Finding a potentially adopted relative

[george1997]

Hi,
My Grandad was adopted and since his death, I have been investigating and have found that he had a brother, Leo J Williams (Leo had a different Father). I have the birth certificate of both Leo and my Grandad. On my Grandads birth certificate it says "adopted", he was born in 1928. Leo was born a little earlier (in 1921) and there is no indication of an adoption on the certificate.

However, I have been attempting to find records of Leo and cannot find anything. As far as I am aware, adoptions weren't recorded properly until 1928, so am thinking maybe he was also adopted and that it just wasn't noted on the certificate. I was just wondering if there is any way that I could find out if he was adopted, and then if there would be any way to find out if his name was changed etc.

I have listed the details of Leos birth below:

Name:   Leo J Williams
Registration Date:   1921
Registration district:   Christchurch
Inferred County:   Hampshire
Re-registration Year:   1921
Mother's Maiden Name:   Ambrose
Volume Number:   2b
Page Number:   1172

There is also a sister, Ninette, who had the same father as Leo. I also had difficulty finding records on her, but ancestryDNA has given me a lot of information on her, but the person on ancestry who gave me the information on Ninette has no knowledge of Leo. If anyone has any ideas of how I could find Leo, I'd appreciate the help. Thanks in advance

[iolaus]

I managed to work out one at a similar age

I had her original birth certificate so had the exact date of birth, so did a search for that - and there was a corresponding person with the same date of birth and her middle name was her birth name - then tried searching for a birth in her actual name - so tracked down that way

I was lucky though, his name may be completely different

[george1997]

Thanks, I'll have a look for people with the same birthday. What website did you use to search for this? I am using ancestry and it seems that when I type the birthdate into the search it doesn't just bring up people with that birthdate.

[dawnsh]

Hi George

You may be lucky and find him by going through the England & Wales death index at Ancestry, you can search there by date of birth which is only helpful if he died after 1969 when dates of birth are included in death registrations. However unless he kept part of his name or stayed in the geographical area of birth, you stand little chance.

Freebmd suggests 862,000 birth registartions in 1921, that's 2300 births per day.

You could also look for him on the 1939 register, (FindMyPast had access first, Ancestry have followed suit) searching by his exact birth date. There is a 100 years closure period so in theory, he may be redacted being born in 1921.  The same applies to Ninette.

If he was 'unofficially' adopted before 1927, there will be no record in the GRO adopted childrens index.

As with many adoptions, his name was most probably changed by the parents taking him in, just as parents of new born babies choose names.

Unless you have an idea of his name in later life, finding information will be extremely difficult.

[chempat]

Have you left a postem on his free bmd entry with your email address, so that if anyone who knows him came looking they could contact you?

Added:
Is Roderick A, born Southampton 1917, related?  (Ninette also born Southampton in 1923?  Leo was from Christchurch so are they the same family?)

[iolaus]

I did use ancestry
However it will only work if the person has died - if after 1969 it is on the death registration, but they may be open on the 1939 register

The odds are not in your favour, but you may be lucky

[Radcliff]

Have you contacted the local authorties to see if there are any care records for Leo,even if he wasn't officially adopted he may have been taken into a home prior to him being placed with a new family

[george1997]

Have you left a postem on his free bmd entry with your email address, so that if anyone who knows him came looking they could contact you?

Added:
Is Roderick A, born Southampton 1917, related?  (Ninette also born Southampton in 1923?  Leo was from Christchurch so are they the same family?)

Yes that is the correct birth for Ninette, I also found Roderick, but upon ordering the birth certificate realised he was not part of the same family.

[george1997]

Have you left a postem on his free bmd entry with your email address, so that if anyone who knows him came looking they could contact you?

Added:
Is Roderick A, born Southampton 1917, related?  (Ninette also born Southampton in 1923?  Leo was from Christchurch so are they the same family?)

I will do that now