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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lincolnshire => Topic started by: meggiemoo3 on Thursday 13 October 11 13:49 BST (UK)
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Hello everyone
Been away from the family tree for a while and am hoping that perhaps there might be some new documentation around that may shed light on the father of my great great grandmother.
So far I have found out that Rosanna Bellamy was born 1st November 1850 - I have found a birth register for her in Horncastle in Dec 1850 and sent off for the birth certificate. Her place of birth is listed as Coningsby and her mother is recorded as Sarah Bellamy. There is no name of father, however on the certificate she is named as Rosanna Holmes. On the 1851 census she is living in Coningsby with her grandmother (Susan Bellamy) and her mother plus presumably older sisters Susan and Emma. Both of these are listed as Bellamy's but I have found birth entries that also list Emma as a Holmes Bellamy (Dec 1844, Boston).
I also have a copy of Rosanna's marriage certificate to my great great grandfather James Edward Woods, which took place on 7th November 1866 in Moulton, Lincs. On this Roseanna lists her father as a James Holmes and whilst it is not very clear I think his occupation is listed as a farmer and then in brackets deceased. She is also calling herself Rosanna Bellamy Holmes.
I have been unable to find a marriage record between Sarah Bellamy who I believe, from census records to be born in Billinghay around 1824 and a James Holmes - although I am not convinced they married because Sarah is living with her mother and 3 children in the 1851 census and I can find no records of Sarah after this date until a possible death register in June 1900, aged 76. Can anyone find Sarah on later census records for me please?
I know its a long shot in trying to locate the father of a possible illegitimate child but was wondering whether anyone could help me? I have a possible lead that could possible be the James Holmes I am looking for.
In the 1841 census there is a James Holmes, aged 15 living at home in the hamlet of Walcott with his father John, a farmer. Then in 1851 there is another, possibly the same James Holmes aged 28 still in the hamlet of Walcott. I believe Walcott to be fairly close in distance to Billinghay - where Sarah's family come from originally.
I know longer have access to the census records to persue this any further and was wondering whether anyone could help with tracing James Holmes, finding a marriage for James and Sarah - althoughh I doubt that one exists or has access to the parish records for Coningsby/Billinghay or Walcott that may shed any light on Rosanna's parentage?
Thanking you in advance
Melanie
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Holmes was
her middle name a forename (on birth certificate) ... there is no space for a child's surname.
It's possible that her father's name was James HOLMES (as said at marriage) ... however the father of one of my illegitimate ancestors was named as Patrick McALLISTER at baptism but at Thomas McALISTER at marriage. :-\
Yes, Walcott is very close to Billinghay - map http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=514585&Y=355670&A=Y&Z=120
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I've now found a christening entry on the IGI for a James Holmes at Walcot, Lincs in Jan 1815. Parents are listed as William and Elizabeth Holmes.
So Holmes would have been Rosanna's middle name as such then, rather than the surname she was using? This was perhaps Sarah's way of getting the father's name on the birth certificate - did the father have to be present to have his name put on the certificate if they weren't married? My great great grandmother on the other side was also illegitimate but there is a father's name on the birth certificate - even though its different to the one on the marriage certificate! Oh for a time machine!!!!Not sure if this was the case then or now but know that it was when our daughter was born in 2003. I suppose that would explain why her oldest sister is just Bellamy and her next oldest sister is Holmes Bellamy too.
The only assumption that James is in fact her father is his listing on the marriage certificate and that she has changed the order of her names from Rosanna Holmes Bellamy to Rosanna Bellamy Holmes.
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So Holmes would have been Rosanna's middle name as such then, rather than the surname she was using? I think so.
This was perhaps Sarah's way of getting the father's name on the birth certificate - did the father have to be present to have his name put on the certificate if they weren't married? I think that was the case.
I was reminded of someone attached to my tree named Henry Willows TYLER. born shortly after the 1851 census. Working on the same farm as his mother Eliza TYLER in the census was a certain John WILLOWS. ;)
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Marriage 23 Dec 1841 at Walcott
James HOLMES (son of William) to Sarah WRIGHT (dau of William)
They can be found in Walcot in 1851.
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Marriage 23 Dec 1841 at Walcott
James HOLMES (son of William) to Sarah WRIGHT (dau of William)
They can be found in Walcot in 1851.
Thank you
So if this is my James then he obviously didn't marry Sarah then. That if it is him. I suspect that the James who is the father of Rosanna and possibly Emma was either 'above Sarah's station' and therefore was not allowed to marry her or was already married to another. This information would fit with my second theory.
Have found the parish baptism records for Coningsby in 1850/1/2 online and Rosanna wasn't baptised during any of these years in Coningsby - can't see why she would have had her christened elsewhere as she was born there and lived there! The mystery deepens.
Could illegititmate children be baptised in church in those days?
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I've found him...
I did a general internet search for Richard Bellamy (sarah's father - found her brothers baptism and found out he was a farmer) - this led me to a fenland family tree and the Bellamy's were all on there.
Now according to this Sarah did marry a James Homes - don't know when though and he is listed as Rosanna's father. they then went on to have 2 more children, Matthew and Ann Rebecca after Rosanna in 1854 and 1858 respectively. Matthew born in Coningsby and Ann in Sutton St James - explaining how Rosanna met my gr.gr grandfather I suppose.
I now need to try and contact the lady who has complied this research and see if she can give me any further information on James.
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Hmmmm ... if there had been a marriage, I think Jacky would have mentioned it (and perhaps even called the kids "HOLMES").
She posts on RootsChat http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=49610
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Thanks for that link
She does list a marriage but with no dates and the children are Holmes bellamy like Rosanna and Emma so who knows?
I will get in touch and see what info she has.
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It gets better and better - more searching on the internet, this time for James Holmes led me to find this article which was published in the Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford mercury newspapers on 31 January 1845 (too soon for Rosanna but the right time for her older sister Emma):
Police Office, Boston, 24 Juanuary - an order made for James HOLMES farmer of Walcot for the maintenance of the illegitimate child of Sarah BELLAMY
So Geoff-E it is looking more likely that the James Holmes you found could possibly be my gr gr gr grandfather after all. Although if the first child was born around 1845 and the last in 1858 thats one long affair he had with Sarah!
Off to do some more searching....
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He seems to be a bit of a cad, doesn't he? ;D
I don't know if you have her parents' marriage
13 May 1811 at Billinghay
Richard BELLAMY (wid) to Susanna HARRAD
Here (bottom left) http://www.lincstothepast.com/Marriages/559450.record?ImageId=52214&pt=T
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He certainly does. I've found further information out after looking at someone else's family tree.
It would seem that he is the reputed father of all 5 of Sarah's children - although there only seems to be one application for maintenance that I've found so far. He is the son of John and Elizabeth Holmes (nee Ullyatt) and was born about 1822 in Walcott. He died 29 May 1882 (not pre 1866 as believed to be according to Rosanna's marriage certificate but then I suppose that this is what she could have been told by her family).
Sometime between 1851 and 1858 Sarah and I presume her children moved to Sutton St James, Lincs -not sure if she was still seeing James - her last child was born here but she could have been pregnant at the time of moving, who knows? According to the source, Sarah died on 23 April 1860 in Sutton St Edmund, Lincs. This would then explain why her children are dotted all over the place in the 1861 census - mother dead and goodness about the father.
Would it be possible for someone to do some census looking up and see if they can find out what happened to James between 1841 and his death in 1882. it would be interesting to see whether he married, had children, remained a farmer, etc. The more and more I find out about him the more I feel for Sarah. She must have had a real thing for this chap as she reputably had 5 children with him between 1842 and 1858 so well over 10 years.
Thanks in advance
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Hi! I found this thread by chance while searching for my ancestor Rosanna Bellamy. She was my great gm and I am related to her via her son, Herbert Ernest Woods, who was my grandfather. So it seems likely that we are related too!
Not sure if you'll get this message after all this time (some helpful 'Rootschatters' suggested I try this route), but thought it was worth a try as I particularly wanted to say how helpful your information on Rosanna was. I'd found some of it myself, but your posts mentioned several items new to me, particularly regarding her father, who I'd also been trying to trace. So thank you!
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Hello - it seems as though I found this again by chance - we've just moved back home to Lincolnshire and I started getting the family history bug again.
Yes we are related....my great grandmother Florence Woods was sister to your grandfather Herbert I believe.
It has been a very interesting puzzle to unravel and one I still can't seem to get to the bottom of and understand the relationship between Roseanna's parents - 5 children but no marriage and in times when this was highly frowned upon.....oh for access to a time machine!!!!
I now live at Sleaford and am a stones throw from both Walcot and Coningsby and am hoping at some point to try and do some research over there to see if I can shed any further light on the elusive James Holmes.
Its good to actual find another descendant of Roseanna. I did have details of a lady who was the granddaughter of Matthew (Roseannas brother)...I wrote to her but never heard back so assumed that she had passed away so that avenue came to a dead end.
Would love to hear more from you and perhaps between us we can get to the bottom of this mystery.
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Hi,
Many thanks for getting in touch. That was a nice surprise. Looks like we're second cousins once removed.
I'm relatively new to FH and have been researching the Bellamys, like you. I think you've managed to find out much more than I have, but I'm more than happy to share my findings with you.
I'm rather disorganised at the moment but will be in touch again shortly when I've sorted my notes out a bit.
I do hope that between us we can shed a bit more light on Sarah's unconventional life!