When two John Freemans become one

*Update below

I’ve talked about it a few times, but I really enjoy researching my family history. I’ve been researching now for about nine years, and in that time, I’ve built up quite a family tree. At first, I was accepting any hint that might have been remotely connected, but without evidence, there’s not a lot of point. So, a year or so in, I really started only looking for evidence of my family history.

And then I come across John Freeman in my tree – and please note, this is ongoing research.

In my family tree, John Freeman is listed as a second cousin six times removed on my maternal side. One of the hints suggested that John Freeman was awarded the Victoria Cross. Naturally, I was intrigued. So I searched online.

And there he was; John Freeman, born in 1833 in Kent, died in 1913 in Stoke Newington/Hackney, VC recipient¹. OK, that says Sittingbourne, and I have him baptised in East Farleigh². But Stoke Newington isn’t really that close to Maidstone or East Farleigh.

I thought this deserved a more detailed look.

I managed to get John Freeman’s military records from Fold3, and they tell quite the story³. This describes the man as having been born in Barming, Kent (very close to East Farleigh), the son of Edward and Sarah Freeman. Quite right – I have the 1851 census as showing Edward, Sarah and their children, Susannah, John and Emily living in Upper Stone Street in Maidstone⁴. (I’m not showing images, as I’m unsure of copyright).

I also have John Freeman in the 1861 census, living in Maidstone aged 27 with his parents and unmarried – but here, he is described as an invalid⁵. Going back to the War Office discharge papers, John Freeman was discharged in 1860, aged around 26 being dangerously wounded – this seems to fit with the 1861 census.
Add to this that I then found a death in Maidstone in 1861 for a John Freeman⁶, and I couldn’t find any further trace of John Freeman in any later census that fit with his birthplace.

So where does the John Freeman of Hackney and Stoke Newington fit in? I needed to research him.

I found him in the 1911 census, living in Holcroft Road in Hackney with his wife Maria and two sons. Here, he is 77 years old and a pensioner⁷. This appears to be the John Freeman who died in Hackney in 1913. Crucially, it lists him as being born in St Lukes, London. Different to my John Freeman. So I needed to trace back further and find out what job Hackney John had.

Sure enough, I find Hackney John in 1871, 1881 and 1891 listed with his family, and as a cabinet maker, and still listed as being born in St Lukes⁸.
In the 1911 census, Hackney John had been married to Maria for 51 years – so I needed to trace his marriage.

On the 12th February 1860 in Hoxton, John Freeman (cabinet maker) and Maria Keogh were married⁹. Remember that my John was unmarried in 1861 and living with his parents in Maidstone.
The marriage certificate proved particularly significant. It names Hackney John’s father as Drury Freeman, a jeweller. My John’s military papers, baptism and census records consistently identify his parents as Edward and Sarah Freeman.

Have I stumbled across something here? Have these two Johns been merged into one? Only one other online resource (the VCGC association) has John Freeman VC dying in 1861 and not 1913¹⁰.

I’ll update this once the 1861 death certificate arrives. In the meantime, if anyone has researched John Freeman VC, or knows of original records relating to his burial, probate or later life, I’d be delighted to hear from you. There are other places for me to look, such as the burial list of where Hackney John is buried, as well as his death certificate, and any possible probate records.

My current assessment is that the evidence points to two different men named John Freeman. One was the Kent-born Victoria Cross recipient, whose trail currently appears to end in Maidstone in 1861. The other was the London-born cabinet maker who lived in Hackney and died there in 1913.

The outstanding question is whether the accepted account of the VC recipient’s death has conflated these two individuals. I’m looking forward to seeing what the 1861 death certificate adds.

*Update (11 August 2026)
So, I received the 1861 death certificate for Kent John¹¹. It tells me that John Freeman died on 23 June 1861 in Union Street, Maidstone aged 27 from ascites. It also tells me that he was a farm labourer and the informant was Edward Freeman, from Union Street.

All of this seems to strengthen the Kent John theory: on the 1861, Kent John was aged 27, living with his parents, Edward and Sarah, in Adelaide Place, Maidstone (which is in the area of Union Street).

Now what I need to do is to confirm where Kent John was buried. I’ve seen some information that suggests a John Freeman was buried in East Farleigh on 30 June 1861, but in order to confirm this, I’m heading to the Kent Archives in Maidstone this coming weekend. I’m also planning to make a trip to Sittingbourne to see the War Memorial, as I’ve seen an image that commemorates John Freeman VC, but has the 1913 death date inscribed. This is another interesting detail in this complicated story.

1. Wikipedia, “John Freeman VC”, accessed 26 July 2026 ↩︎
2. East Farleigh Parish Register, baptism of John Freeman, 19 January 1834; son of Edward and Sarah Freeman (viewed via FamilySearch and Ancestry) ↩︎
3. War Office discharge papers, Private John Freeman VC, 9th Lancers, discharge approved 1860, accessed from Fold3, 26 July 2026 ↩︎
4. 1851 Census of England and Wales, 50 Upper Stone Street, Maidstone, Edward Freeman household, accessed via Ancestry. ↩︎
5. 1861 Census of England and Wales, 1 Adelaide Place, Maidstone, Edward Freeman household, accessed via Ancestry. ↩︎
6. General Register Office death index, John Freeman, Maidstone Registration District, June quarter 1861, Volume 2a, Page 269. ↩︎
7. 1911 Census of England and Wales, 17 Holcroft Road, Hackney, accessed via Ancestry. ↩︎
8. 1871, 1881, 1891 Census of England and Wales, John Freeman, cabinet maker, accessed via Ancestry. ↩︎
9. Marriage of John Freeman and Maria Keogh, St John the Baptist, Hoxton, 12 February 1860, accessed via Ancestry. ↩︎
10. Victoria Cross and George Cross Association profile of John Freeman, accessed 26 July 2026 ↩︎
11. John Freeman, death certificate ↩︎