Great grandfather

[katiet]

Hi , everyone ...looking for suggestions plz ...my great grandad had a child with one of his servants ,she was called Bella ....his name was James parkins ,he was married at the time .She died many years ago ,but I haven't a clue how to go about finding her birth details ....any advice would be great ....thankyou

[carol8353]

If you know a rough date, area,or her mother's surname you could try https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Bella might be short for Isabella,especially common in Scotland.

Do you know where her mother lived after the child's birth,was she adopted out into another family?

You might be able to find them together on a census.

I very much doubt that she was registered under your great grandad's surname.

Carol

[Girl Guide]

The majority of illegitimate births are registered with the mother's surname.  On the GRO website they show the mother's maiden name as a dash (-)

An example here from 1889

SMITH, CHARLES  JOHN     - 
GRO Reference: 1889  M Quarter in ABINGDON  Volume 02C  Page 266

One from 1903

SMITH, ADA  FLORENCE ELIZABETH MCINTYRE   - 
GRO Reference: 1903  M Quarter in ABINGDON  Volume 02C  Page 292

With this one there is a possible clue to the father as the child has McIntyre as one of her names.

As Carol says, if you can provide more details re names etc., we may be able to find out more for you.

[Craclyn]

Was it the mother or the child who was called Bella? More information about your James Parkins might also make it easier to track who they may have been. If the child grew up and had children then you could also try DNA testing to see if you can identify cousins from that line.

[philipsearching]

Was it the mother or the child who was called Bella? More information about your James Parkins might also make it easier to track who they may have been.

Do female servants appear with the PARKIN family on censuses? (If so, when and where?)
If so, it could be worth checking the surnames against FreeBMD or GRO for births in the nearby areas at the right time.

Philip

[katiet]

Thankyou everyone .....no don't know what the mother was called ...all I know was that she was born roughly between 1895/1905 in Jarrow ...and the father was called James parkins who married an Elizabeth Harris x

[Girl Guide]

The Parkins/Harris marriage perhaps?

Marriages Sep 1897
BROWNBRIDGE    John William        Gateshead    10a   1244    
>>HARRIS    Elizabeth Ann        Gateshead    10a   1244    
>>Parkins    James        Gateshead    10a   1244    
Pickering    Emma        Gateshead    10a   1244

[Girl Guide]

I think this may be James and Elizabeth with her mother and family in 1901

Living at 16, Clayton Street, Jarrow, South Shields, Durham

Registration district   South Shields
Archive reference   RG13
Piece number   4742
Folio   5
Page   2

[chempat]

What registration district does Jarrow appear in from 1895 to 1905 - having difficulty pinning it down?

Added:
South Shields?

So start by looking for Belle's born then and there in free bmd and cross-reference with gro to find illegitimate births.