Help finding an adopted Grandmother's roots

[chestnutree]

Hi everyone,

I started my family tree a couple of weeks ago and the only dead end I've hit so far is with my Grandmother (My Fathers Mother).

My dad advised that she was adopted but as he was the youngest of 10, he doesn't know a great deal about her parents. All he could tell me was that she was adopted. As she was born in 1913 i just missed out on seeing her on the latest 1911 census. Even if it was out, we are unsure at what age she was adopted to know if they are her real parents or adopted parents during the 1921 census (When it's released).

If someone could help me find out the details of her adopted and real parents that would be greatly appreciated. Below are the details i have, but again I'm unsure if her maiden name is from her real or adopted parents.

Name: Kathleen Mary Smith
Born: 07/04/1913 - Shardlow, Derbyshire
Died: June 1986 - Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Married: Bet. Oct - Dec 1937 to Ernest Alfred Chester - Shardlow, Derbyshire

On a side note: How do people tend to find old photographs of ancestors online?

[Neil Todd]

Hullo and welcome to Rootschat

I am not in the UK but have you tried to get a copy of Kathleens birth certificate using her date of birth and name? From what I understand it is easier in the UK than here in Australia.

See: http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

Neil

[KGarrad]

Welcome to RootsChat!

Formal adoption, in England & Wales, only began in 1927, and then records are only accessible by the adopted person.

See:  http://www.genealogy-guide.org.uk/adoption.html

[Jebber]

There was no formal adoption until 1927, so you are unlikely to find any records.

Do you know if SMITH was her birth or adoptive name? My mother-in-law was informally adopted in 1920, but her name was never changed to that of her adoptive family.

You need to get her marriage certificate and see what information that provides, then possibly follow it up with this birth in the Shadlow district, it is  the correct quarter, and and see if the birth  date  matches hers.
 Births Jun 1913   Smith  Kathleen M  Tugby  Shardlow  7b 1085

[chestnutree]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies so far. You just reminded me with your reply Jebber, From looking up her birth registry i believe her Mothers maiden name was Tugby if this gets me any further?

Is it worth ordering her birth & Marriage certificate? What extra information might this tell me?

What happened prior to formal adoptions in 1927? What if anything can be found? At this time of year I'm trying to avoid any payouts

I have no idea if Smith was her original or adopted name sorry and neither does my Dad. He's going to ask around some of his other siblings to see if they know any more than he does. As well as helping build my family tree, i think it will be nice to go back to my Dad with info on his mother he has never previously known.

Thanks,

Nick

[Marmalady]

Is it worth ordering her birth & Marriage certificate? What extra information might this tell me?

What happened prior to formal adoptions in 1927? What if anything can be found? At this time of year I'm trying to avoid any payouts


Nick

The birth certificate will give her mothers name & maiden name and the fathers name & occupation
Marriage certificate will give fathers name & occupation

Prior to formal adoptions & records being kept, such things were handled privately -- often through the church but could also be through "a friend of a friend". Unlikely to be anything written down anywhere

[chestnutree]

Ah i see. I haven't even looked at my own so i had no idea

Might be worth ordering her birth certificate then. I'm pretty sure i have the right person from the registry.  I'm assuming she wouldnt have been adopted the day of the birth and it will be her real parents that registered it.... but who knows?

Looks like i'll probably just give up now on finding any adoption records then. That's a shame.

[Jebber]

Hi Nick,

The problem is not knowing if SMITH was her adoptive parents name or her birth name, the marriage certificate will give you her father's name and occupation if known, then if this matches with the father on the birth certificate, and the birth date is the same as you have for her, you will know that her name was never changed, but if they don't match you will have a problem.

Unfortunately there is no cheap way of finding out one way or the other, I certainly think it is worth getting the two certificates, even if it proves the birth certificate is not hers, you will at least know then that Smith was not her birth name.

Jebber

[Annie65115]

I'd get the marriage cert first to see if there is any info about her father.

If you get the birth cert first, you have no way of knowing if it is the right person, especially as you don't know if Smith was indeed her birth name.