The 2012 obituary indicates that John had a daughter named Ashleigh. I could not find a birth record under the surname of Oxborough. Could John and Sylvia have adopted a child during their marriage?

John Richard Oxborough

Born: 6 DEC 1926 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England

Father: John Richard Oxborough (1895 to 1965)
Mother: Isabella Ann Addy (1898 to 1988)

Spouse: Sylvia Denholm (1935 to 1976)

Married: 1956 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England

Children: Unknown

Died: 16 AUG 2012 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England

Obituary:

Obituary courtesy of Funeral-Notices.co.uk.

You can find this obituary on Funeral-Notices.co.uk at the following link:  Funeral Notices – John richard Oxborough (funeral-notices.co.uk)

Timeline:

1949 Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England
1956 Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England
1956 Marriage to Sylvia
1965 Death of father, John
1976 Death of wife, Sylvia
1977 Death of brother, James
1988 Death of brother, Charles
1988 Death of mother, Isabella
1998 Death of sister, Mary
2007 Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England
2012 Death and Burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005
New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Electoral Registers, 1741-1974
UK, Electoral Registers, 2003-2010
England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2013

Variations of Surname: none

The obituary indicates that John had a daughter named Ashleigh. I could find no birth record in Ancestry.com’s England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 for Ashleigh Oxborough.

It could be surmised that Ashleigh was not registered under the surname of Oxborough. John lived his entire life in Newcastle. For this reason, I do not believe his daughter was born anywhere else.

There are two reasons why Ashleigh may have had a different surname:

John and Sylvia could have adopted a child during their marriage.

John may have had a relationship with another woman after Sylvia died.

Spouse:

Sylvia Denholm:

Sylvia was born on 17 FEB 1935 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. She died in 1976 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. Sylvia was 41 years old when she died.

Sylvia was born out of wedlock to Jennie Tillis Denholm.

Jennie Tillis Denholm was born on 17 MAY 1913 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. She died in 2000 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England.

Jennie married George Wilkinson in 1941 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

George G Wilkinson (1942)
Colin Wilkinson (1943)

George Wilkinson was born on 9 SEP 1904 in Jesmond, Northumberland County, England. He died in 1968 in Durham North Eastern Registration District, Durham County, England.

Durham North Eastern was a registration district between 1938 and 1974. The four civil parishes of Boldon, Hebburn, Heworth, and Jarrow were included in this RD. These parishes are located just across the River Tyne from Newcastle.

George had previously married Rhoda Bennett in 1928 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Joyce Wilkinson (1929 to 1930)

Rhoda Bennett was born on 28 AUG 1904 in Gateshead, Durham County, England. She died in 1940 • Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland County, England. Rhoda was 36 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!