In this post, I wanted to share the history of William’s extended family. For example, Emma’s father was married four times. He lost two of his wives in childbirth. Of his six children, four survived to adulthood.

William Oxborough

Born: 26 FEB 1875 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Father: William Oxborough (1847 to 1932)
Mother: Maria Hadley (1846 to 1935)

Spouse: Emma Salter Eggleton (1868 to 1953)

Married: 29 SEP 1894 at St Mark’s Church in Clerkenwell, London, England

Children:

Margaret Catherine Oxborough (8 OCT 1895 to 1979)
William Frederick Oxborough (8 AUG 1897 to 2 DEC 1965)
Frank Oxborough (1899 to 1900)
Ernest Oxborough (8 JAN 1905 to 31 JAN 1979)
Frederick Thomas Oxborough (1908 to 1919)
Elsie Oxborough (13 APR 1911 to 1986)
Leonard Oxborough (23 DEC 1912 to 28 APR 1961)

Died: 1958 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England

Timeline:

1881 Wissett, Suffolk County, England
1891 Witley, Surrey County, England
1894 Marriage to Emma
1895 Birth of daughter, Margaret
1897 Birth of son, William
1899 Birth of son, Frank
1900 Death of son, Frank
1901 Bermondsey, London, England
1905 Birth of son, Ernest
1908 Birth of son, Frederick
1911 Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England
1911 Birth of daughter, Elsie
1912 Birth of son, Leonard
1917 Death of brother, Frederick
1919 Death of son, Frederick
1932 Death of father, William
1935 Death of mother, Maria
1939 Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England
1946 Death of sister, Emily
1958 Death and Burial

Occupation: leather currier

Records:

1881 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005

Variations of Surname: None

Daughters:

Margaret Catherine Oxborough:

Margaret was born on 8 OCT 1895 in Godalming, Surrey County, England. She died in 1979 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Margaret married Walter Thomas Pinkard in 1917 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Harold Walter Pinkard (1922)

Walter Thomas Pinkard was born on 5 AUG 1895 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England. He died in 1976 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Elsie Oxborough:

Elsie was born on 13 APR 1911 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England. She died in 1986 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Elsie married George Henry Summerling in 1932 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England. Two known children were born to this marriage:

Robert George Summerling (1933)
Stuart M Summerling (1935)

George Henry Summerling was born in 1907 in Brixworth, Northamptonshire County, England. He died on 22 AUG 1953 near Driffield, East Yorkshire, England.

Probate:

Spouse:

Emma Salter Eggleton:

Emma was born on 5 DEC 1868 in Pimlico, Middlesex County, England. She died in 1953 in Northampton, Northamptonshire County, England.

Emma’s father was Frederick Eggleton. He was born in 1846 in Westminster, Middlesex County, England. He died in 1907 in Islington, London, England.

Emma’s mother was Emma Salter. She was born in 1840 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1868 in Pimlico, Middlesex County, England. Emma was 28 years old when she died.

Emma’s mother most likely died while giving birth to her daughter or from postpartum complications. Her death was registered in the fourth quarter of 1868. Her daughter’s birth was registered in the first quarter of 1869.

Frederick Eggleton’s Four Wives:

Frederick’s First Marriage:

Frederick married Emma Salter on 9 JUL 1866 in Pimlico, Middlesex County, England.

Frederick’s Second Marriage:

After Emma died, Frederick married Fanny Ridgley on 24 JAN 1870 in Pimlico, Middlesex County, England.

Two known children were born to this marriage:

Harry Eggleton (1870 to 1870)
Albert Eggleton (1870 to 1870)

Fanny Ridgley was born in 1850 in West Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England. She died in 1870 in Lambeth, Surrey Couty, England. Fanny was 20 years old when she died.

A Case of Delayed Birth?

The baptism record for Harry Eggleton was dated 22 NOV 1870.

The baptism record for Albert Eggleton was dated 3 Dec 1870.

The birth record index for Harry shows Volume 1d, Page 478. The birth record index for Albert shows Volume 1d, Page 482.

If the twins were born on the same day, the page numbers would have been the same, i.e. 478. As Albert’s page number is different, he was probably born several days later.

In modern times, it is not unheard of for a woman to give birth to twins several days or even weeks apart. If one twin is born prematurely, the doctor can delay the birth of the other twin. Chalk that up to modern medicine!

In 19th Century England, however, I am sure these delayed births were very deadly for women. The NCBI has an article that explains:

“The Four Horsemen of Death in maternal mortality were puerperal pyrexia, hemorrhage, convulsions, and illegal abortion. They still are, in various proportions, major killers in most of the world, although their effects are greatly reduced in the UK now.”

The death record indexes show that Harry died first, Volume 1d, Page 313. Albert may have died the next day, Volume 1d, Page 314.

Frederick’s Third Marriage:

After Fanny died, Frederick married Fanny Elizabeth Sear on 25 Dec 1871 in Lambeth, Surrey County, England.

Three known children were born to this marriage:

Frederick William Eggleton (1873)
Fanny Elizabeth Eggleton (1875)
Thomas Alfred Eggleton (1876)

Fanny Elizabeth Sear was born on 22 AUG 1837 in Woburn, Bedfordshire County, England. She died on 2 JAN 1899 in Islington, London, England.

Probate:

Frederick’s Fourth Marriage:

After Fanny Elizabeth died, Frederick married a widow, Eliza Ann Luck Banting, on 24 FEB 1900 in Islington, London, England.

No known children were born to this marriage.

Eliza Ann Luck was born in 1856 in Soho, Middlesex County, England. She died in 1931 in Islington, London, England.

Eliza had previously married William James Banting on 1 JAN 1880 in Islington, Middlesex County, England.

Three known children were born to this marriage:

Edith Louise Banting (1880)
William Edward Banting (1882)
Fanny Florence Banting (1884)

William James Banting was born in 1854 in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire County, England. He died on 29 APR 1887 in Fareham, Hampshire County, England. William was 33 years old when he died.

Probate:

A Little History:

In 1882, Eliza and William Banting moved to Fareham, Hampshire County, England. He was a baker and likely set up shop in this parish. William died five years later.

The 1891 England census shows that Eliza was still living in Fareham. Included in the household was a lodger named Frank W Hawkins. He was 17 years old and born in Dorset County, England.

The 1901 England census shows that Eliza and Frederick were living in Islington. Included in the household was a child named Frances Hawkins. She was 9 years old. Her birthplace was listed as unknown.

Two items caught my attention. First, there were two individuals named Hawkins on two different census records. Second, Frances Hawkins was listed as Eliza and Frederick’s adopted daughter.

I decided to search for more information on Frank W Hawkins. Here is what I discovered:

Frank Wilfred Hawkins was born in 1874 in Piddletrenthide, Dorset County, England. His parents were Richard Wallace Hawkins and Elizabeth Griddle Whitefield.

In 1871, the family was living in Upcerne, Dorset County, England. Yet, something must have happened.  In 1881, Richard had moved to Halstock, Dorset County, England. He was living with his sister and her husband.  At the same time, Elizabeth had moved to Wickham, Hampshire County, England. She and her daughter were living with Elizabeth’s widowed brother-in-law.

The parish of Wickham is four miles north of Fareham. This must have been how Eliza met Elizabeth Hawkins.

Did You Notice?

Elizabeth’s daughter was named Frances Mary Hawkins.

Could this be how Frances Hawkins Banting got her name?

A Twist to the Story!

When I looked at other Ancestry.com family trees, they had listed Frances’ parents as Eliza Ann Luck and Frank W Hawkins. Although not inconceivable, I have my doubts. In 1891, Eliza was 33 years old and Frank was 17 years old. That’s a 16-year difference.

Yet, in 1901 Frederick had listed Frances as his adopted daughter and not as his step-daughter. I do not believe he would have done this if there was any blood relationship between Eliza and Frances.

The 1892 birth record index listed her name as Frances Hawkins Banting.

The 1911 marriage record index listed Frances under that name.

In 1915, Frances was baptized under that name when she was 23 years old. Her father was listed as William James Banting. He died in 1887.

These documents could lead anyone to assume that Eliza and Frank were Frances’ biological parents. As Eliza was still legally a Banting, she would have used that surname on any baptism record.

Because of this conflicting information, I decided to order Frances’ birth record from the GRO. I will update this post as soon as I receive it.

Meet the Parents!

Frederick Eggleton’s Parents:

I could not find a baptism record for Frederick. On three of the four marriage records, he listed his father as Thomas Eggleton, a mason. The other document listed his father as Frederick Eggleton. This entry was most likely a mistake. The person recording the marriage may have merely duplicated Frederick’s given name instead of his father’s name.

For this reason, I have ordered Frederick’s birth record from the GRO. I will update this part of the post when I receive it.

Emma Salter’s Parents:

Hezekiah Salter was born in 1815 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1880 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England.

Mary Ann Gridley was born in 1816 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1878 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England.

Hezekiah Salter married Mary Ann Gridley on 28 Dec 1834 in Long Melford, Suffolk County, England.

Ten known children were born to this marriage:

Thomas Hardy Salter (1835)
Mary Ann Salter (1839)
Emma Salter (1840 to 1868)
Amelia Salter (1843)
Susannah Salter (1846)
Catherine Salter (1849)
Hezekiah Salter (1852)
Ellen Salter (1854)
Henry William Salter (1856)
Charlotte Salter (1859)

Fanny Ridgley’s Parents:

William Ridgley was born in 1809 in West Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England. He died in 1872 in Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England.

Ann Arnold was born in 1810 in West Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England. She died in 1853 in Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England.

Ann gave birth to one child out of wedlock. As William’s surname was included on the baptism record, it can be assumed that he was the child’s father.

Elizabeth Arnold Ridgley (1834)

William Ridgley married Ann Arnold on 28 DEC 1839 in Tisbury, Wiltshire County, England.

Four known children were born to this marriage:

Jane Ridgley (1842)
Sarah Ridgley (1845)
Alan Ridgley (1848)
Fanny Ridgley (1850 to 1870)

Fanny Elizabeth Sear’s Parents:

William Sear was born in 1816 in Woburn, Bedfordshire County, England. He died on 5 MAY 1863 in Woburn, Bedfordshire County, England.

Fanny Green was born in 1817 in Woburn, Bedfordshire County, England. She died in 1892 in Clerkenwell, London, England.

William Sear married Fanny Green on 15 OCT 1836 in Woburn, Bedfordshire County, England.

Twelve known children were born to this marriage:

Fanny Elizabeth Sear (1837 to 1899)
Caroline Sear (1840)
Emma Sear (1841)
Melinda Sear (1844 to 1845)
William Henry Sear (1845)
Melinda Sear (1848)
Ann Sear (1850 to 1851)
Alfred Sear (1852)
Annie Rebecca Sear (1855)
Mary Sear (1858)
Agnes Sear (1860)
George Sear (1863)

Eliza Ann Luck’s Parents:

James Luck was born in 1833 in Islington, Middlesex County, England. He died in 1887 in Shoreditch, Middlesex County, England.

Eliza Corr was born on 21 AUG 1826 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex County, England. She died in 1876 in Islington, Middlesex County, England.

James Luck married the widow, Eliza Corr Blatch, on 24 SEP 1854 in Lambeth, Surrey County, England.

Four known children were born to this marriage:

Elizabeth Louisa Luck (1855)
Eliza Ann Luck (1856 to 1931)
James Alfred Luck (1862)
Alice Georgina Luck (1864)

Eliza Corr had previously married William Blatch on 15 APR 1850 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex County, England.

No known children were born to this marriage.

William Blatch was born on 11 OCT 1813 in St Dunstan in the West, Middlesex County, England. He died in 1853 in St Mary Strand, Middlesex County, England. William was 40 years old when he died.

William Blatch had previously married Sarah Elizabeth Stevens on 26 DEC 1836 in Lambeth, Surrey County, England.

Three known children were born to this marriage:

William Blatch (1838)
Sarah Ann Blatch (1840)
Benjamin Jeffery Blatch (1842)

Sarah Elizabeth Stevens was born in 1814 in St Martins in the Field, Middlesex County, England. She died in 1849 in St Pancras, Middlesex County, England. Sarah was 35 years old when she died.

After Eliza died, James Luck married Sarah Ann Horan on 3 APR 1877 in Islington, Middlesex County, England.

No known children were born to this marriage.

Sarah Ann Horan was born in 1851 in St Helens, Lancashire County, England. I do not know if Sarah remarried or when she died.

Sarah gave birth to two children out of wedlock:

Walter Henry Horan (1870)
Lewis Charles Horan (1873)

In 1870 and 1873, Sarah was residing at the St Saviour Union Workhouse in Southwark, Surrey County, England.

1870 entry from the London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930.

 

1873 entry from the London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930.

Sarah Ann Horan’s Parents:

Nicholas Horan was born in 1824 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex County, England. He died in 1883 in Hackney, Middlesex County, England.

Ellen Hodges was born in 1822 in Croston, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1867 in Chorlton, Lancashire County, England.

Nicholas Horan married Ellen Hodges in 1846 in Chorlton, Lancashire County, England. Four known children were born to this marriage:

Sarah Ann Horan (1851 St Helens, Lancashire)
Martha Horan (1856 St Helens, Lancashire)
Mary E Horan (1859 Garston, Lancashire)
Alice Horan (1863 Southwark, Surrey)

In 1869, Nicholas and his two youngest daughters were also residents of the St Saviour Union Workhouse.

1869 entry from the London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930.

I am not sure why Nicholas moved his children to Surrey County, England. The document noted that he had rheumatism at the age of 45 years old.

Nicholas did not remarry after Ellen died.

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!