My G-G-G-Grandfather Charles was born in Birmingham around the end of the 18th Century. I have been unble to find any official record of his actual birth or parents but the 1841/1851 census puts it around 1796.
CHARLES AND MARTHA FINCHETT.
CHARLES
Born Abt 1796
Married 1820 to Martha Finchett
Died 9 Jan 1873
The first record available for Charles is taken from the Marriage entry on the Parish Registers at Aston Juxta Church
1820 Charles and Martha married at Aston Parish Church, Birmingham. Martha and her family were Baptists and she was christened at Bond Street Baptist church but by law all mom-conformists had to be married within the Church of England.
Charles was a Japanner by trade. He became involved with Broad Street Presbyterian Church when it was open on Dec 25th 1834. The family moved to Oozells Street North just off Broad Street around 1851.
Broad Street Presbyterian Church1834 Charles was appointed as Caretaker of the church. As Caretaker Charles would have been responsible for collecting the rent for family pews and herein lies a story.
1841 Living at Swallow Street, Aston
1843 From the minute books of committee meetings there is an incident refered to as "Mr Ratherams Problem". It would appear that Charles and Martha had a couple of lodgers as well as 9 children and one day they found that the lodgers had disappeard along with the church pew rent monies. Charles was called to account before the assembled Elders and although they sympathised with his predicament he was asked to repay all the lost money and his wages were docked accordingly. This must have caused some hardship to Charles and his family but the lost money was eventually paid back.
Cash Books entry 1843 showing 'lost money' entries
1851 Living at Mill Street, Aston
1861 Living at Oozells Street North
1864 The Church moved out of the Broad Street building and it is now a pub and nightclub although rooms at the back of the building are used by the Christian Scientists. I wonder what the elders would think of that!
1873 Death of Charles
The Presbyterians moved into premises in Oozells Street North backing onto the back of the canal at Gas Street Basin in Birmingham where they had a Sunday School and Church.
Oozells Street North
The family moved to Oozells Street North in a number of Back to Back Houses. They occupied numbers 4,5 and 6 at various times with 3 generations living next door to each other. The area was redeveloped in the 1970's as part of the Ladywood Regeneration Project .
View of Oozells Street North 2005 and close up of street sign on wall to far right by chairs. 
CHARLES AND MARTHA
Charles and Martha had 9 children
| NAME | BIRTH | MARRIAGE | DEATH | SPOUSE |
| Emma | 21.Apr.1822 | 28.Jan.1841 | Btw 1871-1881 | William Willetts |
| Charles | 26. Apr.1824 | |||
| Henry NEW | 23 Jul 1825 | 24 May 1845 | | Catherine Honeybourne |
| Martha Ann | 11.Jan 1826 | |||
| Thomas Edward | 20 Dec 1830 | 5.Nov.1854 | 7 Jan 1894 | Harriet Slater |
| Charles Edwin | 24 Apr 1834 | 27 Jun 1852 | Ann Collins | |
| James | 29 May 1836 | 18 Oct 1869 | 5 Sept 1924 | Eliza Cox |
| Jane | 1840 | 18 Apr 1862 | after 1901 | Edwin Sheldon |
| John | 1843 | 1862 | Elizabeth Pickerill |
EMMA
Emma marries William Willetts in 1841. They have four children
Henry Born 1842
Ann Born 1845
Charlotte Born 1848
Martha Maria Born 1852
The family Live at Highgate Steet, Aston. Emma dies sometime between the 1871 and 1881.
CHARLES
Charles was christened in 1829 at St Philips, Birmingham and the entry also states his birth as 1824. This is the only record for Charles so I can only presume he dies before the first census of 1841 or has left home maybe as an apprentice. I have been unable to trace any other records of him.
HENRY NEW
Henry was born in 1825 and christened in 1829. After many years of presuming him dead as I could find no evidence of him living I now have a copy of his marriage certificate to Catherine Honeybourne in 1845.
By the time of the 1851 census Henry had died as Catherine can be found living with her parents Daniel and Phoebe and is recorded as a Widow.
Catherine had 3 children but I do not see how they could all be Henry's as he dies prior to their birth although I think She may have been pregnant with Mary when he died.
| Name | Birth | Marriage | Death | Spouse |
| Mary | 1850 | |||
| Emma | 1853 | |||
| Henry | 21 Jan 1860 | `1880 | Rose Stanley |
HENRY NEW
Henry marries Rose(or Rosa) Stanley in Birmingham in 1880/1881
They have the folowing children
| NAME | BIRTH | MARRIAGE | DEATH | SPOUSE |
| William Henry | 1881 | 1906 | ||
| Albert Arthur | 1882 | 1914 | Isabel Jago | |
| Alfred George | 1885 | 1911 | Harriet Sutton | |
| Rose | 1888 | |||
| Walter | 1891 | 1914 | Annie Perkins | |
| Sidney | 1894 | 1915 | Louisa Coleman | |
| Edith | 1895 | 1916 | Jones |
1901 Catherine is living with her son Henry and Rose and his family at Mount Pleasant, Birmingham.
MARTHA ANN
Martha was born 1826 and christened in 1829 at the same time as her two brothers. She also disappears before the 1841 census. To date no record of a marriage has been found in BMD indexes so again it is possible she too died at an early age, possibly before 1837 and prior to the when it became law to register all deaths.
THOMAS EDWARD See separate page
CHARLES EDWIN
Charles Edwin and his wife Ann Collins are known to have emigrated to America although Ann and their son Henry Collins Ratheram died either prior or on arrival in the States.
JAMES NEW
James and Eliza Cox with their son John James
James was a Gas Lamp Maker and later had his own business and factory
James is 2nd on RightHe also continued the families association with the church and was appointed an elder of the Church in 1883. James also became Sunday School Superintendent and retired from this position in 1923 after 70 years service.
James married Eliza Cox in 1869 and they had three children
John James Born 1870
Eliza Born 1872
Lily Born 1881
The article below relates to John James and his involvement with Severn Street School.
JANE
No record of Jane's birth or christening can be found which is puzzling as the family were so religious. She was also born after 1837 which was the year it became law to register all Births, Marriages and Deaths so there should be a record somewhere. .
Her age can only be taken from the 1841 census.
Jane married Edwin Sheldon in 1862 who was a Boatman working on the canals of Birmingham. The canal junction Gas Street Basin would have been at the back of the family house in Oozells Street.
Jane and Edwin continued to live at the family home in Oozells Street North until after the birth of her first child Edwin. They had 11 children
Edwin Born 1868
Florence Jane Born 1870
Beatrice Born 1872
Rosina Born 1874
Emily Born 1876
Alice A Born 1878
Elizabeth Born 1880
Gertrude Born 1880
Joseph Born 1882
The family later moved to Yardley and Acocks Green where Edwin became a Coal Merchant and had a business on Yardley Wharf.
JOHN
John was born in 1843. He is missing from the family home in 1851 but appears to be visiting a John and Hannah Rhodes in Water Orton. It is unknown what connection the Rhodes are to the Ratherams but in 1861 another young Ratheram can be found living with the Rhodes.
John marries Elizabeth Pickerill in 1862. They had 6 children.
Henry Amos Born 1863
Martha Maria Born 1865
Charles Born 1866
Rose Born 1870
Joseph Born 1872
Florence Born 1874
1881-1901+ John and Elizabeth continue to live at 4 & 5 Oozells Street North
HENRY AMOS
Henry marries Elizabeth Hare in 1887 and they emigrated to America. They had 4 children.
Rosina b 1890
Ernest b 1891
Joseph b 1897
Harry b 1898
All the children were born in America
Henry unfortunately died in New York in 1898 and Elizabeth returned to England with her children.
In the 1901 census she was living at Beanacre Street. The address states it was a Lamp Factory so it could be the one started by her father-in-law James. Elizabeth's occupation is shopkeeper. Her Mother and Brother are also living with the family.