This is probably a very long shot but I'll ask anyway.
I saw a program about babies being bought and sold in Edinburgh in the 1800s.The babies were advertized in newspapers.
My great gran had a baby in 1874 called Easter(Esther) McCafferty,she already had a son William James and she went on to have another daughter,Mary.She didn't marry their father until 1877,they then went to live in Glasgow.Easter was not with them and I can't find a death or anything about her any where so,I was wondering if she was adopted via an advert in a paper Annie would have had to get someone to write it as she was illiterate,maybe someone said they'd help her with the baby and put the ad without Annie knowing.Or maybe my imagination is running away with me!!!
My great gran was Annie McCafferty,she married Thomas Gunning.If he wasn't the father of Easter he may have insisted she was adopted.
I don't know the siblings Annie had,one of them could've taken her.If I can find her siblings I could look for a child born at the right time.Maybe her mother,Esther McCafferty,nee Hollinger,took her.
This is one of two puzzles I have in my tree and I'd love to solve it
Grateful for any help or thoughts from folk who know how things worked in Co Down at that time.