Thread: Adoption brickwall

Were 'adoptions' registered back in the day???...( APPROX 1869/1871) and if so...then where???

I have an ancestor who was on the 1871 Census and it states that he was adopted.....now despite years of searching, I have been unable to locate any information on whether adoptions were legitimate .....or a child was handed over to family or friends to be cared for etc, and classed as 'adopted'.

Bit of a grey area I think, but if anyone has any idea then I'd be most grateful

Katie xx

No they were't. Not until much later.

There seem to be no records for such private adoptions. My great Granny took in a baby boy. On one census his birthplace was unknown and on the next two it was Tunbridge wells.(She lived in Middlesex)
Perhaps he was just left on her doorstep? He was a lodger aged 1 to begin with then 10 years later he was adopted son. Guess no one will ever find out where he came from.

Thanks for your replies....it seems to be a frustrating issue, doesn't it Lola5 ?.....Aaaarrgghhhh !!!!!.......my ancestor was born in Leighton Buzzard and on the Census he was living in London at the age of 2 years, stating that he was adopted!! ........ He could well have been a doorstep baby or perhaps a relatives baby...who knows!!!!......but this is the one bug bear that could turn me into a jibbering wreck !!! .....and for my late dads memory to find out where he really came from....one day...one day !!!! Katie x

You have something with which to start. You have name, age(as given by census) and place of birth. Perhaps you have a birth date?
See the births for month/year in Leighton Buzzard. Omit all females and see what is left. There might be just one baby boy born on that day/month/year.
Then you write to General Record Office and see what they have.
Once you have the baby boys that might be him then trawl through the censuses to see where each was and who he married.... and the one who seems to disappear (and no death or immigration found) might be yours!
Now even if you should be so lucky as to find him there may well be no father's name on the cert..... so you are still left wondering.
I got a wee breakthrough with mine in that on 1911 census his real surname was there... Frean... not that I have yet found him.
But sometimes you get lucky.... so keep looking.

Hi Lola5.....well I am going to take a chance here....I've had a hunch on this for years, but have always had a niggling doubt so left it alone...however, I am going to go with my ancestors first and middle names ( assuming the middle name was actually his birth surname)....and then I shall go with what is recorded on this birth cert. Fingers crossed this is MY ancestor...and will find the London link that has baffled me! Many thanks for your help. x

Hi Katie,
Go for it! Nothing venture... nothing win.
The middle name might be his father's surname if he was born out of wedlock(Or his mother's surname) Try everything... all combinations. He must have been registered. If he was baptised somewhere that's an added bonus. Contact the gro and ask if that was the only birth cert issued for that baby.I think they can be quite helpful over adoption issues. Write to the Registrar at Leighton Buzzard. See if they can help. Who registered the baby? Where was he from newborn in LB to being 2yrs old in London I wonder? Was he adopted by a relative or friend of the family. Trace the people he was with back and see if you can find any connection with names or places. Good luck!

Thanks Lola....I have ordered the birth cert !!!!...should arrive by 5th Sept, so will be on tenterhooks lol !!!.... I don't suppose you have any idea of an address for Leighton Buzzard Registrar ???...worth an ask lol !!!! ...as far as i know there are two churches in that vicinity....but am guessing that all CofE parish records would be held at a local office???....i know that catholic parish reisters are still held at the churches for some reason.. anyway thanks again. xx