James died at the young age of 29 years old. In 1849, his widow, Lucretia, married a man with the surname Ellis. He died in 1849. She then married Archibald Douglas in 1856. They moved from Beccles to Bishop’s Stortford shortly before she died in 1858.

James Oxborough

Born: 4 APR 1814 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: John Oxborough (1787 to 1868)
Mother: Elizabeth Browne (1790 to 1865)

Spouse: Lucretia Woolnough (1817 to 1858)

Married: 24 NOV 1836 in Wangford cum Henham, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Henry Oxborough (19 MAR 1839 to 1872)
Elizabeth Oxborough (1841 to 1921)

Died: 1843 in Norwich, Norfolk County, England

Timeline:

1828 Death of twin brothers, Henry and Obadiah
1836 Marriage to Lucretia
1839 Birth of son, Henry
1841 Birth of daughter, Elizabeth
1841 Norwich, Norfolk County, England
1843 Death and Burial

Occupation: shoemaker

Records:

1841 England Census Record
England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1970
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915
Norfolk, England, Transcripts of Church of England Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers, 1600-1935

Variations of Surname: none

Daughter:

Elizabeth Oxborough:

Elizabeth was born in 1841 in Norwich, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1921 in Southwick, Northamptonshire County, England.

Elizabeth married Thomas Nichols in 1875 in Southwick, Northamptonshire County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Thomas Henry Nichols (1877)
Charles Oxborough Nichols (1879)
Eliza Beaumont Nichols (1881)

Thomas Nichols was born in 1832 in Southwick, Northamptonshire County, England. He died in 1900 in Southwick, Northamptonshire County, England.

Spouse:

Lucretia Woolnough:

Lucretia was born on 18 JUL 1817 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1858 in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire County, England.

Lucretia’s father was John Woolnough. He was born in 1770 in Earsham, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1856 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Lucretia’s mother was Sarah Dann. She was born on 2 NOV 1777 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1848 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Lucretia had seven known brothers and sisters:

Martha Woolnough (1808)
Matilda Woolnough (1811)
George Woolnough (1812)
Charles Woolnough (1814)
James Woolnough (1817)
Benjamin Woolnough (1818)
Caroline Woolnough (1821)

James was 29 years old when he died. Lucretia then married a man named William Ellis in 1847 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

I do not know William Ellis’ birth year or place of birth. He died in 1849 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

The 1851 England census shows that Lucretia and her son, Henry, were living with her father in Beccles.

After William died, Lucretia married Archibald Douglas in 1854 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Archibald Douglas (1855)

Archibald Douglas was born in 1819 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He died in 1905 in St Andrew the Less, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire County, England.

Archibald’s father was Archibald Douglas. He was born in 1796 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He died in 1873 in Westminster, London, England.

Probate:

Archibald’s mother was Susannah Ballad. She was born in 1795 in Hertford, Hertfordshire County, England. She died in 1870 in Strand, London, England.

Archibald had previously married Susanna Menlove in 1846 in Hertford, Hertfordshire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

William Douglas (1847)

Susanna Menlove was born on 8 DEC 1820 in Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire County, England. She died in 1848 in St Pancras, Marylebone, Middlesex County, England. Susanna was 28 years old when she died.

Susanna’s father was Joseph Menlove. He was born in 1783 in Hatfield, Herefordshire County, England. He died in 1859 in Hertford, Hertfordshire County, England.

Susanna’s mother was Sarah Thomas. She was born in 1787. I do not know Sarah’s place of birth. She died in 1856 in Hertford, Hertfordshire County, England.

After Susanna died, Archibald married a woman named Eliza. I could not find a marriage record. The 1871 to 1891 England census records listed their marital status as married.

Eliza was born in 1833 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1898 in St Andrew the Less, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire County, England.

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!