Several family trees had tied Emily’s mother to Mary Ann Holland, born in 1799 in Ellough, Suffolk County, England. She was actually born in 1793 in Broome, Norfolk County, England.

William Oxborough

Born: 19 AUG 1822 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: Charles Oxborough (1784 to 1869)
Mother: Frances Rayner (1787 to 1845)

Spouse: Emily Blowers (1829 to 1901)

Married: 1846 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Children:

William Oxborough (1847 to 1932)
James Oxborough (1848 to Unknown)
John Rose Oxborough (1850 to 1913)
Charles Oxborough (1851 to 1898)
Stephen Inkerman Oxborough (24 NOV 1855 to 1946)
Frederick Oxborough (1858 to 1936)
Fanny Eliza Oxborough (11 JAN 1860 to 1947)

Died: 1900 in Wissett, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1823 Death of sister, Elizabeth
1824 Death of sister, Charlotte
1825 Death of 2nd sister, Charlotte
1826 Death of 2nd sister, Elizabeth
1826 Death of brother, Henry
1828 Death of 2nd brother, Henry
1841 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1845 Death of brother, Stephen
1845 Death of mother, Frances
1846 Marriage to Emily
1847 Birth of son, William
1848 Birth of son, James
1850 Birth of son, John
1851 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1851 Birth of son, Charles
1855 Birth of son, Stephen
1858 Birth of son, Frederick
1860 Birth of daughter, Fanny
1861 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1863 Death of brother, Charles
1869 Death of father, Charles
1870 Death of sister, Harriet
1871 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1878 Death of sister, Frances
1881 Wissett, Suffolk County, England
1883 Death of brother, George
1889 Death of brother, John
1891 Wissett, Suffolk County, England
1898 Death of son, Charles
1900 Death and Burial

Occupation: bricklayer

Records:

1841 to 1891 England Census Records
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: Oxburgh (1822, 1851, and 1891)

Spouse:

Emily Blowers:

Emily was born in 1829 in Holy Trinity Bungay, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1901 in Wissett, Suffolk County, England.

Emily’s father was Thomas Blowers. He was born in 1790 in Mutford, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1848 in Holy Trinity Bungay, Suffolk County, England.

Emily’s mother was Mary Ann Holland. She was born in 1793 in Broome, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1881 in Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England.

Emily had eight known brothers and sisters:

William Holland Blowers (1815)
Mary Ann Blowers (1820)
Caroline Blowers (1823 to 1823)
Rachel Blowers (1825)
Robert Blowers (1827)
James Blowers (1831)
Charles Blowers (1834 to 1834)
Frederick Blowers (1835)

Daughter:

Fanny Eliza Oxborough:

Fanny was born on 11 JAN 1860 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1947 in Pulham Market, Norfolk County, England.

Fanny gave birth to one child out of wedlock:

Frederick Oxborough (1881)

Fanny married Robert Muttitt in 1882 in Wissett, Suffolk County, England. Four known children were born to this marriage:

Lily Muttitt (1887 to 1887)
Amy Eliza Muttitt (1889)
William Robert Muttitt (1890)
Robert John Muttitt (1895 to 1895)

Robert Muttitt was born in 1853 in Wissett, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1931 in Wissett, Suffolk County, England.

A Couple Words of Caution:

The 1841 England Census:

Ancestry.com notes that the 1841 England census gave approximate ages.

“The ages of people over 15 years old were usually rounded down to the nearest 5 years. For example, someone who was actually 24 years would have their age listed as 20, and someone who was actually 27 years old would have their age listed as 25.”

When I found Emily on the 1841 England census, the document listed her mother’s age as 45 years old. Mary Ann was actually 48 years old.

The Accuracy of Other Family Trees:

Several family trees had tied Emily’s mother to another woman named Mary Ann Holland. They show that this individual was born in 1799 in Ellough, Suffolk County, England.

At first, I could not find Mary Ann using these criteria. I then discovered that her daughter, Rachel, had married Thomas Smith.

The 1861 England census shows that Mary Ann was living with Rachel and Thomas in Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England. Her birthplace was listed as Broome, Norfolk County, England. Her age was mistakenly entered as 77 years old instead of 67 years old.

The 1871 England census shows that Mary Ann was still living with Rachel and Thomas. Her age was listed as 81 years old.

Both of these records confirmed that Emily’s mother was born in the parish of Broome. As her age varied on these documents, I searched for a baptism record. I found that Mary Ann Holland was actually born in 1793 to James Holland and Rhoda Manning.

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!