William and two of his brothers worked as shoe repairmen. This was a profitable career as everyone needed shoes or boots. Automation finally made this occupation obsolete.

William Frederick Oxborough

Born: 18 AUG 1897 in Godalming, Surrey County, England

Father: William Oxborough (1875 to 1958)
Mother: Emma Salter Eggleton (1868 to 1953)

Spouse: Elsie Frances Hibberd Gosney (1893 to 1964)

Married: 1923 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England

Children:

Eileen J G Oxborough (1924 to Unknown/Still Living)
William George Oxborough (3 MAR 1927 to 7 MAR 2008)
Peggy Doreen Oxborough (1928 to 9 MAR 2009)

Died: 2 DEC 1965 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1900 Death of brother, Frank
1901 Bermondsey, London, England
1911 Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England
1919 Death of brother, Frederick
1923 Marriage to Elsie
1924 Birth of daughter, Eileen
1927 Birth of son, William
1928 Birth of daughter, Peggy
1939 Southampton, Hampshire County, England
1953 Death of mother, Emma
1958 Death of father, William
1961 Death of brother, Leonard
1964 Death of wife, Elsie
1965 Death and Burial

Occupation: bootmaker and repairman (1939)

Records:

1901 and 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: None

Spouse:

Elsie Frances Hibberd Gosney:

Elsie was born on 22 JUL 1893 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England. She died on 6 DEC 1964 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England.

Probate:

Elsie’s father was George Gosney. He was born on 7 JAN 1868 in Romsey, Hampshire County, England. He died on 27 NOV 1946 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England.

Probate:

Elsie’s mother was Agnes Martha Hibberd. She was born on 23 DEC 1867 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England. She died on 29 MAR 1943 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England.

Probate:

Daughters:

Eileen J G Oxborough:

Eileen was born in 1924 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England. She may still be living.

Eileen married Preston King Whitney on 12 Feb 1949 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. No known children were born to this marriage.

Preston King Whitney was born on 21 SEP 1920 in Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star, Alaska, USA. He died on 25 AUG 2006 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Peggy Doreen Oxborough:

Peggy was born in 1928 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England. She died on 9 MAR 2009 in Bristol, Gloucestershire County, England.

Peggy married Paul Leon A Raes in 1951 in Southampton, Hampshire County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

Mark C Raes (1955)
Susan C Raes (1957)

Paul Leon A Raes was born on 29 OCT 1921 in Lambeth, London, England. He died in 2007 in Bristol, Gloucestershire County, England.

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!