In 1899, Elizabeth Colclough’s step-mother, Agnes, married William Gorse in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire County, England. William was born around 1874 and worked as a platelayer for a railroad. Do you know what happened to William Gorse?

John Oxborough

Born: 1 DEC 1899 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England

Father: Stephen Inkerman Oxborough (1855 to 1946)
Mother: Mary Ann Francis (1856 to 1920)

First Spouse: Sarah A Robinson (1900 to 1931)

Married: 1925 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England

Child:

Jack Oxborough (31 OCT 1928 to 1999)

Second Spouse: Elizabeth Ann Colclough (1888 to 1957)

Married: 1937 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England

Children: none

Died: 1954 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England

Timeline:

1901 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1911 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1920 Death of mother, Mary Ann
1925 Marriage to Sarah
1928 Birth of son, Jack
1931 Death of wife, Sarah
1937 Marriage to Elizabeth
1939 Brierfield, Lancashire County, England
1944 Death of sister, Ethel
1946 Death of father, Stephen
1947 Death of brother, Sidney
1950 Death of brother, James
1954 Death of brother, Charles
1954 Death and Burial

Occupation: well borer’s laborer (1939)

Records:

1901 and 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 (father’s record)
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005

Variations of Surname: none

First Spouse:

Sarah Ann Robinson:

Sarah was born in 1900 in Colne, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1931 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England.

Sarah’s father was Christopher Robinson. He was born in 1868 in Kettlewell, West Yorkshire, England. He died in 1922 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England.

Sarah’s mother was Mary Hannah Moorby. She was born on 15 MAR 1870 in Worsthorne, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1944 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England.

Sarah had three brothers and sisters. The children were all born in Lancashire County, England.

Florrie Robinson (1896 Holmeschapel)
Fred Robinson (1903 Burnley)
Alice Robinson (1904 Burnley)

Second Spouse:

Elizabeth Ann Colclough:

Elizabeth was born on 17 JAN 1888 in Audley, Staffordshire County, England. She died in 1957 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England.

Elizabeth’s father was Elijah Colclough. He was born in 1858 in Burslem, Staffordshire County, England. He died in 1932 in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire County, England.

Elizabeth’s mother was Charlotte Horswell. She was born in 1853 in Plymouth, Devon County, England. She died in 1906 in Atherton, Lancashire County, England.

Elizabeth had two known sisters. They were both born in Staffordshire County, England.

Hannah Maria Colclough (1886 Audley)
Charlotte Colclough (1891 Chesterton)

After Charlotte died, Elijah married Agnes Pointon in 1911 in Bolton, Lancashire County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Agnes Pointon was born in 1876 in Biddulph, Staffordshire County, England. She died in 1944 in Bolton, Lancashire County, England.

Agnes’ father was Ralph Pointon. He was born in 1842 in Biddulph, Staffordshire County, England. He died in 1918 in Stoke Upon Trent, Staffordshire County, England.

Agnes’ mother was Ann Leese. She was born in 1843 in Biddulph, Staffordshire County, England. She died in 1900 in Audley, Staffordshire County, England.

Agnes had ten sisters and brothers. The six oldest children were born in Biddulph. The four youngest children were born in Audley.

George Pointon (1862)
James Pointon (1864)
Ralph Pointon (1868)
Mary J Pointon (1869)
Alice A Pointon (1871)
William Pointon (1873)
Arthur Pointon (1878)
Bertha Pointon (1880)
Leonard Pointon (1887)
Mary Florence Pointon (1888)

Agnes had previously married William Gorse on 15 APR 1899 at St Peter’s Church in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

Elizabeth May Gorse (1899 Glossop, Derbyshire)
Robert Gorse (1903 Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire)

The only information that I have on William Gorse comes from the 1899 marriage record. William was 25 years old which means he was born in 1874. His occupation was listed as a platelayer for a railroad. William’s father was listed as Robert Gorse, deceased. Robert was a fisherman.

The 1901 England census shows that Agnes and her daughter were living with her brother, William, and his wife in Audley, Staffordshire County, England. Her marital status was listed as married. William could have been working away from home for the railroad.

If any Gorse family historians have information on William, please contact me. My email address is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

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!