This is the last surname I’m highlighting on my Dad’s side for the blog! I didn’t mean to take so long in getting this written up but I had an early wake-up today and decided to get it done.
Where does the Parkin name originate from?
This surname has been a source of frustration for me for a long time. First we thought it was Perkins, then Parkins, and finally Parkin. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was completely wrong at this point and I ended up with the surname of Parker. My Parkin family originates in England. The father of my “first family” came to America through Castle Garden in October of 1874 and his family followed in July of 1875. According to the Public Profiler Surname Distribution Map, in 1881 the Parkin surname was most concentrated around the midlands of England. That would make sense because my Parkin family departed England by way of Liverpool.
Did the Parkins stay in New Jersey?
Yes. I haven’t found all the girls after they married yet, but it looks like the Parkin family was a small but close one.
Overview of the Parkin Family
Father: William R Parkin (about 1842 – 02 Aug 1881[1. Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of New Jersey, 1848-1900, v10])
Mother: Ann ? (Sep 1839 – ?)
Children
- John Walter Parkin (Dec 1863 – before 1910) My 2nd great grandfather
- Mary Ann Parkin (Apr 1870 – ?) married Edward E Spencer, had 2 daughters
- William Matthew Parkin (Sep 1871 – ?) married Ida ?, had 1 daughter
- Joseph B Parkin (Dec 1874 – ?)
The men in the Parkin family seem to live short lives from what I can tell. Both John and William’s children were living with their mother in 1910. The grandchildren bounced between the families a lot. This fits well with what my Aunts tell me about the Jane Parkin (John’s daughter). They told me that they had the impression she lived a very hard life. To be frank, her parents were dead by the time she was 14. That can’t be easy in any respect. Then to add that they were bounced around between family members. Joseph seems to be the exception to the early death rule in the Parkin family. I have him all the way through 1930 on the census records.
Records to get for the Parkins
- I need to get birth and death records for my great grandmother Jane. I have her marriage record already.
- I need to find a marriage record for Jane’s parents John Parkin and Jennie Featherson. FamilySearch gives their marriage date as 17 Jun 1890. Hopefully this helps me find the New Jersey record easier.
- I really am curious to get the death records for both John and Jennie. If they were both dead by the 1910 census, I want to see what would take them from their children. I feel like there’s a story there in my gut.
Parkin Links
Sources
Hi,
Off the top of my head the oldest Parkin I know is my Great Grandmother Elizabeth nee Dooley. My Parkins came from Derbyshire, Benjamin Dooley Parkin trained to be a teacher in Battersea & was Headmaster of Stonehouse School, his son Benjamin Theaker Parkin was a teacher at Wycliffe, a war hero in WW2 & Member of Parliament for Stroud and Paddington.
Thank you for the comment Nick! I’m going to make note of this in my OneNote Notebook for future reference. I have no idea of the exact place my Parkins came from. I just know when they migrated by way of Liverpool. To be honest it’s nice to know Parkin is a real surname and I didn’t make a mistake transcribing records!