUNERAL CENTRE, 88 Brant Ave., Brantford, on Friday from 2 – 3 p.m. A Funeral Service will follow in the Chapel on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. www.beckettglaves.com 10955515.”

From this obituary, I found that Lula had a daughter named Shirley. When Lula married Robert, she would have been around 55 years old. To me, that would indicate that Robert was not Shirley’s biological father.

I believe Lula had been married before. Yet, I have not been able to find a marriage record. Lula probably married someone in the 1930s which means Shirley was born in the early 1940s.

If you know the answer to these questions, please contact me at dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a reply in the Comments Section of this post.

Ruth Evelyn Oxborough:

Ruth was born in 1915 in Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada. She died in 1983 in Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada.

Ruth married Myles Anthony McGarry on 4 JUL 1938 in Teck, Timiskaming, Ontario, Canada. I do not know if, or how, many children were born to this marriage.

Myles Anthony McGarry was born in 1914 in Cobalt, Timiskaming, Ontario, Canada. I have no other information on this individual.

I do not know if they divorced or if Myles died.

Ruth then married Edward MacKinnon. I do not know when they married or if they had any children.

I have no other information on Edward MacKinnon.

If you can “fill in the blanks”, please contact me.

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!