MITCHENALL FAMILY HISTORY

When Simon Mitchenall was born in 1835 in Edenbridge, Kent, his father, William, was 42 and his mother, Mary, was 44. He was their tenth child., although his eldest sibling William had died almost ten years before. Simon was to have a rather different life to his brothers and sisters, although until the 1890's he lived close to family, 

 

In the 1841 census he is reported as a child, but is not recorded in the household for the 1851 Census, when he would have been about 16,  ​The next documented event is his marriage to Mary Ann Kirby on Christmas day 1867.

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Mary Ann Kirby was from Bermondsey and as in the family tradition they married at St George the Martyr, Borough High Street. Unusually, Simon, now using the name Samuel , is reported living as a Draper in Norwood, Surrey (most of the family reported they lived locally to St Georges when they married) whilst his wife Mary was living in White Street, near St Georges (which is where most of the family seemed to live when married).

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I have been unable to establish any reason that Simon changed his name to Samuel. Perhaps it was an early sign of his later ties to the church. Samuel's father on his marriage certificate is clearly stated as William, from Edenbridge. He is the right age to be the Simon documented as living at home in 1841 and in birth records, and all evidence points to Simon being Samuel. 

 

He was living and working as a Draper close to brother George and other family members in the neighbourhood around Gipsy Road, south east London.

(Interestingly Georges son, Simon James, also uses Samuel in later records - causing further confusion in tracing records).

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Again recorded in Gipsy Road as a draper in 1869, and in 1871 at No 2 and 3 St James Terrace, Norwood - near to sister Ann on the census record. He stayed in the area until 1885. Throughout the 1870's and 1880's he is reported living in Norwood -later at 2 Collyer Terrace, Gipsy Road, or 2 Gipsy Road, still close to brother George and sisters Ann and Rebecca..

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In 1887, however, he appears to be in Leighton Buzzard as a voter. In 1896 he appears in the Rate Book for Erdington, Birmingham - in York Road - and in 1901 he is living with Mary at 158 Eagle Street, Coventry. He is now stated to be a Baptist minister, although Mary is a General Store Keeper. So still running a shop - but not a drapers.

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At some time between his departure from living in Gipsy Road near to his family, and his later residence in Coventry, he became a Baptist church minister - at the age of 50 or later.

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He died on 26 November 1903 at the age of 67 in Coventry, and Mary seems to have returned to London. They had no children ..