Adoption circa 1905

[brianinwedmore]

My uncle, Ernest William Smith, was born in March 1905 but his mother died a week or so later and when his father re-married he did not join the new family as his older brother and sister did. I have found somebody in the 1911 census who could well be him, living with a family named Lindfield and a Mrs Gander in Stockwell and shown as 'adopted'.

I also found a death certificate which looks like his in south London in 1981, but with his name reversed to William Ernest Smith.

How can I confirm any of this? Are there any adoption records from the early 1900s?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Brian 

[CaroleW]

"Adoption" prior to 1927 was an informal arrangement between the parties.  Legal adoption was not introduced until 1926

https://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/search/righttosearch/lawbasics.htm

[Bookbox]

However, he may have been 'adopted' out by whichever poor law union his family was chargeable to. Assuming he was born in Southwark, some of the records can be accessed via Ancestry. They are not searchable, but you can read through them.

London, England, Poor Law and Board of Guardian Records, 1430-1930 > Borough Southwark > Parish Southwark ... and then scroll through Record Type to see what they have.

Failing that, there are very many more poor law records at the archives (LMA) than are shown on Ancestry.

[carol8353]

As Carole says there was no official adoption back then,children were often given to relatives or friends to be brought up. If you watch Who Do You Think you are and Long Lost Family,you will often see that mum was never far away and was often part of the child's life in some way.

She would obviously not watch them grow up if she'd died,but the baby would still often go to someone the mum knew.

Carol

[TerriG]

My gran was adopted by a family member (by marriage).  The couple who adopted her had lost both of their natural children as infants.  They also adopted 2 other children - two of them kept their own names, and one kept her first name, but took on her new parents' surname in later life. 

Sometimes adoptions were arranged through the church that the family belonged to.

[lizdb]

As to how to confirm it all

Ashe is your Uncle, presumably one of his siblings you mention was your parent. Did they keep in touch with him at all? I appreciate that if they werre his older siblings they will no longer be with us, but do you remember the Uncle being mentioned? Did the Uncle marry? Who does he name as father whenhe marries? Have his own children?
When the father of the children died, did he leave a Will? Did it just mentioin the children he kept with him, or did it mention Uncle too? If it mentions Uncle, does it clarify anything about him, e.g was brought up by the Lichfields?
What about when Uncle died? If he hadnt married and had his own family, did he leave a Will and mention his siblings?
It wont necessarily be easy to confirm if the 1911 finding is him, nor if the death is him ( who is the informant at the death?), but there are lots oif avenues you can explore, some of which I have hinted above.  You may find none of the leads gets you anywhere, but you may find something comes up thast either rules  out, or confirms , what you have found.


Just to add, the situation you describe is not unusual. Even in more recent times, a contemporary of mine (some would say not that recent then!!!!!) discovered when she a teenager she had an extra half brother. Her Dads first wife had died in childbirth, and as he couldnt cope with a new born baby (babycare was very much womens work in those days) and work, the baby boy was brought up by someone else, though never legally adopted. The Dad kept his two older daughters with him, who were at school. He later remarried and had more children, incl my friend. Only when the boy reached 18, or it may have been 21, was he reunited with his "blood" family, maybe he was only told then of his true parentage.I dont know the details.