Author Topic: Fostering children 1900's  (Read 1371 times)

Offline Essnell

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #9 on: Tuesday 02 April 19 00:55 BST (UK) »
Hi   RootsChatters replying here.

Thankyou very much for all the ideas.

CD   I think that what I am looking at is very much like what you are describing.  I was wondering if that ever took place. 

Now this is scenario.   
this is relatively distant relatives but locks into my family tree. 

I have a male  born in England, marries, goes to Ireland. he has 10 children there all fine.

Now there is this child I find as an adult,  well 15 yrs old   The background is:

Seems her mother, one of the 'males' children has an illegitimate child   born in England. I have found a birth cert for [ possibly] as it fits both date, place and surname of mother, although not stated. the reg. surname is the mother's surname. 

I have also found this child on the 1911 register as Fostered aged 5 still with the birth names etc.

Now this child appears to have known her grandmother but seems to have been led to believe this was her mother.  She gives as her mother, the grandmother's name,  on her marriage cert in another country.  On her entry papers she also names various family members .   

The grandmother's family had  sufficient funds to pay for a private fostering until old enough to be included.  This little one was fostered by a widow with 3 little boys. This lady worked as a Chapel Keeper. 

My thinking is that G-mother, 'Males' wife, went to a lot of trouble to protect her daughter and the family, but kept the child hidden but well looked after, possibly visiting often.   

I am "fairly" convinced this is the scenario.  The major family was in a position to do this...... if a feasible option.     interestingly    the marriage cert also gives the father's name but so far that eludes me and others as to his background. 

The first name given the child is a shortened Nickname for the name she uses as an adult which only seems to deepen the conviction.

One other piece is that the brother to the little girl's mother lived in the selfsame neck of the woods as the place given on the child's birth cert. in England.   

I am quite concerned about naming names and giving dates at this point.   


So back to wondering if this foster mother       would have been recommended by the Local Church. If there were records they may be able to verify the fostering .. not just me assuming.  As to the father's name   I don't quite believe what is on the Marriage cert.  first name possibly but not his surname..it would be a fluke to be identical to her mother's. ... .but possible

I hope you all will understand  as this is not yet quite proven.

Regards and thanks for everything above.

Essnell

Offline Flemming

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #10 on: Tuesday 02 April 19 09:33 BST (UK) »
Hello Essnell, it’s an interesting tale although I’m struggling to take in the detail - still a bit early for me ::)

Did Mr Males marry in England then go over to Ireland with his wife and have 10 children there? Was it one of their daughters who came back to England to have a baby? Then Mr Males’ wife paid for the child to be fostered and the child believed Mrs Males was her mother, not her grandmother?

Sorry if I’m being slow here.

Added: did the real mother's brother come back to England - and did the real mother stay in England as well?

Offline Essnell

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday 03 April 19 07:53 BST (UK) »
Hi Flemming,

Thanks for asking.

You have it in a nutshell. That is the scenario { as i see it from documents I have been able to find on line}  Only proving it is difficult but I think I have found most of it.   The missing father is also proving difficult

Yes! The real mother's brother did return to England and the real mother stayed in England. She died there, some years later.  The grandmother also seems to have stayed for some time too, but returned to Ireland.   

I believe she made frequent trips over to see the child. That I cannot prove but is seems so.

Unfortunately for us today, their movements do not coincide with Census records. 

 Hope the above is helpful and helps the slowness. :) :)

Essnell

Offline Flemming

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday 03 April 19 08:29 BST (UK) »
Hello essnell, thanks for the aid to slowness  ;)

A couple of random thoughts. If the foster parent was a chapel keeper, that implies Methodist, or at least protestant. Do you know if the family were RC or protestant? If the former, it might make it less likely that the church was the route to finding foster parents.

Also, given the care the grandmother took to be discreet, I wonder if approaching any church with the conundrum might be a bit too out in the open. Is it possible one of the grandparents knew the foster mother before they went to Ireland? Did she live in the same place the grandparents came from, or were married in, or departed from when going to Ireland? Is she a distant relative or, if the family were well-off, an old family servant (housekeeper, nurse?).

As for records, the Adoption Act 1926 (England/Wales) didn’t come into force until 1927 and, I presume, the little girl would have been 21 by this time. Foster care started to become more formalised in the early 1900s but, again, given the level of discretion you describe, I wonder if this official route would have been too out in the open.

From the information you have, it sounds like a private arrangement with someone the family already knew, or knew of, and whose discretion they could trust.

You made me smile about the census records not obliging with their movements. I also have this challenge with some ancestors with a few being recorded twice in places hundreds of miles apart.

Good luck with your quest,
Flemming.


Offline Essnell

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday 03 April 19 10:32 BST (UK) »
HI Flemming,


Thanks for the reply.

I did wonder if  the foster person may have been known to the family.

Oddly since I posted this, I have found family actually living on the outskirts of the town where the foster parent was.
They were in a village a mile or so out of town. Fairly easy to keep in contact.  Back then the town would have been much smaller but still a major one. And amazingly the street is still there. I googled it.   There was also easy sea access across to Ireland.

The family were for the most part C of E  or C of I.  Occasionally Presby. or Methodist.  Usually from marriage.
The questions you posed about the foster person I had toyed with but now think it worth looking into.   I shall give it a go.   

Thanks again for the thoughts, suggestions and ideas.

Essnell

Offline Essnell

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Re: Fostering children 1900's
« Reply #14 on: Friday 12 April 19 00:44 BST (UK) »
Hi

I have found a place that fostered out children from before 1900 and up until now. I contacted them and ended up at Nottingham archives.  They suggest this:

"Unfortunately there were very few papers created in the early 20th century for children being fostered as it was usually undertaken privately.  Occasionally ‘boarding out’ was undertaken by the local Poor Law Union.  The following documents relate to the Mansfield Poor Law Union and there is a slim possibility that they may assist your research:-

 
SO/PU/O/1/1/25-26 Guardians’ meetings minutes, 1905 – 1909

 
The only surviving boarded-out children’s records for this union date from 1924 to 1929 only.  "

 Is this of any value to follow up?   

Am I right in thinking that the Poor Law Union was administered by the church?

Thanks for any ideas

Essnell