ˈoʊɪn hˈɛnɹi sˈʌfək wʌz bˈɔːɹn ˌɔn fˈoːɹ ˈeɪpɹəl wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti nˈaɪn ɪn kˈʌmftəbəl sˈɜːkəmstˌænsᵻz ɪn fˈɪntʃli, mˈɪdəlsˌɛks, sˈʌfək wʌz sˈɛnt tə sˈiː æz ɐ jˈuːθ wɛn hɪz fˈɑːðɚ, ɐ lˈʌndən mˈɜːtʃənt, wʌz ɹˈuːɪnd.
Owen Henry Suffolk was born on 4 April 1829 in comfortable circumstances in Finchley, Middlesex, Suffolk was sent to sea as a youth when his father, a London merchant, was ruined.