Isabella, born in 1880 at Mt Egerton and known as Bella, was the first daughter of Thomas and Mary-Jane.

 

Despite a number of searches, details of her marriage to Thomas Burnell have not been able to be sourced. However, in March 1898 she gave birth to a son, Leslie James, with Thomas Burnell being listed as the father. Sadly, Leslie died 9 months later and was buried at Ballarat New Cemetery. It is interesting to note that Leslie’s entry in the cemetery registers is under the name of ‘Davidson’ and not ‘Burnell’.

 

According to the Victorian Birth, Death and Marriage indexes, Bella then had a daughter in 1900, Julie May, who was also registered under the name of ‘Davidson'. Unfortunately, no further information has been able to be sourced on Julie.

 

In September 1914, Bella had her third child, James George. James was also initially registered under ‘Davidson’, but the registration was later changed to ‘Burnell’.

Bella’s story is a bit of mystery, especially given the inconsistencies around her marriage to Thomas and the naming of her children. It is obviously quite possible, and probably more than likely, that they never married. There is also mystery around Bella herself, what she did, where she lived etc., although it has been said she was living in the Northcote area in the 1930s with her sister, Ethel, and her sister-in-law, Harriet.

 

Her third child, James George, lived and worked in the Fitzroy area as a milkman during his early years. He married Phyllis Irma O’Neill at Clifton Hill in 1941, and they had one son, Noel James, who was born in Mentone in 1942. Noel married Yvonne Jeffries at Gardenvale in 1965 and they have 5 children – James Lee, Dale Mark, Dean Adam, Danny Noel, and Catherine Elizabeth.

 

Isabella Ellenor Davidson was 64 when she passed away in November 1937, and she was cremated and interred in a memorial at Fawkner Memorial Park. Thomas Burnell died in January 1947 and was buried at Coburg Cemetery.