Elsie’s father divorced his first wife in 1892 on the grounds she committed adultery. Elizabeth was living in Oulton, Suffolk County, England when she became pregnant. Who was Josephine’s father?

George Clifford Oxborough

Born: 29 JUN 1901 in Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England

Father: George Oxborough (1879 to 1958)
Mother: Edith Mills (1875 to 1935)

Spouse: Elsie Winifred Harrison (1900 to 1983)

Married: 1925 in the Blything Registration District of Suffolk County, England.

Blything was a registration district from 1837 to 1935 and contained 49 civil parishes. I do not know which parish they were living in when they were married.

Child:

Geoffrey Eric Oxborough (1 AUG 1927 to 19 APR 1995)

Died: 22 APR 1976 in Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1911 Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England
1925 Marriage to Elsie
1927 Birth of son, Geoffrey
1935 Death of mother, Edith
1939 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1955 Death of brother, Henry
1958 Death of father, George
1976 Death and Burial

Occupation: commercial traveler (1939), major in the Royal Army (1955)

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2014

Variations of Surname: none

Military Career:

George’s occupation was listed as a commercial traveler in the 1939 England and Wales Register. On the right-hand side, you will notice that George was a 2nd Lieutenant of the Royal Army’s Emergency Council.

The 1955 probate record for George’s brother, Henry, described George as a Major in Her Majesty’s Army.

Spouse:

Elsie Winifred Harrison:

Elsie was born on 30 DEC 1900 in Gisleham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1983 in the Hitchin Registration District of Hertfordshire County, England.

Hitchin was a registration district from 1837 to 1996 and contained 46 civil parishes. I do not know which parish Elsie was living in at the time of her death.

Elsie’s Father:

Robert William Harrison was born in 1854 in Acle, Norfolk County, England. He died on 12 MAY 1919 in Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England.

Probate:

Elsie’s Mother:

Susan Whincop was born on 30 AUG 1865 in Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1957 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Susan’s Death Record:

As shown above, Susan was living with her daughter, Elsie, and her husband, in Great Yarmouth in 1939. She was 74 years old.

The only death record that I found in the Great Yarmouth area was for a woman named Susannah Harrison. She died in 1957 and her age was listed as 84 years old. That would mean this woman was born in 1874.

I then found a marriage record that listed Susan’s age as “21 years and upwards”. This would indicate that Susan was not a minor. When the marriage certificate was filed with the GRO, Susan’s age may have been recorded as 21 years old. That would mean she was born in 1874.

If Elsie or George were the respondents at the time of Susan’s death, they may have obtained her age from this marriage record. That would explain why her age was listed as 84 years old instead of 91 years old.

Elsie’s Siblings:

Elsie had four brothers and sisters. The children were all born in Suffolk County, England.

Reginald Whincop Harrison (1898 Gisleham)
Doris Marjorie Harrison (1899 Gisleham)
Phyllis Margaret Harrison (1903 Lowestoft)
Ernest Edward Harrison (1907 Worlingworth)

Robert William Harrison:

Robert William Harrison had previously married Elizabeth Johnson Pye on 29 MAR 1877 in Carlton Colville, Suffolk County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage. Both children were born in Oulton, Suffolk County, England.

Robert William Harrison (1878)
Eva Victoria Harrison (1878)

Elizabeth Johnson Pye was born in 1859 in Shaddingfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1916 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England.

On 8 NOV 1892, Robert divorced Elizabeth on the grounds that she committed adultery.

Elizabeth’s Illegitimate Child:

Josephine Harrison:

Josephine was born on 4 JUN 1890 in Battersea, Surrey County, England. I do not know when Josephine died.

Josephine married Edward David Mann in 1913 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England. I do not know if any children were born to this marriage.

Edward David Mann was born in 1883 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1925 in Rushmere, Suffolk County, England.

Edward was only 42 years old when he died. Josephine may have remarried.

Who was Josephine’s Father?

A copy of Josephine’s birth record had been included in Robert’s divorce petition.

When the birth was recorded, Elizabeth named Alfred Harrison as the father of this child. His occupation was listed as a mariner with the Merchant Marines.

Elizabeth may have had an affair with a man named Alfred and he may have been a fisherman. I do not believe his surname was Harrison. Elizabeth could have made up a fictitious name.

I do know that Elizabeth was living in Oulton, Suffolk County, England when she became pregnant. From the divorce petition, Robert said that someone told him that Elizabeth was having an affair. Maybe the wife of Josephine’s father?

If any Johnson, Pye, Harrison, or Mann descendants know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Elizabeth Johnson Pye:

Elizabeth then married Henry Smith in 1900 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Henry Smith was born in 1854 in Ipswich, Suffolk County, England. He died on 27 AUG 1920 in Tattingstone, Suffolk County, England.

Probate:

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.

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