Norah’s great-grandfather and her grandmother’s first husband were fishermen.  They worked on herring or smack ships off the coast of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Could they have died at sea?

Stanley James Oxborough

Born: 5 NOV 1908 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Father: Robert Albert Oxborough (1876 to 1962)
Mother: Mary Sophia Hubbard (1877 to 1962)

Spouse: Norah Josephine Bunn (1910 to 1994)

Married: 1937 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Child:

Jill C Oxborough (1940)

Died: 29 AUG 1985 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1911 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1937 Marriage to Norah
1939 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1940 Birth of daughter, Jill
1962 Death of mother, Mary
1962 Death of father, Robert
1979 Death of brother, George
1980 Death of brother, Frank
1985 Death and Burial

Occupation: secretary for a timber import company (1939), company director (1985)

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Norfolk, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2014
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: None

Spouse:

Norah Josephine Bunn:

Norah was born on 29 MAR 1910 in Ryde, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England. She died on 15 APR 1994 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.

Probate:

Norah’s father was Joseph Henry Bunn. He was born in 1885 in Norwich, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1965 in Sydenham, Kent County, England.

Norah’s mother was Alice Louise Walker. She was born on 1 JAN 1889 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died on 25 FEB 1974 in Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England.

Norah had two sisters:

Mona M Bunn (1913 Ryde, Isle of Wight)
Joan Bunn (1919 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk)

Norah’s Maternal Grandparents:

William Walker was in 1849 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died on 23 APR 1918 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Probate:

Alice Maud Mary Algar was born in 1857 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1943 in Preston, Lancashire County, England.

William Walker married Alice Maud Mary Algar on 17 MAR 1888 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Five known children were born to this marriage:

Alice Louise Walker (1889)
Alfred Walker (1890)
Walter Walker (1893)
Florence May Walker (1894)
Norah Walker (1903)

William had previously married Emily Ann Elizabeth Gibbs on 13 OCT 1874 in Hickling, Norfolk County, England. Five known children were born to this marriage:

Francis Walker (1875)
Ellen Walker (1876)
William Walker (1877)
Herbert Walker (1879)
Lily Walker (1882)

Emily Ann Elizabeth Gibbs was born in 1855 in Hickling, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1884 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Emily was 29 years old when she died.

Alice Maud Mary Algar had previously married John Frederick Dowe on 22 JUL 1880 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Ellen Maud Dowe (1881)

John Frederick Dowe was born on 25 FEB 1850 in Loddon, Norfolk County, England. I do not know when he died.

John was a fisherman. He may have died at sea.

Norah’s Maternal Great-Grandparents:

Charles Algar was born in 1830 in Bungay St Mary, Suffolk County, England. I do not know when he died.

Charles was a fisherman. He may have died at sea.

Sarah Fletcher was born in1829 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1910 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Charles Algar married Sarah Fletcher in 1855 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Alice Maud Mary Algar (1857)
Albert Algar (1865)
Ellen Algar (1868)

Is There a Connection?

Norah’s great-grandfather, Charles Algar, was a fisherman. He last appeared on the 1881 England census with his wife and children.

In 1880, Norah’s grandmother, Alice Maud Mary Algar, married her first husband, John Frederick Dowe. He was also a fisherman. They appear on the 1881 England census.

In 1881, both families were living in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. The men would have been working aboard ships that fished for herring in the North Sea.

I could find no death record for either man in Ancestry.com’s database, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. That is why I am speculating that they died at sea.

There is one question that I cannot answer. Could Charles and John have been working aboard the same vessel when it sank?

If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email 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.

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