Samuel Henry Freeth was the second child of Samuel Freeth & Catherine Wilton born 1860 at Smethwick & christened June 17th, 1860 at North Harborne, Staffs.
In 1861 Samuel & his parents & older brother William were living at Brasshouse Lane, Smethwick.
The family were still living at Brasshouse Lane in 1871 & Samuel now also had 2 younger brothers & a younger sister.
In 1881 Samuel was still living at home at Brasshouse Lane. There were 2 younger brothers & 2 younger sisters at home.
Samuel married Charlotte Emma Sherwood on January 12th, 1885 at St James, Handsworth, Staffs. Charlotte was born July 9th,1860 at Congleton, Cheshire, the daughter of Charlotte Oulton & Robert Sherwood, a labourer at the glass works.
In 1891 Samuel & Charlotte were living at 90 Crocketh Lane, Smethwick with children Samuel (6), Charles (2) & Mary (11 months). Samuel was a general labourer.
In 1901 Samuel & Charlotte were living at 64 Bearwood Hill, Smethwick & Samuel continued to be a general labourer. They had 5 children at home – Samuel, a screw maker, Charles, a servant boy, May (Mary), Charine (Catherine) (10?) & Charlotte (5).
Samuel & Charlotte had moved to 24 Edith Rd, Smethwick by 1911 & Samuel had no occupation at the time of the census. His wife Charlotte was a charwoman at the brewery. Living with them was son Samuel, a machine labourer at the gun works, now married to Edith Ann Wheatcroft, & their 7 month old son Henry. Also still at home were daughters Mary & Catherine, both machinists at the screw works, Charlotte, a machinist at the Rule Works & son Charles, a fitter at the motor works. It was noted on the census that Samuel & Charlotte had had 6 children, only 5 of whom were still alive.
Samuel died in July-September 1917, aged 56, at Smethwick.
The 1939 register shows widowed Charlotte still living at the same address & with her was daughter Mary & her husband Edward Arris, a ‘labourer mess room hand’. Son Samuel who had married Edith Wheatcroft in 1908 was living at 1 Shelf Hall Lane, Queensbury & Shelf, Yorks in 1939 where he was a grocer & confectioner manager. Son Charles had married Annie Atkins in 1912 & the 1939 register shows that Annie was now widowed & working as a brewery office cleaner. With her were 2 sons – Charles, a storeman paint & ?, & Joseph, an aluminium core maker.
By 1939 daughter Catherine & her husband Robert Ellis Dacre had moved to Rothwell, Yorks & were living at 43 Main St. Robert was a colliery stone constructor & with them were 2 children, Robert Ellis, a tailor cutter & Alan Ellis who was at school. Daughter Charlotte was living with her husband Cecil Loon, a machine tool setter screw works, at 132 Montague Rd, Smethwick in 1939.
Charlotte died in April-June 1942, aged 82, at Smethwick.
The children of Samuel Henry Freeth & Charlotte Emma Sherwood were:
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.1 Samuel Robert Freeth born January 27th, 1885 at Smethwick, died 1945 in Yorkshire
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.2 Arthur Freeth christened December 16th, 1886 at Smethwick; died April-June 1888 at Smethwick
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.3 Charles William Freeth born Jan-March 1888 at Smethwick; died Jan-March 1932 in Birmingham
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.4 Mary Freeth born May 25th, 1890 at Smethwick
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.5 Catherine Freeth born December 18th, 1892 at Smethwick; died January 1987 at Leeds, Yorks
fh.4.6.1.6.1.2.6 Charlotte Freeth born July 26th 1895 at Smethwick; died February 1986 at Birmingham