Person:Samuel Mitchell (35)

Samuel Mitchell was born in 1885 at Warwick, son of a domestic servant named Harriet Charlotte Mitchell, formerly Bastock, and her husband Alfred Mitchell, a farm labourer. Samuel was his parents' first child; they had only married earlier that year. Samuel appears to have been named after his paternal grandfather, who had died two years previously. When Samuel was born his paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were both still living nearby in Warwick. When Samuel was nearly two years old his parents had another son, George William. At the time of George William's birth the family was living at 9 Wallace Street, a side street off Saltisford, the main road out of town to the north-west. Wallace Street was a mixture of houses and industry, having an iron foundry, an engineering works and Warwick Brewery on it. Samuel and his brother George were baptised together at St Paul's Church in the town on 20th February 1887. In 1888 Samuel's maternal grandfather died. In 1889 his parents had another son, Alfred Thomas, which is the last sighting of the family in Warwick. Some time between 1889 and 1891 the family moved ten miles north to the city of Coventry.

The 1891 census finds Samuel living with his parents and two brothers at house 2 in Court 3, Sherbourne Street. Samuel was described as a scholar, whilst his father was now working as a bricklayer's labourer. Sherbourne Street lies to the west of the city centre, off Spon Street, one of the main streets. Sherbourne Street is still there, but the densely packed back-to-back courtyards which once lined it have long gone. Samuel's parents had another son, Henry Arthur, later in 1891, but sadly he died as a small baby. They had another son, Charles Frederick (known by his middle name) in 1893. Therefore Samuel was the eldest of four boys who lived to adulthood. Back in Warwick, Samuel's last grandparent, his paternal grandmother, died in 1896.

Some time between 1893 and 1899 something happened to Samuel's father, Alfred. Precisely what happened is not clear, but he spent the rest of his life in the Coventry Union Workhouse, apparently disabled and unable to care for himself or his family. Samuel's mother Harriet would struggle to support herself and her four surviving sons alone. The threat of the whole family entering the workhouse must have been very real.

Harriet started a relationship with a motor engineer from Lincoln called Edward Scholes Feary, who was only nine years older than Samuel. The family left Coventry and moved twelve miles east to the town of Rugby, where they lived at 19 Rileys Court, another courtyard of small houses similar to those at Sherbourne Street in Coventry. Rileys Court stood directly opposite the grand chapel of Rugby School; the contrast between the wealth of the school and the poverty of Rileys Court must have been striking. At Rugby, Harriet had a daughter named Rose May Mitchell in 1899, who was Samuel's half sister.

The family did not stay long in Rugby. By August 1900 they had returned to Coventry, living at house 11 in Court 2, Thomas Street. Court 2 contained 11 houses, all of which could only be reached through a narrow archway between numbers 16 and 17 Thomas Street. Number 17 Thomas Street was The Compasses public house, and the family's two roomed home in Court 2 appears to have backed onto it. Here, Harriet had a son, Edward, on 14th August 1900. Just seven days later baby Rose died aged sixteen months. The 1901 census finds Samuel living with his mother and three surviving brothers, his baby half-brother Edward and Edward Feary, who was described as a boarder. Samuel at this time was working as a brazier in a cycle works. Baby Edward died shortly after the 1901 census, aged nine months. Some time between 1901 and 1902 the family moved across the street from house 11 in Court 2 to house 2 in Court 11 - a confusing reversal of the numbers. Court 11 was a smaller court, having two houses backing on to numbers 82 and 83 Thomas Street and reached through a narrow arch between those two houses.

Whilst living here, Samuel's mother and Edward Feary had four more children: Levi in 1902, Florence Maud in 1903 and twins called Lily Emma and Percy Henry in 1904. Lily died as a baby in 1905.

On 8th October 1909, Samuel's mother Harriet died, aged 43. She had been suffering with tuberculosis. Samuel was 24 at the time of his mother's death. Samuel's father, Alfred, was still alive at this time in Coventry Union Workhouse. He died there less than three months later. Samuel was the informant for his father's death, showing that the family had remained in contact with Alfred.

The 1911 census finds Samuel living with Edward Feary, two of his three surviving brothers and his two half-brothers. They were still living at house 2 in Court 11, Thomas Street. Samuel was now described as Edward Feary's boarder.

Samuel's next sighting is not until after the First World War. He was 29 when the war broke out and 33 when it ended. By 1919, Samuel had moved to Loughborough, nearly 40 miles from Coventry. Here he was married on 25th October 1919 to an Alice May Brewin, who was 20. Samuel was 34 when he married, but claimed to be 26 on his marriage certificate. He must later have admitted his true age to Alice, because when he died she gave his correct age. At the time of their marriage Samuel was living at 13 Hume Street, whilst Alice was still living with her parents at 73 Meadow Lane.

Between 1920 and 1940 Samuel and Alice had eight children together in Loughborough.

Samuel died on 7th September 1959 at the family's home at 11 Clarence Street in Loughborough. He was 74, and he and Alice had been married for almost 40 years. Alice outlived him by five years and died in 1964.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. Samuel MITCHELL, June Quarter 1885, Warwick Registration District, Vol. 6d, page 568

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish registers of St Paul, Warwick, 1845-1920. (Warwick: Warwickshire County Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of S. Pauls Warwick in the County of Warwick in the year One thousand eight hundred and eighty seven
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   380	1887 Feb[ruar]y 20	1 year Samuel Son of	Alfred & Harriet	Mitchell	Wallace Street	Labourer	G.A. Webb

3. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 2450; Folio 107; Page 23, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 3C2H Sherbourne Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   Alfred Mitchell, head, married, male, 30 [1861/2], Bricklayers Labourer, employed, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Harriett Mitchell, wife, married, female, 25 [1865/6], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, son, single, male, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Mitchell, son, single, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, single, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Warwick, Warwickshire

4. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 2907; Folio 116; Page 4, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 2 Court 11 House, Thomas Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   Harriet Mitchell, wife, married, female, 34 [1866/7], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, son, single, male, 15 [1885/6], Brazier: Cycle work, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Mitchell, son, single, male, 14 [1886/7], Automatic Machine Turner Cycle Trade, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, single, male, 12 [1888/9], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Fred Mitchell, son, male, 5 [1895/6], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward Mitchell, son, male, 7 mo [1900], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward S. Feary, Boarder, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Engine Making; Turner / Fitter, worker, b. St Swithun, Lincolnshire

5. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), (formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 18522; Schedule SN356, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 11C2H Thomas Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Edward Scholes Feary, head, male, 35 [1875/6], widower, Turner Iron - Motor Manuf, worker, b. Lincoln
   Samuel Mitchell, boarder, male, 26 [1884/5], single, Assistant Butcher, worker, b. Warwick
   Alfred Mitchell, boarder, male, 22 [1888/9], single, Milling machine - Motor manuf, worker, b. Warwick
   Frederick Mitchell, boarder, male, 17 [1893/4], single, Errands for Tobacconist, worker, b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Levi Feary Mitchell, son, male, 8 [1902/3], School, b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Percy Feary, son, male, 6 [1904/5], School, b. Coventry, Warwickshire

6. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Samuel MITCHELL, September Quarter 1959, Loughborough Registration District, Vol. 3a, page 585, aged 74 [1884/5]

   See discussion regarding Samuel on RootsChat (accessed 1 Jan 2014)

   Exact date and place of death from discussion on RichardK's talk page: "Samuel's death certificate gives his date of death as the 7th September 1959 age 74 years at 11 Clarence Street in Loughborough with Alice as the informant. The cause of death is recorded as a) Cerebral Thrombosis b) Arteriosclerosis."