John Henry Oxford

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. Lisa Baker (nee Meagher) & Narelle Bartlett
John senior was involved as a witness in a murder on a ship that frequented the West Indies (Jamaican??) anyway, John took the opportunity to declare himself a West Indian with all associated privileges that were not associated with Aboriginal people
Lisa [lisajjjx1@virginbroadband.com.au] comments via Catherine Farland are:
Our John Oxford was actually one of 3 boy. As you said there was John, Thomas and Timothy. Now Timothy you may not know about - he was born on 28th Feb. 1859 in Sydney but died at the age of 8 months. On his death certificate his father, John Oxford (senior) put on the death certificate his place of birth and it said Antigua, West Indies. Aunty Helen showed me this and I saw it with my own eyes. Also on John Oxford junior's birth certificate he was the 'notifying person' and again he said his place of birth was Antigua, West Indies. There is still no birth cert. for him though. More on that later.
The 2 boys were put into an asylum as you said. It was called the Benevolent Society, Asylum for destitute children. Apparently their mother was Joanna Donovan (from County Cork in Ireland) and she died 2 months after Timothy was born. She died in Parramatta Asylum on 30/4/59. Now John Oxford senior was a seaman and was out at sea when she died so the 2 boys were put into the asylum.
John Oxford B 1824. was probably Aboriginal. Tho after witnessing a murder on his ship claimed to be West Indian. (not Proven beyond doubt but probable)
John met Johanna Donovan...born c.1932. she was (most probably) an orphan came out on the Elgin 1849 from the Work Houses in Ireland.
They got married 1855. one year after the murder on the ship. ( If he was Aboriginal he would not have been allowed to marry a White woman.
John was unable to raise the two boys alone and had to go back to the ships for work.......He placed the boys aged 3yrs and 4 years in the Sydney Benevolent Asylum.
He came back 3mths later and took them out.
Six months after that he put them back in again, to go back to sea.. This apparently went on like this untill the boys were transferred to the Randwick asylum.
John in 1863 and Thomas 1864. At 13 and 15 years old they were apprentised out

John married Johanna Donovan on 28 Mar 1855 in Parish of St Andrew, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Johanna Donovan was born circa 1832 in Blarney, Cork Ireland and died on 30 Apr 1859 in Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Australia.)