In 1898, James and Hannah’s daughter, Alice, was engaged to John Thomas Fowell. Alice must have called off the wedding because she found out about John’s criminal past.

James Samuel John Oxborough

Born: 1843 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: John Oxborough (1816 to 1892)
Mother: Phoebe Barth (1821 to 1890)

Spouse: Hannah Clamp (1846 to 1888)

Married: 1 FEB 1868 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Children:

Hannah Phoebe Oxborough (20 NOV 1868 to 1948)
Elizabeth Oxborough (12 FEB 1870 to 1873)
Amelia Ellen Oxborough (1871 to 1935)
Alice Harriet Oxborough (1872 to 1916)
Gertrude Florence Oxborough (9 SEP 1875 to 1949)
James Samuel John Oxborough (1878 to 1938)
Edith Elizabeth Oxborough (1880 to 1939)
William Robert Oxborough (30 DEC 1881 to 17 APR 1945)
Louisa Rebecca Oxborough (1884 to 1912)

Died: 1927 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Timeline:

1851 Bungay Holy Trinity, Suffolk County, England
1861 Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England
1864 Death of sister, Harriet
1868 Marriage to Hannah
1868 Birth of daughter, Hannah
1870 Birth of daughter, Elizabeth
1871 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1871 Birth of daughter, Amelia
1872 Birth of daughter, Alice
1873 Death of daughter, Elizabeth
1875 Birth of daughter, Gertrude
1878 Birth of son, James
1880 Birth of daughter, Edith
1880 Death of brother, Charles
1881 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1881 Birth of son, William
1884 Birth of daughter, Louisa
1888 Death of wife, Hannah
1890 Death of brother, George
1890 Death of mother, Phoebe
1891 Death of sister, Eliza
1891 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1892 Death of father, John
1893 Death of sister, Harriet Phoebe
1901 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1911 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1912 Death of daughter, Louisa
1914 Death of brother, John
1916 Death of daughter, Alice
1918 Death of sister, Mary Ann
1925 Death of brother, Henry
1927 Death and Burial

Occupation: coach painter

Records:

1851 to 1911 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
Norfolk, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940
England, Select Norfolk Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1900
England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1940
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2014

Variations of Surname: none

When I discover a unique event in a family tree, I like to document the occurrence. In this case, James died on the same day as his sister, Elizabeth Oxborough Moore.

Ancestry.com’s England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005 shows that James and Elizabeth died in the first quarter (Jan-Feb-Mar) of 1927. The deaths were registered in the Yarmouth Registration District of Norfolk County, England under volume 4a, page 42.

James and Elizabeth’s burials were recorded in the England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2014. James was buried on 11 MAR 1927 and Elizabeth was buried on 12 MAR 1927. The funerals were probably set up this way so the family did not have to attend two funerals in one day.

Spouse:

Hannah Clamp:

Hannah was born in 1846 in Wattisfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1888 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Hannah’s father was Samuel John Clamp. He was born on 16 OCT 1821 in Wattisfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1855 in March, Cambridgeshire County, England.

Hannah’s mother was Sophia Hart. She was born in 1821 in Walsham Lee Willows, Suffolk County, England. I do not know if Sophia remarried or when she died.

Hannah had six brothers and sisters. The four oldest children were born in Suffolk County, England. The two youngest children were born in March, Cambridgeshire County, England.

George Samuel Clamp (1844)
Catherine Clamp (1845 to 1855)
William Clamp (1848 to 1855)
Mary Louisa Clamp (1851)
Eliza Clamp (1853)
Sarah Ann Clamp (1855 to 1879)

Daughters:

Hannah Phoebe Oxborough:

Hannah was born on 20 NOV 1868 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1948 in Kettering, Northamptonshire County, England.

Hannah married Edward Collings on 11 SEP 1887 at St. Nicholas Church in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Eleven known children were born to this marriage:

Amelia Collins (1887)
Ethel Collins (1888)
Ernest James Collins (1890 to 1901)
Bertie Collins (1892)
Elizabeth Collins (1893)
Edith Collins (1895)
Rose Collins (1897)
Louisa Collins (1899)
Alice Collins (1901)
May Collins (1904)
Arthur Collins (1908)

Edward Collings was born in 1853 in St Helen, France. He died in 1929 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

The 1881 to 1911 England census records listed Edward as “deaf and dumb“. He was a bricklayer by trade.

Edward’s Father:

The 1887 marriage record names his father was Edward Collings. His occupation was listed as a sailor.

There is a Find A Grave memorial for a man named Edward Collings. He was buried in Brothers Cemetery in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. There are no birth or death dates on this memorial page.

This memorial may be for Edward’s father. St Helen, France is approximately 84 miles southeast of St Peter Port, Guernsey.

Edward’s Mother:

The 1881 England census shows that Edward’s mother was Elizabeth Woodcock, a widow. Her birthplace was listed as France.

On the 1901 England census, Elizabeth’s birthplace was listed as an unknown parish in London, England.

On both census records, a man named John Prince Woodcock or John Woodcock was living with Elizabeth. I believe this person may have been Elizabeth’s son-in-law.

If any Collings or Woodcock family historians have more information on Edward’s parents, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of the post.

Collings to Collins:

The surname, Collings, appears on Edward’s marriage and death records. The surname, Collins, appears on the 1891 to 1911 England census records. The surname may have been changed because of the dialectical accents of Great Yarmouth natives.

Elizabeth Oxborough:

Elizabeth was born on 12 FEB 1870 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1873 in Runham, Norfolk County, England.

Elizabeth was baptized on 31 JUL 1873 in Runham, Norfolk County, England. She was buried five days later on 5 AUG 1873 in Great Yarmouth. Elizabeth was three years old when she died.

Amelia Ellen Oxborough:

Amelia was born in 1871 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1935 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England.

Amelia married Charles West Thornhill in 1911 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Charles West Thornhill was born on 5 FEB 1857 in Sutton on Hull, East Yorkshire, England. He died on 18 AUG 1920 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England.

Probate:

After Charles died, Amelia married George Robert Robinson in 1924 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England. Amelia was 53 years old and George was 57 years old.

George Robert Robinson was born on 7 JUN 1867 in Stamford, Lincolnshire County, England. He died in 1960 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England.

George had previously married Elizabeth Smith in 1888 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England. Six known children were born to this marriage:

May Robinson (1889)
George Robinson (1892)
Emma Robinson (1894)
Minnie Robinson (1895)
Sarah Robinson (1899)
William Robinson (1901)

Elizabeth Smith was born in 1861 in Horninglow, Staffordshire County, England. She died in 1931 in Boston, Lincolnshire County, England.

Elizabeth went by the nickname of Lizzie.

Alice Harriet Oxborough:

Alice was born in 1872 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1916 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

She had planned to marry John Thomas Fowell in 1898 in Great Yarmouth. The marriage banns were announced for three Sundays starting on 27 NOV 1898. The document shows that John had been living with Alice and her parents for seven years.

Alice never married John Thomas Fowell. The 1901 England census shows that she was still unmarried and living with her widowed father.

Alice never married. She was a spinster when she died at the age of 44 years old.

John Thomas Fowell was born in 1859 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1919 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

In my search for information on John, I discovered that he was a career criminal. The UK, Calendar of Prisoners, 1868-1929 shows that John was charged with at least eight separate instances of larceny with only two acquittals.

The first page of the document shows that John’s life of crime started in 1870 when he was 11 years old.

The second page of the document shows two other convictions.

The last conviction that I found for John was dated 15 APR 1901 in Great Yarmouth. He received a sentence of six months of hard labor.  He was an inmate of HM Prison in Norwich, Norfolk County, England.

Gertrude Florence Oxborough:

Gertrude was born on 9 SEP 1875 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1949 in Skirbeck, Lincolnshire County, England.

Gertrude married William Alfred Flack on 10 MAR 1896 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Eight known children were born to this marriage. Florence was born in Great Yarmouth. William was born in Gorleston. The other children were born in Skirbeck.

Florence Gertrude H Flack (1898 to 1898)
William Alfred G Flack (1900)
Gladys Amelia T Flack (1901 to 1902)
Elsie Victoria H Flack (1902)
George Alfred C Flack (1905 to 1914)
Margery Lilian Flack (1908)
Dorothy Amelia E Flack (1911)
Nellie Flack (1913)

William Alfred Flack was born on 3 DEC 1876 in Gorleston, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1948 in Skirbeck, Lincolnshire County, England.

Edith Elizabeth Oxborough:

Edith was born in 1880 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1939 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Edith married William Charles Goodings on 23 DEC 1900 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Ten known children were born to this marriage:

Edith Ellen Goodings (1902)
William James Goodings (1904)
Samuel George Goodings (1906)
Alice Louisa Goodings (1908)
Frederick Charles Goodings (1910)
Olive Rose Goodings (1912)
Reginald Robert Goodings (1914)
Stanley John Goodings (1916)
Dorothy May Goodings (1919)
Marjorie Joyce Goodings (1922)

William Charles Goodings was born on 24 AUG 1878 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died on 16 SEP 1951 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Louisa Rebecca Oxborough:

Louisa was born in 1884 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1912 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Louisa never married. She was 28 years old when she died.

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!