1961 Adoption. Elusive father “C S”

[Sullivan-Hunter22]

Hello!

I am brand new here - fresh from the guide pages! 

I have ADHD, and my father has given me a task on which I am now hyper-focusing on.

What I know;

My dad - born in Carshalton, Sutton. put up for adoption, Feb 1961 via the Church of England Children's Society.

 His mother was a resident nurse who came down to Surrey, Kent to train from Blackpool (We are not sure of her whereabouts between 1950-1960).

We know she had my dad with her within “the nurses home, West-Hill Hospital, Dartford” (1961)

She is shown to be at:
2 Camden road, Sutton. On my dads birth cert (1961), but not on any electoral registers. So we’re unsure where she was actually training in Sutton.

The adoption papers has communication from a vicar, from Horton-Kirby, Nr Dartford who claims that he knows my grandmother very well, and knows the case.

We also have Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford. Stated as an address on my dads admission paper.

She has put my grandfather down as “C S, about 30, Married, 6ft, fair hair, blue eyes. Likes music, football and rugby. Well educated, Radiographer”. 

He found his mother. That’s was a dead end when she refused contact.
 
So now, I have been given the permission from my father to search for my paternal grand father.

I have signed up to ancestry UK, Find my Past etc. I have spend many nights trawling through newspapers, looking at radiology social pages and…nothing. I have been to the national archives. It’s only been three weeks, mind but I’ve been chasing my tail the entire time.

It’s gotten to the point where I have scrapped absolutely everything I have so I can start over. So where do I start?

[Girl Guide]

Welcome to Rootschat 

Sounds like you have a tough nut to crack here.  Your father has evidently obtained his adoption papers but these have not helped in respect of his father.

The name has been changed to initials as living, or possibly living, people cannot be named in full.

If he was about 30 at the time of your father's birth that would give a birth year of around 1931 give or take a few years.  If the name is very common then looking for a potential birth would be difficult as no doubt his birthplace would not be known.  If it is a less common one then it may be worth searching birth records for any potential persons.

As he was a radiographer he may well have been working in an hospital in Kent. 

Have you tried putting the C S name in google to see what pops up?

As you have not yet made three posts you will not be able to provide the full name of C S via personal message.  That is the little letter symbol under your name.  Once you have done that you could send me a personal message by clicking on the letter symbol under my name and I will see if I can find anything likely.

[Sullivan-Hunter22]

Hi there Girl Guide!

Yes, I got a message earlier regarding the change of name. I do understand- he would be around 90 now, if still alive.

CS’s name is very common. Especially is Ireland!!

We are planning a trip to the Met Archives to ask if they have anything on NHS staff records from the years of 58-61 but I doubt we’d be allowed to see them due to the 100 year law.

We have also done a Y-DNA test and we’ve been pointed towards Westmeath, and Cork but we have been advised to do one for ancestry.

I have googled, and nothing comes up except a 30 of year old radiologist on linked in in Ireland.

I sat down with dad last night, and we’ve zoned in on the Carshalton area as my dad was born there, so they we’re in the same area between February-august 1961

[zetlander]

The person who could help is your paternal grandmother - she may not want contact but is there any way she could be approached to give you information about your paternal grandfather.

Perhaps if a go-between contacted her and she was given the assurance that no one would contact her again she may respond - someone from an adoption agency ?? - does she go to church - would her Priest help.
If paternal grandfather was about 30 in 1961 when your father was born then if he's still alive he would be about 90.

[Sullivan-Hunter22]

HI Zetlander,

Sorry I realise now that I didn't mention that paternal grandmother is deceased.

We have a letter from her that states:

"I do not wish to form any contact with *Dad*. I have a daughter, who I also wish not to be contacted - no one in the family have any knowledge of you. I understand that you may want information regarding medical information due to your children; my side is fine. Your fathers, I do not know of. I can not give you any information on your father"   

When it comes to this case, the only information I have are:

*suspected Name*
*Suspected* DOB
*suspected* Area between February 1961 - August 1961
*Suspected* Occupation
*Suspected* everything

[Radcliff]

if his Mum was a nurse, you could perhaps ,check out the nursing registers and see where she was working at the time of her prgnancy to narrow down the area,as I see from your initial post you did know here whereabouts at that time,and then have another look for a radiographer working at the same hospital, needle in a haystack,don't give up yet

[iolaus]

Is it worth posting on a Dartford local facebook group that you are looking for a 'CS' who worked at West Hill hospital as a radiographer in the 1960s

He may have worked there a lot longer or someone will know of him

[Sullivan-Hunter22]

Hello all!

We have found and transcribed a hand written letter from Dad's birth mother which he received back in 2005.

"I have not heard nor seen *dad's* father since I was three months pregnant, in the early stages, a long time ago.  My pregnancy caused a lot of distress and I had to leave home." - Her original home was Blackpool!, So we are now not looking in the Dartford area for C.S, but in Blackpool, Lanacashire areas for a Radiographer who was married in 1960/1.

[MonicaL]

As Radcliff asked earlier, have you checked historical nursing registers for your grandmother? If there is an entry for her on the register in the right period, it will provide additional details such as what hospital she was working at in the period when she fell pregnant with your dad.

See www.rcn.org.uk/library/archives/family-history and www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60423/

Monica