When I was searching for Maria Hadley’s parents, I did not think there would be two men with the same name living in the same parish. That was when I almost made a mistake!

William Oxborough

Born: 1847 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: William Oxborough (1822 to 1900)
Mother: Emily Blowers (1829 to 1901)

Spouse: Maria Hadley (1846 to 1935)

Married: 1866 in Dallington, Northamptonshire County, England

Children:

Frederick Oxborough (869 to 4 APRIL 1917)
Emily Elizabeth Oxborough (24 OCT 1870 to 26 NOV 1946)
William Oxborough (26 FEB 1875 to 1958)

Died: 1932 in Dallington, Northamptonshire County, England

Timeline:

1851 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1861 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1866 Marriage to Maria
1869 Birth of son, Frederick
1870 Birth of daughter, Emily
1871 Bermondsey, Surrey County, England
1875 Birth of son, William
1881 Dallington, Northamptonshire County, England
1891 Witley, Surrey County, England
1898 Death of brother, Charles
1900 Death of father, William
1901 Witley, Surrey County, England
1901 Death of mother, Emily
1911 Godalming, Surrey County, England
1913 Death of brother, John
1917 Death of son, Frederick
1932 Death and Burial

Occupation: tanner

Records:

1851 to 1911 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005

Variations of Surname: Oxbrough (1851)

Daughter:

Emily Elizabeth Oxborough:

Emily was born on 24 OCT 1870 in Bermondsey, Surrey County, England. She died on 26 NOV 1946 in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire County, England.

Probate:

Emily married Thomas Jordan on 7 NOV 1891 in Mill End, Hertfordshire County, England. Five known children were born to this marriage:

Emily Elizabeth Jordan (1894)
Harry Jordan (1896)
Florence Jordan (1899)
William Jordan (1900)
Thomas Jordan (1904)

Thomas Jordan was born in 1865 in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire County, England. He died on 20 APR 1936 in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire County, England.

Probate:

Spouse:

Maria Hadley:

Maria was born in 1846 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire County, England. She died in 1935 in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire County, England.

Maria’s father was William Hadley. He was born in 1823 in Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire County, England. He died in 1905 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Maria’s mother was Elizabeth Chapman. She was born in 1823 in Dallington, Northamptonshire County, England. She died in 1909 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Elizabeth had one child out of wedlock:

Samuel Chapman (1843 Dallington)

Maria had ten brothers and sisters. The children were born in East Haddon.

Edward Hadley (1847)
Julian Hadley (1849 to 1849)
Robert Hadley (1850)
James Hadley (1851)
Rosanna Hadley (1853)
Emily Hadley (1857)
Julian Hadley (1858 to 1858)
Jemima Hadley (1861 to 1866)
William Hadley (1863)
Joseph Hadley (1865)

I Almost Made a Mistake!

William Hadley married Elizabeth Chapman in 1846 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire, England. The England census records supplied me with the names of seven of the children.

I searched Ancestry.com’s Northamptonshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912. It was in this database that I found the records for the three children who had died.

I also noticed other children’s names in the search results. This is where I almost made a faux pas!

The following excerpt shows records for two children who were baptized in 1855 in East Haddon. Both of the entries list the parents as William and Elizabeth Hadley.

The only difference in these records was the father’s occupation. One was listed as a laborer. One was listed as a shoemaker. From the England census records, I knew William was a shoemaker. I thought maybe the clergyman made a mistake when he wrote down the word laborer.

As Elizabeth Hadley died in 1855, I searched for another child that may have been born to William and Elizabeth. I found a baptism record for John Kimdell Hadley. He was born in 1847 in East Haddon. His father was William Hadley, a laborer.

I searched the 1851 England census for John Kimdell Hadley. I found him on Page 3 of the database:

I then compared this record to the other 1851 England census record. This entry is on Page 23 of the database:

At that point, I knew there were two William Hadley’s living in East Haddon. A further search provided this information on the older man and his family:

William Hadley was born in 1816 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire County, England. He died in 1896 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire County, England.

William Hadley married Elizabeth Kimdell on 15 OCT 1838 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire County, England. Seven known children were born to this marriage:

Martha Hadley (1839)
Mary Hadley (1842)
Ann Hadley (1844)
John Kimdell Hadley (1847)
Samuel Thomas Hadley (1850)
Elizabeth Hadley (1855 to 1855)
Lucy Elizabeth Hadley (1856 to 1856)

Elizabeth Kimdell was born in 1816 in Church Stowe, Northamptonshire County, England. She died in 1888 in East Haddon, Northamptonshire County, England.

When I was searching for Maria’s parents, I did not think there would be two men with the same name living in the same parish. This is just one example of how a family historian can follow the wrong trail in tracking down their ancestors.

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!