John Freeman
(1788-1878)

John Freeman (also known as Samuel Freeman) was the fifth of the seven known children of William Freeman and his first wife Sarah Newborn of Coveney in Cambridgeshire, England.

John married Phoebe Wilson at Ely, despite being erroneously named as 'Samuel', and they settled down in Coveney to become parents 11 times between 1811 and about 1835.

Despite his parents being noted as 'paupers' in 1785, John (who was born three years later) became a Farmer of up to 80 acres, employing 5 labourers in Coveney by 1851.

By 1861, he is noted as living at a Farm House on 'Bull Lane' and is a 'farmer of 40 acres, employing 3 men'.

Whilst I'm unable to locate 'Bull Lane', there is a 'School Lane' which might have been misheard by the census enumerator. Perhaps supporting this, is that there is a 'Lane Farm' situated on 'School Lane'.

The decrease in land that John farmed, matches the increase in land farmed by his eldest son, John Freeman. However, when this younger John Freeman died in 1863, some 15 years before his father, the share of land appears to have been redistributed to his youngest son, William.

Life Events

Born

• Circa 1788 at Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.

Born

• 23rd February 1788, and again at 7 years old, with his sister Elizabeth Freeman at St. Peter ad Vincula Church, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.

Married

• Phoebe Wilson (1793-1870) on 29th November 1810 at Holy Trinity Church, Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.

Children

• Sarah Freeman (1811-?) married William Barber (c.1805-?)
• John Freeman (1812-1863) married Mary Grey (1816-1877)
• Mark Freeman (1815-1871) married Anna Nix Hamey (1816-1877)
• William Freeman (1816-1820)
• Hannah Freeman (1820-1898) married George Cattell (18??-?)
• Phoebe Freeman (1822-1870) married Thomas Blakeman (18??-?)
• Mary Ann Freeman (1824-?) married George Moss (1823-?)
• Elizabeth Freeman (1826-1838)
• Rebecca Freeman (1828-?)
• William Freeman (1831-1898) married Sarah Jane Constable (1831-1872), and later to Elizabeth Florence Bell (1838-1912)
• Mahala Freeman (1835-?)

Census and Residence

• 1841: 50yrs, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1851: 60yrs, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1861: 74yrs, Farm House, Bull Lane, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1871: 83yrs, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.

Employment

• 1851-1861: Farmer
• 1871: Retired Farmer

Death

• 23rd April 1878 at Sutton, Cambridgeshire, England, aged 90 years.

Burial

• 24th April 1878 at St. Peter-ad-Vincula Church, Coveney, Cambridgeshire, England.