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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Kent => Topic started by: Cienna on Friday 20 October 17 05:29 BST (UK)
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Looking for parents and siblings if possible please for James Freeman, born 1801, at Eltham, Kent, was a coachman for Mr Howe and drove a '4-in-hand' carriage. In 1825 he was convicted of stealing a black mare and transported to Australia.
Thank you in advance.
Cienna.
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http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/F/Freeman%20family.htm
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Thank you solidrock, I now have some info I didn't have, but I would really like parents and maybe siblings for James, looks like it will be a dead end.
Cheers
Cienna
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I can't find a record of his birth or parents but found this other tree...
http://roefamilytree.info/getperson.php?personID=I601&tree=
James Freeman changed his surname to Prince and all children born to him and Mary after that carried the Prince Surname.
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This will help me, thank you so much, I noted some of the children changed their surname from Freeman to Prince to hide the embarrassment of the convict connection....
Cienna
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copyright image removed by moderator
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I was going to do a search for his records today but you have saved me the trouble, thank you so much grandarog, I really am grateful.
Cheers
Cienna ;D
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Thats interesting, it confirms his middle name was Thomas as on his death record.
I don't think he was born in Eltham, maybe in the Maidstone area and how did Mary BOWYER his wife born in Sevenoaks, Kent get to Tasmania?
Added.
Just answered my own question...
Mary Ann Bowyer/Boyer, a free settler who arrived aboard the female immigrant ship Princess Royal in 1832.
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So maybe, Thomas being his middle name was named for his father perhaps! usually was the case back then, as for Mary Bowyer, all I can tell you is that she came down as a free settler, I am still trying to find more on both the families of James and Mary.....thank you for you input.
Cienna
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Mary's parents were John Bowyer c1786. Kingsdown, Kent and Hesther Russell c1790. Tonbridge, Kent.
Married 26 Mar 1806. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Mary's siblings...
Fanny Bowyer. baptised 25 May 1806. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
John Bowyer. baptised 19 Jun 1808. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Mercy Bowyer. baptised 15 Jul 1810. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
William Bowyer. baptised 1812. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Elizabeth Bowyer. baptised 17 Mar 1816. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Ann Bowyer. baptised 31 May 1818. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Jane Bowyer. baptised 11 Mar 1821. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Sally Bowyer. baptised 28 Mar 1824. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
James Bowyer. baptised 08 Oct 1826. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
Richard Bowyer. baptised 19 Jan 1830. St Mary, Kemsing, Kent.
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Here's maybe a wild theory....
There were a lot of Freeman born in Kemsing around the time of James birth, all to father Francis and mother Sarah. Two of James and Mary's children were names Sarah and Frances.
Francis Freeman m Sarah Vaunt. 21 Apr 1793. St Margaret, Bethersden.
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From National Archives...
Prisoner name(s): James Freeman.
Court and date of trial: Kent Assizes, Summer 1825.
Crime: Horse stealing.
Initial sentence: [Death], commuted to transportation for life.
Annotated (Outcome): Nil.
Petitioner(s): Two petitions from Thomas Freeman of Farleigh, Kent, the prisoner's father. 23 inhabitants of Farleigh and vicinity.
Grounds for clemency (Petition Details): The prisoner is of previous good character; this is his first offence and he was not part of a gang; his family is respectable; several farmers have offered employment.
So his father is Thomas Freeman of Farleigh, Kent.
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There are 2 Farleighs in Kent - East and West. They are just west of Maidstone
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Villages were shown as just Farleigh on the 1841 Census. East and west from 1851 forwards.
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They are served to by separate churches. St Mary's, East Farleigh and All Saints, West Farleigh
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Thank you to every one for answering my post, happy to have a father for Thomas, now I will focus on finding his mother and any siblings, I have set myself a task.....thank you all again.
Thank you also solidrock for the info on Mary's family, greatly appreciate....
Cienna ;)
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The question that has been puzzling me for days is how did Mary know James? Did she go to Tasmania just to marry him? When he was convicted he was 24 and she was only 10 or 11, did they know each other then? Maybe one of Mary's siblings married a Freeman but I have'nt found evidence of that yet. I can't believe it was a chance meeting in Tasmania. The plot thickens.
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The plot certainly does thicken solidrock, I having trying to find who Mary went to Tasmania with as both her parents must have stayed in England both having died there, as you have written maybe she did follow him down but she was a bit young, maybe I will find a loop somewhere while researching....
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Maybe Mary did'nt have a free passage, if this is her they could have met in prison in Tasmania.
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Mary although having been in Jail .was in fact sent to Tasmania with all the other ladies as a Free Person. There obviously being a shortage of Female labour.
The article shown on the link below explains the circumstances of their arrival . It clearly states they were Free not prisoners.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2208637?
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Thats interesting grandarog, so she was effectively pardoned when she arrived and probably explaines how she met James. I've been looking for a newspaper report in England to find out why she was in jail but have'nt found one yet. Now all we've got to do is find the elusive James and Thomas in Kent.
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This could be the marriage for Thomas on the basis wifes name Sarah and James and Mary's first child was Sarah Ann but so far nothing to back this up.
Thomas Freeman. m Sarah Burch. 25 Sep 1796. St Mary the Virgin. High Halden, Kent.
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Well there certainly is a plot, fancy find Mary as a prisoner, I would never have found the info thank you solidrock and grandarog for all your help and for taking the time to do so, I am so excited with what you have found, now I can move along and build a family tree...your help is very much appreciated thank you both.... ;)
Cienna
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This may or may not be relevant but it just may be a brother of James.
Name Thomas Freeman
Event Type Census
Event Date 1851
Event Place Birling, Kent, England
Registration District Malling
Gender Male
Age 51
Marital Status Married
Occupation Farm Of 44 Acres 3 Labourers At Times
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Birth Year (Estimated) 1800
Birthplace East Farleigh, Kent
Page Number 18
Registration Number HO107
Piece/Folio 1612 / 184
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Thank you solidrock, I will set this info aside just in case he is a brother to James, I have been searching for anything on Mary and her convict report but nothing as yet, very illusive, she also comes down as Mary Boyer, but will keep my nose to the grind stone.
Cheers
Cienna
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In the process of actually posting a reply I'd just typed out when I got 'thrown out' and it consequently vanished (grrrrr) so here I go again.
1851 census shows 3 people named Freeman born in East Farleigh - a William bc.1797, a Thomas bc.1799-1800, an Emily bc.1812 (also an Eliza Freeman bp.2/5/1814 East Farleigh, dau. of Thomas and Mary. In 1851 both William and Thomas are living in Birling, Kent and living right next door to William are: Thomas Freeman bc.1773 Nettlested, Kent and wife Mary bc.1773 Capel, Kent. Suspect that Thomas and Mary were the parents of William, Thomas, Emily, Eliza and no doubt your James too.
The problem is that parish records for East Farleigh do not appear to be available online before 1813 so a check would need to be done at whatever record office houses these records.
I cannot find a marriage for Thomas and Mary (probably ca.1795) but if at East Farleigh, as records then not online, that would explain it. I also can't find online records for Nettlested - I know that certain parts of Kent are not covered well online.
Thomas Freeman senior was buried 30/9/1861 Birling and wife Mary on 9/7/1851.
Annette
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Wow!!! thank you Annette, this is really exciting for me to get all this help, I know what you mean with your (grrr), I was clumsy enough once to delete a whole family tree I had been working on, but never to give up I started again.
Could there be a surname for Mary who married the Thomas Freeman....? I will now go through the info and work where everyone may fir in....very much appreciated thank you.....again. :)
Cheers
Cienna
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There is this marriage but I don't think it's the same Thomas, to far away from Capel and Farleigh.
Thomas Freeman m Mary Young. 24 May 1796. St Margaret of Antioch. Rochester. Both of the parish.
Apparently some new parish records for Farleigh have just been discovered but won't be available for a couple of months.
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Thank you solidrock, I will hold off for a few months to see if something comes up, I will just plod along doing research on the Freeman family until then.
Kind Regards
Cienna.
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Perhaps if you order the full record of James's trial from the National Archives it will give more information Ref. No. HO 17/25/134
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It's worth a try, thank you so much.
Cienna.
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Here's another maybe. Mary was Thomas's second wife.
Thomas Freeman,(widowed) married Mary Blueman,(widowed). 23 Oct 1825. Maidstone,(Tudeley And Capel), Kent.
So if Thomas Freeman. m Sarah Burch. 25 Sep 1796. St Mary the Virgin. High Halden, Kent. There are 2 possible burials for Sarah...
Sarah Freeman. 15 Nov 1803. Tenterden.
Sarah Freeman. 14 Jun 1808. Chatham.
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Gosh with all the Thomas Freemans coming down this line it's getting very confusing when they each seem to marry a Sarah or Mary......following descendants down in Australia, I have to be careful who I marry each one off to.......Thank You solidrock.
Cheers
Cienna :)