The Life of Samuel Freeman

by Ida Freeman Winter and Wilford Freeman

taken from Family History of George Richard and Euphemia Jane Freeman (1990),
pp. 1-4, compiled by Glen R. Freeman

Samuel Freeman was born 4 March 1806 to William Freeman and Elizabeth Tyrrell in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. He was christened the same day. He is the only one of his generation of whom there were comments, some not complimentary. (These comments came from Grandmother Freeman to Mother.)

Samuel had two brothers, Richard and Thomas, and two sisters, Isabella and Susan. There was one other child, who died before it was named. All these were born in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

There seems to have been no record of Samuel’s early life. He was medium height, squarish in stature and not too kindly dispositioned at times. He was married to Elizabeth Ann Wallinger of Turvey, Bedfordshire, England. She was born 8 June 1811 and married Samuel 25 December 1828. Three children were born to this union: (see Kay and Marilyn note 1 at the end)

All were born in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. The Genealogical Society of Utah obtained a copy of the christenings of the three children of Samuel which were done all the same day 30 June 1830 (see Kay and Marilyn note 2 at end). The minister recorded them as the children of Samuel and Elizabeth Freeman. This shows that Elizabeth was part of her given name. The certificate of death of Samuel’s first wife lists her as Ann Freeman, wife of Samuel. This proves that the given name of the first wife was Elizabeth Ann. There was some controversy about this at one time. The certificate of death also lists her as “lace maker” and typhus fever as the cause of her death. She died 6 October 1837 at age twenty-six in Olney Buckinghamshire, England. The baby, Richard, was two years old at the time of his mother’s death, and being a sickly child seems to have had a rather hard time of it.

It was nearly four years before Samuel remarried, but on 27 June 1841 he married Martha Smith in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. She was a lace maker. One child, a son Thomas, was born to this union on 7 December 1845 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. Martha died 14 July 1847. Her young son, Thomas, was only a little more than nineteen months old. He was always called “Tommy Rock.” Mother said that he was so nicknamed by his father because he was so fond of hard candy called “rock candy.” Tommy Rock sold rock sweets (candy), an English specialty, about town. At this time Samuel had a small sweets shop in which he sold biscuits, sweets, powders for drinks, jams, etc. The shop was finally given to Thomas. Wilford remembered seeing Thomas many times as he passed the shop on Olney’s High Street or Main Street. Every year just before Valentine’s Day his store windows were covered with a large display of comic valentines.

At the time of Richard’s marriage Samuel was listed as a “dealer” on the marriage certificate. Later, he worked as a laborer. Samuel did not seem to have any love for his children other than Thomas. Thomas seemed quite selfish and did not help his father in later years when he needed help. The town authorities went to Joseph, the eldest son, and tried to make him support his father. Joseph said he was willing to help, but would not be made to care for his father. He left Olney for Lancashire with his wife and two children saying he would do what he could for his father, by himself. At the time he was a coachman. Joseph and his wife, Sarah Ann Wright, had two daughters, Elizabeth and Martha Ann, called Annie. Elizabeth married Joseph Burrows; they had one son, Harry. Annie married William Crouch; they had no children. Annie came to our home in Olney several times bringing her nephew, Harry, with her. Harry, about Ernest’s age was dressed in a sailor suit with a broad brimmed hat with ribbon streamers. Harry married Mary Rigg. They had one daughter, Joyce. Harry and Mary passed away quite young. Joyce passed away in 1977, ending the family line of Samuel Freeman through Joseph, his eldest son.

Father said that all Samuel owned when he died was left to his youngest son, Thomas, although he was nearly twenty-five years old when his father died.

Thomas married Mrs. Willie, a widow. (see Kay and Marilyn note 3 at end) who had a son by her previous husband named Harry Willie. Harry eventually squeezed Thomas out of the shop ownership. Thomas 35 and Susan 38, of Baortou on Trent, were listed in the census of Olney in 1881. Thomas became very poor and died in Olney 1 May 1917 in the poor part of Olney in what was known as “The Lays” or poorhouse.

We have not found the maiden name of Samuel’s third wife except that her given name was Elizabeth; nor have we found the date or place of their marriage. A report from Somerset House says that they cannot find the date concerning the marriage either but they did send death certificates showing that Elizabeth Freeman, wife of Samuel Freeman, died 2 August 1870 in Turvey, Bedfordshire at the age of sixty-two. No children are reported to this marriage. Father said that Samuel’s third wife was Elizabeth Lett. That seems to be right although we have not been able to find any documentary evidence of this.

Samuel seems to have been in Turvey rather frequently. We do not know why. However, he outlived all of his three wives and he also died in Turvey 12 November 1870 (see Kay and Marilyn note 4 at end) at the age of sixty-four. The census of 1851 classified Samuel Freeman as a farm laborer. The death certificate lists him as a laborer.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Kay and Marilyn Freeman NOTES:

Kay and Marilyn Freeman NOTE 1.

We went to the Ogden LDS Genealogical Library to verify the date for the christenings of Samuel’s first three children. While we were extracting that data, we noted on the Olney Register of Births, IGI, Batch 7703801, serial 19 that Joseph’s birthday was shown as 9 June 1830 and Elizabeth’s as 24 Dec 1833. Richard’s birth date was shown as 17 April 1835 as Wilford had it listed. Later at the Salt Lake Genealogical Library in the Olney Register of Baptisms, film 0919243, we noted that all three birth dates were as listed in this history. return to history

Kay and Marilyn Freeman NOTE 2.

The christening dates listed in Wilford’s writeup showed 30 June 1830 for all three children. We found the date to be 30 June 1837. Both references in note 1 show this to be the christening date.return to history

Kay and Marilyn Freeman NOTE 3.

Euphemia Jane’s comment to Ida, which had been recorded at the end of the Richard Freeman history, said that Samuel’s son Thomas married a Mrs. Willie who had a son named Harry from a previous marriage. Ida’s record of Thomas said that he married a widow named Willie who had a son named Willie. We noted in the Salt Lake Genealogical Library in the Olney Register of Marriages, film 0919244, page 26, entry 51 that Thomas age 29 married Susan Willey age 32 on 10 June 1875 in the presence of Henry Willey and Elizabeth Covington and listed Susan’s father as Richard Adams and Thomas’s father as Samuel Freeman. We pursued that a bit in the IGI, batch M073692, serial 0675, page 100, and found that Susan Adams married Walter Willey 9 June 1864 at Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire. Then on film 0919249, page 63, line 501, the Resister of Baptisms for Stoke Goldington, we noted Harry Willey christened 7 May 1865 and that his father was Walter, “a cooper.” return to history

Kay and Marilyn Freeman NOTE 4.

Noting Wilford’s account said that Samuel died 12 November 1870 at age sixty-four in Turvey, and Ida’s account notes an entry in the Olney census of 1881 showing Samuel living at age seventy-five, we checked it. In the Salt Lake Genealogical Library the Olney census of 1881, film 134359, serial 49 shows Samuel at age 75 living with Thomas and Susan. The Register of Burials in the Parish of Olney, Number 11, film 0919244, page 166, serial 1326 lists Samuel being buried 6 June 1886 at age 80, which aligns to our Samuel’s birth date. Later we found the Turvey, Bedfordshire Register of Burials, film 1279194, page 57, line 455 lists a Samuel Freeman being buried 15 November 1870 but to the best of our eyesight it recorded his age as 84 which would not be our Samuel. return to history