Adoption circa 1880 COMPLETED

[clarabel123]

Was there a procedure to adopt a child around this time or could care just be given to another family?
Should I look somewhere for any official records or paperwork?
From details below it seems plausible she is the right person as the connections with Leics and Northants fit with other family backgrounds, I am finding it so interesting and I really want to find out why the mother would have kept her son born 1880 out of wedlock and yet adopted the daughter born 1883 as she then went on to have other children 1884 onwards with someone else.

I have a daughter first appearing with her mother age 26 on 1911 census listed as 'daughter'. This would make her born around 1885 per the census age.

Further research shows a registered birth in 1883 Leicester as Kate Mellars Salisbury.

1891 age 8 living with the Barnet family in St James St, Leicester as 'adopted' Kate Salusbury.

1901 age 18 in Northants as Kate M Salisbury as a Boarder, occupation machinist.

1911 age 26 in Leicester with her mother (I assume) Anne Nunn (nee Salisbury)

1974 died as Kate Mellors Salisbury, Leicester.

[coombs]

Hi

Official adoption didnt take place until 1926 and records of adoptions are kept from 1st January 1927. before then it was usually just an informal affair such as a private arrangement. Occasionally they may have gone through a solicitor but usually you didn't have to go through any formal procedure for adoption.

Ben

[Siamese Girl]

It is odd as the 'family' she are with in 1891 consists of Eliz Barnett aged 75, living on her own means,  her unmarried daughter Mary aged 37 a seamstress,  a visitor Rebecca E Barnett aged 49 (perhaps a niece?) and Kate Salusbury aged 8.

I haven't been able to find Elizabeth and Mary on the 1881 census yet. Rebecca is housekeeper to her uncle and cousin both with the wonderful  name of Bellars Butter living in Caldicott Rutland. Could they be cousins? Another reason for someone adopting a child in the 1880s was that they were related, even quite distantly.

Carole

[Redroger]

My grandfather and his first wife were apparently unable to have children, his great neice had an illegitimate son in 1863,he had been given his father's surname as a third forename, and they subsequently married and had further children. What i find unusual about the situation is that though his parents had married the son continued to be brought up by my grandfather and his wife, being shown as their nephew in 1871, and as their son in 1881, and as his parents on his marriage certificate. At the same time they also had a string of nurse children on the 1881 and 1891 censuses, with different surnames, I know of no relationship though my father once told me he was related to a man at his place of work who had the surname of one of the nurse children. I have yet to thoroughly research this.

[Plummiegirl]

These "adoptions"  were very common.   Just look at how many couples have all grown up children then suddenly in their 50's they have a new baby.  Yes, I know that some women would have had the menopause baby, but not that many.  Many women would have long gone through the menopause at this time, if they had ever had regular periods, due to ill health and bad diets.

I have a girl in my family (who I have never been able to tie down) in one census she is listed as Granddaughter, living with my g/g/grandmother and another of her daughters.  On the next this girl is now the niece of another daughter and still with her grandmother.  Sadly as her name is so common I have never found out what happened to her.

And this is just one of several instances of children suddenly appearing as son/daughter long after all the other children had left and had families of their own.

At the time you are talking about (and probably right up to WW2) if a family got into trouble or a spouse died and the person left was unable to cope, rather than sending family off the the workhouse, the extended family and neighbours would often take the children in, thus spreading the children around the  neighbourhood, retaining the ties to the area and not losing contact with parent/siblings.  No social services in those days to whip them all off.

[clarabel123]

Thanks all  for the help and explanations - very interesting and useful.

[Redroger]

In my experience there is certainly a definite relationship between the incidence of late babies, and unmarried daughters in the house.

[rackingmybrain]

   I think my g-grandfather adopted his nephew from a Catholic orphanage; since he was an immigrant would he have to be naturalized before adoption?  This was in mid 1880's.

[Redroger]

As there was no formal adoption procedure before 1929, and specially if the adoptee was a small child I would believe naturalization was not required, but no doubt an expert will clarify.