SPEAKE FAMILY OF SH|ROPSHIRE AND ONTARIO CANADA

This Speake family who now have many descendants living in Ontario Canada are descended from a Shropshire Speake family.

The family is descended from George Speake of Church Stretton (1768 - 1851) who is also my 4 x grandfather. His grandson was Samuel Speake (PB3). I have called him "Samuel of Comely" as that is where he lived for many years.

Samuel's father John Speake (OI6; 1808-1881) lived at All Stretton all his life. In 1841 when Samuel still lived at home, George Speake his grandfather also lived with the family. By the time of the 1851 census, Samuel was a house servant to a farmer and his family at Whittingslow, near Acton Scott. In 1856 he married Elizabeth Lickbarrow, nee Healey or Hayley at Church Stretton and their first son John was baptised there three months later. His career from that time is varied, showing how hard it could be to earn a living and support a family in this period. In 1857 and also at the baptism of their first daughter Ellen in 1858 Samuel is described as a Woodsman. By 1861 he was in Wolverhampton working as a labourer in ironworks, but by 1867 at the birth of George he is described as a greengrocer in Wednesbury. It would appear that was short lived, as by 1871 he was a forge labourer again.

By 1878 he was back in Shropshire , and Gully Green Cardington as a farm labourer. In 1879 he was arrested 3 times for being drunk in public. On the final occasion he was sent for trial for being "Drunk in charge of a horse and cart". By then all his children had been born, his first wife had died in 1875 and in 1876 he married Mary Marsh. We can then follow his varied career through the various trade directories:- from 1879 he is listed first as a farmer and then through to 1891 as a "dairyman and cowkeeper", living at Comley, Cardington. In 1902 when his son George (QN2) was married he is described as a poulterer. At the time of the 1911 census he is is aged 75 and a "skin gatherer". He died in 1916.

The attached trees appear to show a logical progression of Samuel's son George QN2 moving from Shropshire to Birmingham and then his son George settling in Canada, however the truth is much more complicated !

See this page for more information ...