Thomas Oakeley (c. 1742 - 1813) and Frances Woods (c. 1741 - 1787)

I have traced my Oakley family back to Thomas Oakeley, born c. 1742 and I believe that his father was John, born c. 1711. Thomas married Frances Woods in December 1763 in Chertsey, Surrey and they had ten children born between 1743 and 1782: John, Isaac, Hannah, Elizabeth, James, Susan, Jeremiah, Ann, Mary and Joseph. Frances died in 1787, just five years after the birth of Joseph while Thomas lived until 1813. The children were batised in Chertsey and Thomas and Frances died and were buried here. Isaac, James and Jeremiah certainly continued to live and raise families in the area.  

James Oakeley (c. 1772 - 1813) and Sarah White

James was baptised in March 1772 in Chertsey. He married Sarah White from Windsor on the 26th October 1795 at Walton-on-the Hill, Surrey. They had 10 children born between 1796 and 1812: James, Thomas, Frances, William, Henry, Elizabeth, Richard, Robert, Joseph, George. James died in 1813 leaving a young family. 

William Oakley (c. 1801 - 1826) and Sarah Smithers 

James and Sarah's son William was born in 1801. He was my 3x great-grandfather. William was a labourer. He married Sarah Smithers at St Peters in Chertsey in Februrary 1826. Their son, Frederick, was born on the 5th November of the same year but sadly, William was buried just 22 days later. William therefore was married, became a father and died all within the space of just 9 months. I have been unable to discover what became of Sarah but Frederick is shown as the inmate of Chertsey Union Workhouse in the 1841 census, aged 14 years. There is no sign of Sarah. It is possible that Sarah also died, leaving Frederick orphaned, or that she remarried.

Frederick Oakley (1826 - 1860) and Susanna Barnes (c. 1833 - 1903) 

Frederick was born on the 5th November 1826 and baptised in December of the same year at St . Peter's, Chertsey. In 1841 he was an inmate at Chertsey Union Workhouse.  The later 1851 census shows him as a labourer, lodging in Church Street, Staines. In 1854 he married Susanna Barnes (born c. 1833 in Egham). Frederick and Susanna were married at Christ Church in Egham and Frederick continued to work as a jobbing labourer. They had four children: James (born c. 1854), William (c. 1856), Thomas (c. 1859) and Annie (1861). Almost like history repeating itself, Frederick died in November 1860, just 6 months before his daughter Annie was born. The cause of death shown on his death certificate is 'epilepsy' and 'exhaustion from fits'. He died at Egham. In 1861, Susanna and her young family were living with her parents - Robert and Susanna - also in Egham. She was remarried c.1863 to George Busk and had several further children. However, she was soon widowed again when George died c. 1869. She continued to live in Egham until her death in 1903. He death was registered by Thomas Oakley with a cause of death recorded as 'gangerine of the foot' and 'coma - 12 hours'.

Annie Elizabeth Oakley (1861 - 1910) and Harry Bartlett (1861 - 1947)

Annie Elizabeth Oakley was born on the 20th May 1861 at Bonds Lane, Egham. She married Harry Bartlett, a labourer also from
Egham, in 1883. They continued to live at various addresses in Egham and had eleven children: Annie, Jessie, Henry, Charles, Maud, Frank, Eda, Elizabeth, Nellie, George, and Alice. Further details are included under Bartlett. Showing parallels with the lives of her father and grandfather before her, Annie died of cancer when her youngest children were still small - notably my grandfather, George, who was just five years old. This 'Oakley curse' seemed to pass to Annie and Harry's eldest daughter Annie Bartlett, who was widowed aged 26 and subsequently murdered c. 1918, leaving behind a young daughter.