Parkhouse/grey/jeffries

[ARickett]

I'm researching my mother's heritage. She was the biological daughter of a Norah Parkhouse and a man called William Grey. She was born in Devon in 1912 and was brought up with a family called Jeffries in the small village of Shaldon, Devon. It was only when she as marrying my father in 1941 that she found out that she had been 'adopted' - she was 30 years old!! I'm not even sure if it was an adoption or if she was just brought up my this couple.

I would like to find out any info. on Norah and William plus the Jeffries. Thank you.

[AntonyM]

There was no formal/legal adoption process until 1927, so anything before that is unlikely to have left any records.....at that time these things were primarily private arrangements, often within the extended family or perhaps organised through a local church or charity.

Have you got a copy of your mother's full birth certificate ? - that is the place to start.

[clematised]

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ You might want to phone the General Register Office In Southport to ask about her Birth Cert, I cant find a Nora Parkhouse born Devon 1912, you could phone and tell them what you are looking for and they may do a search for you as it is not adoption (too early)
Edna

[susan h]

Was your mother's birth registered in the St Thomas reg district? Do you have her birth cert?

I cannot find a Nora(h) Parkhouse on census returns in Devon. However there is a Leonora Parkhouse in the St Thomas reg district, but she's married to Richard Heal Parkhouse therefore her maiden name wasn't Parkhouse, but Odam.

[ARickett]

Yes - she was registered in the St. Thomas district and her birth certificate states that the father was William Grey and the mother Nora Parkhouse.
Name:GREY, Gladys E M P
Registration district: [?]St. Thomas
County:Devon
Year of registration:1912
Quarter of registration:Oct-Nov-Dec
Mother's maiden name:Parkhouse
Volume no:[?]5B
Page no:[?]49
But it's finding more information on her mother and the adopted family that I am having the problem.

[kylejustin]

can you give us details from the birth cert, like the address, and the father's occupation. she was illegitimate i assume?

so are you asking for help with norah, and the jeffries family? or are you after help with norah and william?

[Helen Henderson]

Interestingly there is a marriage in St Thomas in the last quarter 1902 of a Norah Parkhouse to either a James R Sedgemore or a Frederick George Gray. Not sure how this fits in yet.

[niftynannie]

Also there is a marriage
1927 Exeter
Norah Parkhouse or Gray
James Henry Eddy

[Chrissie Smiff]

I think the Norah mentioned in the marriage was born in Dec 1884 in Holsworthy reg and died as Norah Eddy in Sept 1930 Exeter aged 47.
The Frederick George Gray of that marriage appears to have possibly been older than Norah and born Dec 1876 in St Thomas and Died in June 1926 in Exeter. In 1911 he appears to be on board a ship in Devon.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Do you know the names of any of the Jeffries family that brough your mother up? So far I have only found a widower aged 46 living in the right area of Devon but will keep looking. Shaldon by the way, for those who dont know it, is a small village near Torquay.

[Chrissie Smiff]

There is a Jeffries family in the wrong area of Devon (North) but he is a minister and may have been moved to South Devon. Ministers were also well known for taking in children. I can find no connection to the other names though as he married a lady named Gathard - Here they are in 1911-
http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/23...l=ReturnRecord

[susan h]

can you give us details from the birth cert, like the address, and the father's occupation. she was illegitimate i assume?

so are you asking for help with norah, and the jeffries family? or are you after help with norah and william?

As Kyle asks, please can you tell us ALL details on the birth cert, what exactly it states for mother's name, what Gladys' middle initials stand for, address, father's occupation.

Also, the first names of the Jeffries and Mr Jeffries occupation. Do you know if the Jeffries had other children and if so their names and whether they were older or younger then your mother.

All above details will help us to help you.

[susan h]

Interestingly there is a marriage in St Thomas in the last quarter 1902 of a Norah Parkhouse to either a James R Sedgemore or a Frederick George Gray. Not sure how this fits in yet.

Norah Parkhouse married Frederick George Gray.

I think the Norah mentioned in the marriage was born in Dec 1884 in Holsworthy reg and died as Norah Eddy in Sept 1930 Exeter aged 47.
The Frederick George Gray of that marriage appears to have possibly been older than Norah and born Dec 1876 in St Thomas and Died in June 1926 in Exeter. In 1911 he appears to be on board a ship in Devon.

Norah does appear to have been born 1884 Holsworthy, as yet I've not found her in 1891 or 1901.

Norah and Frederick George Gray are on the 1911 census in Exeter, Norah has been indexed as Sarah but original sheet does say Norah. The couple have a dau Ena N Gray age 10 months. http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/23...l=ReturnRecord

RG14, ED12, Piece 12680.

Also there is a marriage
1927 Exeter
Norah Parkhouse or Gray
James Henry Eddy

So, after Frederick George Gray died Norah married James Henry Eddy.

[ARickett]

All you wonderful people trying to help me out - fantastic and many thanks.Ive just discovered the little piece of paper that my mother had written out her Birth Certificate`information on and it states:-
St.Thomas, Exmouth 1912 Devon 30 Aug 1912
14 Perriman`s Row (Not sure what that address is)
Withycombe, Raleigh, Exmouth U.D.
Gladys Ethel Mary Parkhouse
Father- William Grey
Mother - Norah Grey, formerly Parkhouse (sounds like they must have been married)
Rank or Profession- Commercial Traveller Drapery Trade
Mother - Norah Grey address as above. (Now I a bit confused - does this mean William Grey mother)
8th Oct. 1912
Registrar Frank E.Barter
This copy was certified copy #37, #35 for the above named sub-district 7 April, 1942

All that was what my mother had written down and given to me over 20 years ago - just re-discovered it. She had applied for the certificate when planning on marrying my father.

So the way I read this is that her parents were married to each other but for some reason did not keep the child. All very confusing. In answer to Chrissies question I am trying to locate the Jeffries - now beginning to wonder if I have the correct spelling of that name. Going to try another search with different spellings of that name - they have to pop up in a Shaldon location somewhere as my mother spent 30 years living with them there.

[susan h]

In 1911 Parkhouses' did live at 14 Perrimans Row (as per birth cert), Withycombe Raleigh, St Thomas, Exmouth

Details are.............

George P, 33, head, Gas Stoker, Barnstaple
Mary P, wife 32, Holsworthy, married 13yrs
Samuel P, 12, son, Holsworthy
Alfred P 9, son, Holsworthy
Henry P, 7, son, Holsworthy
Elizabeth P, 8, dau, Holsworthy

RG14 Piece 12578, ED7.

[susan h]

1881, Holsworthy. RG11; Piece: 2265; Folio: 79; Page: 2

All born Tavistock

John Parkhouse 50, widower
Ellen Parkhouse 29, dau
Emma Parkhouse 11, dau
Albert Parkhouse 13, son
Bessie Parkhouse 9, dau
George H. Parkhouse 4, son
Alfred Parkhouse 6 mths

[susan h]

In 1891 George isn't with his family, he's a servant. RG12; Piece: 1792; Folio: 27; Page: 2

1901, Holsworthy. RG13; Piece: 2169; Folio: 26; Page: 43.

Elizabeth Yelland 55, head, Cornwall
George Parkhouse 25, son in law, Waggoner, Barnstaple
Mary A Parkhouse 24, Holsworthy
Samuel G Parkhouse 3, Holsworthy

[susan h]

Here's John in 1891 with his dau Ellen (still single) Also dau Sarah Davy and grandchildren Alfred davy 10, and Norah Davy 6.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=view&r=5538&dbid=6598&iid=DEVRG12_1791_1796-0200&fn=Narah&ln=Davy&st=r&ssrc=&pid=2718032

Sarah Parkhouse married John Davey, Mar qrt 1886, Holsworthy.

Therefore it's possible Norah was born before the marriage and registered as Parkhouse.

Alfred Davy could be Alfred Parkhouse (1881)

[susan h]

1901, is even more confusing, there's Sarah and Jon Davy plus 3 Davy children and a Norah Parker age 18 entered as niece?

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=view&r=5538&dbid=7814&iid=DEVRG13_2122_2125-0359&fn=Norah&ln=Parker&st=r&ssrc=&pid=11784749

RG13; Piece: 2124; Folio: 23; Page: 37

[susan h]

So the way I read this is that her parents were married to each other but for some reason did not keep the child.

All the evidence points to Norah marrying Frederick George Gre/ay, not William.

My conclusion is: either the wrong first name was entered for father on your grandmother's birth cert, OR your gran's father wasn't Norah's husband!!! It is possible and happened that a baby be registered in mother's married name even though her husband wasn't the father. Infact it's the correct way to register a birth, however it is possile Norah invented the first name William.