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The CROXFORD’s originated in Oxfordshire in the mid 1500s. John CROXFORD was born in 1551 somewhere in Oxford shire and died 3 Aug 1609 Nuffield, Oxfordshire. It is unknown who he married.

He had a son, also named John, born in 1584 somewhere in Oxfordshire and died 13 September 1619 Ipsden, Oxfordshire. He married Alice GASWELL born about 1585 and died 1620. They also had a son named John.

John CROXFORD who was born about 1613 in Sydenham, Oxfordshire. John married Rachel TOWNE about 1639 and they had six children.  Their second child Robert, born in 1642 begins the branch of the CROXFORD family that came to Australia and settled in and around Violet Town.

Robert married Mabel FHILBEY (sometimes spelled FILBE)  on the 26th March 1668 in St Mary the Virgin church, Thame, and Oxfordshire. They had nine children, two of whom died in infancy.
Robert died in March 1724 and was buried on the 27th of March in Lewknor, Oxfordshire.
Mabel died in June 1687 and was buried on the 9th of June in Lewknor, Oxfordshire.

The family line continues through their fourth child, John who was born in 1675 at Aston Rowant, Oxford.
 John married Dorothy (family name not known but possibly WELLER)  on the 2nd June 1700 in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire. John’s occupation was that of a blacksmith. They had eleven children, five of whom died in infancy.
John died on the 17th January 1725 and was buried in Lewknor, Oxfordshire.
Dorothy died on the 7th September 1735 and was buried in Lewknor, Oxfordshire.

The family line continues through their fifth child, Richard who was born on the 18th of October 1707 at Aston Rowant, Oxford.
 Richard married Elizabeth HOUSE (HOWSE) on 20th August in St Peter and St Paul (Anglican Church) Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
They had seven children.
Richard died in 1772 and was buried on the 4th of November in Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
Elizabeth died in 1795 and was buried on the 12th of December in St Peter and St Paul (Anglican Church) Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.

The family line continues through their first child, Richard who was born on the 14th of February 1742 at Aston Rowant, Oxford.
 Richard married Sarah NOLLUM (NELLAM) on the 24th December 1767 at Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
They had eight children.
Richard died on the 1st February 1815.
Sarah died on the13th May 1816.

The family line continues through their third child, John who was born in April 1751 at Aston Rowant, Oxford.
John married Hannah GREEN on 7th January 1790 at Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
They had four children.
John died in April 1811

The family line continues through their first child, Francis who was born on the 8th of May 1791.
Francis married Mary BRITNELL on the 5th September 1812 in St Peter and St Paul (Anglican Church) Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
They had four children.
Francis died in November 1845 at Kingston Blout, Oxfordshire.
It is not known where or when Mary died.

The family line continues through their fourth child James, born on 29th December 1817 in Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
James married Elizabeth AUSTIN on the 21st October 1837 at Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.
Three of their children were born in Aston Rowant.  Ann, their second child died at the age of 7 weeks and was buried on the 22nd February 1840 at Kingston Blout, Oxfordshire.
In October 1843, James CROXFORD, his wife Elizabeth with their two boys Francis (age 5) and Ruben (age 3), left Liverpool (England) on the ship “WALLACE” bound for Port Phillip. They arrived on the 16th February 1844 at Port Phillip (the new colony just opening up in what was then the very southern extremes of New South Wales (Victoria did not separate from NSW until 1851). At the time of the voyage, Elizabeth was pregnant with their fourth child (John James).
It would appear that James worked on a property (Ashurst Station) for several years after.  Ashurst Station was in what is now the Fairfield – Kew district, then called Boroondara.
They had a further ten children, eight of them born/christened in the surrounding districts of the then developing Melbourne (Boroondara, Merri Creek, South Yarra, Richmond and Kew). Two of these eight children died in infancy.  Around 1858 the family moved to Violet Town to work their own property.
It was here that the last (2) of their children were born.
Elizabeth died in February 1867, when her youngest child was 5 years old. She was buried at Violet Town on the 6th February 1867.

James remarried Charlotte PROCTER-BERNELL according to the marriage record (and Charlotte PROCTER-BARTLETT according to her death record) in 1870 at Violet Town. She died in 1891 at Violet Town.
James died on the 14th of April 1893 and was buried at Violet Town on the 16th of April that year.
(Although James and Elizabeth are both buried at Violet Town, there is no evidence as such in the form of a headstone or grave marker.)

The family line continues through their fourth child John James, born on 11th June 1844 at Ashurst Station, Victoria.
John James married Jane Maria RAMAGE in 1867 at Brighton, Victoria.
They had ten children, all of whom were born at or near Violet Town.
John James made a success of farming in the Violet Town district (the property was at Boho) as is indicated by his and Jane’s elaborate grave and headstone in the Violet Town Cemetery.
John James died in July 1906 and was buried on the 13th July 1906.
Jane died on the 29th June 1931 at Wangaratta and was buried in July of that year at Violet Town.

The family line continues through their second child John Edward, born in 1870 at Boho (approximately 19 km from Violet Town).
John Edward married Adriah Mary PERRY in 1891 at Violet Town.
They had fourteen children, three of whom died in infancy and are buried, at Violet Town.
Although birthplace for the children is listed as Violet Town, it is probable that the family lived at Boho.
John Edward is believed to be a shire councilor on the Violet Town Shire Council in the period 1905 – 1908.  
It appears that the family remained in the Violet Town area (probably at Boho) for some time. In the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records for the death of James John (their second son) who died in 1917 in the First World War at Ypres, West Flanders, Adriah is listed as a widow and her address is given as “Belgrave” Dandenong Rd. Murrumbeena (a hospital. Owned by her daughters?).


An obituary in the Benalla Standard Newspaper placed by one of his brothers regarding his death/disappearance:
 
CROXFORD                                                                                                             Friday 12 June 1914

On Wednesday John Edward Croxford  of The Avenue, Windsor disappeared while swimming at Sandringham.
He was an Auctioneer. Aged 43. A native of Violet Town.
Husband of Adriah Mary Croxford and father of 11 children, the youngest being 4 years old.
                                                                                                                                    Brother of Mr Croxford of Goomalibee.

(The brother was possibly William Arthur Croxford)

Oral family history says he later returned posing as an uncle. Fact or fiction?
His death date and death location:
                    11 March, 1926, Parramatta, NSW, Australia
His name and death information appear on the headstone of Adriah Mary CROXFORD (his wife) and Lois Maud (his daughter)

Adriah Mary died on the 21st April 1938 in Adelaide, South Australia where she had gone to live with her daughters.

Adriah Mary and her daughter Lois Maud are buried in Dudley Park Cemetery, Dudley Park, South Australia, Australia

The family line continues through their eighth child John Edward, born on the 24th December 1902 at Violet Town.
John Edward married Olive Jean LLOYD on 21st April 1931 at Prahran, Victoria.
They had four children.
John Edward died 4th July 1974 and was buried on 6th July 1974 at Briagolong.
Olive Jean died 24th March 1997 and was buried on 26th March 1997 at Briagolong.
 
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