The Family Tree

The Freeman family


View Freeman in Cambridgeshire in a larger map

The earliest Freeman I've found that appears to be an ancestor is a William Freeman. He would have been born about 1755 in Sutton, Cambridgeshire. Sarah appears to have died in 1797 and William remarried to a widow Sarah Bent (maiden name unknown).

By 1786, William and his first wife were living in Prickwillow where they bore a son, my Gt.x4 Grandfather John Freeman. The family appear to return to Coveney for a while after this, with John marrying Phoebe (maiden name unknown), and settling down to have a family of 11 children.

His son, also John, married Mary Grey from Ely, Cambridgeshire and the couple had at least ten children.

The Census Years

During the late 1830s, John and Mary's family were living in Soham and moved to Cold Moor (or 'Coldmoor') Farm in the fens just north of Witchford by the time of the the 1841 census. John's parents and younger siblings are living at Coveney at this time.

By the time of the 1851 census, John and Mary have moved their family to Wardy Hill - a hamlet close to Coveney where his parents and siblings are still living and farming.

In 1861, John and Phoebe are noted as living alone at 'Farm House' in Coveney - they are 74 and 68 years respectively and John is still a farmer of 40 acres. Their son, John and his wife Mary are living in 'Frogs Abbey' (close to Coldmoor Farm) with five of their children. John Jnr is noted as a farmer too - of 45 acres.

Further Information