In 1916, Sidney was blinded in both eyes. His third wife, Edith George, was a registered nurse. She took care of Sidney during the last few months of his life.
Sidney Stephen Oxborough
Born: 22 JAN 1886 in Bardwell, Suffolk County, England
Father: Stephen Inkerman Oxborough (1855 to 1946)
Mother: Mary Ann Francis (1856 to 1920)
First Spouse: Lily Wainman (1891 to 1961)
Married: 2 SEP 1911 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England
Children:
Sarah Ann Oxborough (22 MAR 1912 to Unknown)
Arthur Oxborough (26 MAY 1915 to 23 APR 2002)
Gladys Oxborough (1918 to 1918)
Mary E Oxborough (27 FEB 1924 to 2004)
Second Spouse: Ellen Beatrice Purt (1881 to 1946)
Married: 1929 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England
Children: none
Third Spouse: Edith George (1897 to 1995)
Married: 1947 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England
Children: none
Died: 6 JUL 1947 in Prestwich, Lancashire County, England
Burial: St Mary Churchyard
Timeline:
1891 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1897 Death of brother, Leonard
1901 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1911 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1911 Marriage to Lily
1912 Birth of daughter, Sarah
1915 Birth of son, Arthur
1918 Birth of daughter, Gladys
1918 Death of daughter, Gladys
1920 Death of mother, Mary Ann
1924 Birth of daughter, Mary
1928 Divorce from Lily
1929 Marriage to Ellen
1939 Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England
1944 Death of sister, Ethel
1946 Death of father, Stephen
1946 Death of wife, Ellen
1947 Marriage to Edith
1947 Death and Burial
Occupation: laborer in a cotton mill
Records:
1891 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current
Variations of Surname: none
Sidney’s Military Service:
On 18 DEC 1914, Sidney enlisted with the British Army’s Scottish Rifles to fight in World War I. On 2 JUN 1916, the 10th Battalion was sent to France. On 13 AUG 1916, Sidney was wounded. He had been shot in both eyes. These injuries left him permanently disabled.
Daughters:
Sarah Ann Oxborough:
Sarah was born on 22 MAR 1912 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England.
Sarah married Stanley Wellington Heywood in 1934 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:
Bernard Heywood (1934)
Stanley Wellington Heywood was born on 19 APR 1910 in Padiham, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1982 in Fleetwood, Lancashire County, England.
Sarah and Stanley must have divorced. I do not know if Stanley remarried.
The 1939 England and Wales Registers show that Sarah was living with Norman Clifford Fulcher and his mother in Derby, Derbyshire County, England. Her marital status was listed as married.
In 1946, Sarah married Norman Clifford Fulcher in Chaddesden, Derbyshire County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.
Norman Clifford Fulcher was born on 14 DEC 1916 in Derby, Derbyshire County, England. He died in 1987 in Derby, Derbyshire County, England.
I do not know if Sarah and Norman divorced or if Sarah died. I could find no marriage or death record in Derbyshire for Sarah after 1946. Sarah may have moved to another county in England or immigrated to another country.
In 1977, Norman married Winifred Jane Harrison in Derby, Derbyshire County, England. Norman was 61 years old. Winifred was 66 years old.
Winifred Jane Harrison was born on 6 FEB 1911 in Derby, Derbyshire County, England.
I do not know if Winifred and Norman divorced or if Winifred died. I could find no marriage or death record in Derbyshire for Sarah after 1977. Winifred may have moved to another county in England or immigrated to another country.
Mary E Oxborough:
Mary was born on 27 FEB 1924 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England. She died in 2004 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Mary married a man named James Wilkinson in 1942 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:
Rodney J Wilkinson (1944)
Brian Wilkinson (1947)
Sheila Wilkinson (1952)
I have no information on James Wilkinson.
Sidney’s First Spouse:
Lily Wainman:
Lily was born on 4 JUN 1891 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1961 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Probate:
The Two Lily Wainman’s:
As I was searching for Lily’s parents, I discovered there were two Lily Wainman’s. Here is the comment I posted on my Ancestry.com family tree:
“Use Caution! There are two Lily Wainman’s that were born in the Burnley Registration District of Lancashire, England. One was born in 1891. The other was born in 1894.
The 1894 Lily Wainman married Harry Holt in 1921. He died in 1938. Her parents were Christopher Wainman and Ellen Hannah Bowker.
The 1891 Lily Wainman married Sidney Stephen Oxborough in 1911.
I am still searching for 1891 Lily Wainman’s parents. It might be that she was born to an unmarried woman with the surname Wainman. The woman may have married shortly after Lily was born. This is probably the reason that I could not find Lily on the 1901 and 1911 England censuses.”
Sidney and Lily must have divorced. Could it have been due to Sidney being blinded in the war? Could he have suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome? I do not know. The fact that Sidney could not work may have been the reason Lily left him.
In 1940, Lily married Thomas Townson in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.
Thomas Townson was born in 1893 in Barnoldswick, West Yorkshire, England. He died in 1949 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
After Thomas died, Lily married Benjamin Nicholas Smith in 1954 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. Lily and Benjamin were 63 years old when they were married.
Benjamin Nicholas Smith was born in 1891 in Brierfield, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1963 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England.
Benjamin had previously married Louisa Willans in 1918 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England. Four known children were born to this marriage:
John T Smith (1918)
Herbert Smith (1924)
Mary Smith (1925)
Ronald Smith (1929)
Louisa Willans was born in 1893 in Barrow In Furness, Lancashire County, England.
Louisa’s father was William John Willans. He was born in 1868 in Ulverston, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1945 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Louisa’s mother was Hannah Newby. She was born in 1866 in Bootle, Cumberland County, England. She died in 1942 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Louisa had four brothers and sisters:
Ethel Willans (1898)
Violet Willans (1902)
Alfred Willans (1904)
Florence Willans (1906)
I do not know if Louisa and Benjamin divorced or if Louisa died. I could find no marriage or death record in Lancashire for Louisa after 1918. Louisa may have moved to another county in England or immigrated to another country.
Sidney’s Second Spouse:
Ellen Beatrice Purt:
Ellen was born on 28 AUG 1881 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1946 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England.
Ellen gave birth to one child out of wedlock:
Violet Purt (1916)
Ellen’s father was George Purt. He was born in1858 in Moreton-In-March, Gloucestershire County, England. He died in 1916 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England.
Ellen’s mother was Martha King. She was born in 1859 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1928 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County, England.
Ellen had ten known brothers and sisters:
Elizabeth Annie Purt (1882)
George Purt (1884)
Florence Purt (1886)
Frederick Walter Purt (1889 to 1890)
Frederick Purt (1891)
James Harry Purt (1893)
John Purt (1897 to 1898)
William Purt (1898 to 1898)
Ada Purt (1898 to 1898)
Jessie Louisa Purt (1900)
A Tragic Event:
Another Ancestry.com member shared a newspaper article about an event that occurred in 1898:
Martha was sentenced to two months of hard labor. I am sure that she was forced to give up drinking. The SPCC was probably watching her every move to ensure she never again neglected her children.
Sidney’s Third Spouse:
Edith George:
Edith was born on 21 DEC 1897 in Manchester, Lancashire County, England. She died on 3 SEP 1995 in Lytham, Lancashire County, England.
Edith’s father was James George. He was born in 1869 in Salford, Lancashire County, England. He died on 20 JAN 1946 in Crumpsall, Lancashire County, England.
Probate:
Edith’s mother was Mary Ellen Derby. She was born in 1867 in Manchester, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1931 in Crumpsall, Lancashire County, England.
Edith had five known brothers and sisters:
John James William George (1894)
Mary Agnes George (1896)
Mabel George (1907)
Bernard George (1909)
Madeline George (1910)
Edith’s Story:
I discovered that Edith had trained for two years at the Monsall Hospital in Machester to become a nurse. She was registered on 18 SEP 1925 in London.
Another family tree member posted this message:
“Edith George was a Queen Alexandra’s nurse during the war and after she returned home, the story is that she advertised for a husband . . . one who was war-damaged that she could take care of. As you know Stephen was blind and they had a lot of modifications done around the house, to help him.”
Stephen died shortly after they were married. Here is another comment from one of Edith’s nieces:
“Yes, that is true. She is my late Aunt. I remember Stephen, he was a lovely man, I was only a toddler when he died but I remember him always keeping treats in his pockets for me. I remember him feeling a woolly scarf I was wearing and saying it was a lovely colour!”
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!
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