Speake Family of Stafordshire
The story of the Speake Family Tree from Gospel End, Stafordshire is one like so many other family stories of the 19th Century, is one of heart break and tragedy. I think all you new Genealogists will find this story fascinating and will probably come across similar stories as you start your own family research. While doing your own family search you will come across some strange and sad stories and I would like to relay one such story of my own family. The one I came across in my family research is, my Great Grandmother Susannah Sheward (Speake). Her father was Joseph Speake, born in 1807 at Church Stretton, Shropshire, England and her mother was Louisa Hughes, born July 20 1817 in Rushbury, Shropshire, England. I know she had a grandfather by the name of Edward Speake (1768 to 1851) whose trade was a shoemaker and her grandparents on her mother’s side were James and Martha Hughes. Susannah’s parents Joseph and Louisa were married June 10 1839 in Rushbury, Shropshire, England.
After they had eight children altogether and out of that eight only three survive infancy. The children to live into adulthood were James born 1842, William born 1845 and Susannah that was born September 30 1847 in Gospel End, Staffordshire, England.
As I was doing my family research I notice going through the parish records there would be a baptism and then a few days or weeks later a death of the same child. It doesn’t say in the parish records what they died of, although infancy deaths in those days were a lot more common than what we have now. One web site lists the possible cause as poor environmental conditions and they list Chicken Pox, Cholera, Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis, Consumption and Smallpox as some of the diseases. The children that died were, Henry born/baptised June 24, 1843 and buried just over a month later, July 30, 1843 in Rushbury, Shropshire, England. Then there was a daughter Martha who was born/baptised August 11, 1846 and only thirteen days later was buried August 24 1846 in Gospel End Staffordshire, England. Another daughter Mary Ann was born/baptised July 28 1850 and she was just shy of two months when she was buried, Aug 25 1850 in Gospel End, Staffordshire, England. A Joseph was born/baptised August 17, 1851 and seven days later was buried, August 24 1851 in Gospel End, Staffordshire, England. The finale child that was born was a Samuel, born/baptised February 6 1853 and just two days later was buried, February 8, 1853 in Gospel End, Staffordshire, England. What makes this even more tragic is the entry above Samuel’s name is Louisa/Lucy Speake his mother’s burial entry. Her death certificate says her cause of death was measles, pneumonia and childbirth.
Joseph and Susannah – Speake Family Tree
Now the father Joseph has a young family to raise. In the 1861 census there is only the one child, Susannah Speake living with Joseph and he is listed as a widower. The two surviving son’ I have so far not found their entry for the 1861 census but they were either boarding with relatives or out on their own working. I know they were still alive as at the father Joseph death which was March 5 1878 in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, and his cause of death was bronchitis and “senilis 6 days.” As the three children are listed in his will and I have attached a copy of the will. All his worldly possession furniture etc. were to be given to his daughter Susannah (Shuard) and his 200 pounds in the post office box to be split evenly between his three children. My great grandmother Susannah marries Herbert Sheward/Shuard in 1866 and he dies at a young age in today’s standard, at age 63 in 1906.His cause of death was attributed to “brain softening 12 months and cardiac failure”. Herbert was a farm labourer and in the later part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, arsenicals like Paris green, lead arsenate, and calcium arsenate were popular and common pesticides used in agriculture, his death could have been contributed to arsenic poisoning. Shortly after the death of her husband Herbert, Susannah immigrated to Canada with her youngest son Fred in 1906 and she dies July 13 1927, in Moose Jaw, Sask, Canada.
My mother was very young when her grandmother Susannah Speake died so she doesn’t remember her, although mom says that her older sister told her that she, my mother, was frighten of the old lady. I recall the one picture that mom had of Susannah and she looks like a very stern emotionless lady. After I did this research and what I found I would say she might have had a good reason to be like she was. Losing her brothers and sisters and mother at such a young age would have being very traumatic for such a young girl and would be with her for the rest of her life.
I would like to thank David Carter, also John Speake of Speake Family History for providing some of the information I used on here. Any further information that anyone would like to provide would be much appreciated.
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By: Gordon Rebelato
