Freelance adoption pre 1881 from England

[Stuart_McDonald]

What are the chances of solving this one.....
Mary Ann Walker gave birth to twin sons, likely to have been born on 28 August 1879 while unmarried.  The sons were registered as Harry & Willie and are likely to have been born on the borders of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.  Elm, Emneth and Wisbech are frontrunner birthplaces.  The twins were to have been adopted by an American couple, but when they came to collect the boys, Harry had contracted chickenpox and could not travel.  Willie migrated to the US with his adoptive parents and the brothers never saw each again.  Harry remained with his mother and lived his life as Harry Walker and passed at Wisbech in 1950.
No identities of the adoptive parents or location in the US are known.
Has anyone come across this story and knows what became of Willie?
Many thanks
Stuart

[wivenhoe]

"Has anyone come across this story and knows what became of Willie?"

How have you come across the story?

"freelance adoption"....I am not familiar with this term. What does it mean?

[Neale1961]

Harry and Willie have their births registered at Wisbech.
1881 census: Mary Ann is with Harry aged 1 in the workhouse. Harry is recorded as born in Wisbech, while Mary 26 unmarried servant was born Elm.
It looks as if there are 2 other children with her – George Burton 9 and Robert Burton 8 - both born Emneth.
1891 census: Harry is with his Walker grandparents.

If your story about Willie is true, he probable travelled under a new surname to the USA.

[Stuart_McDonald]

Thanks for the comments, it has always been a family story.  The twins had an elder sister who migrated to Australia and is my ancestress.  Harry visited her in Australia, Willie did not.  No one is sure if his whereabouts and adoptive name were known during his siblings' lifetimes, his brother Harry is said to have "written a letter to him".
The Burton children found on the 1881 Census are unrelated as the address is a Work House housing a multitude.
You can live in hope.

[shellyesq]

An autosomal DNA test may be the best chance of solving it.  Hopefully, the twin who went to the US had children and one of the descendants DNA tested.

[Stuart_McDonald]

I think I have solved it myself......by using the Ancestry All Death & Burial search option, leaving all fields blank except date of birth and using "England" as birthplace and narrowing to USA records only, I have located an Ohio death in 1948 that appears perfect.

[shellyesq]

Well done!  I think you are onto something there, although it looks like his adoptive parents were born in England and then went to the US.  His obituary describes immigrating to the US at age 9 months - https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115942796/obituary-for-william-russell/  His marriage record lists his father's name as Robert - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BG9H-FB?i=237&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZZBJ-2T3Z  Your guy seems to be listed as adopted son in the 1900 census.  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMX5-5NX  Other census records seem to list his immigration year as 1881.  https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/L66F-BC3

[shellyesq]

William's adoptive father's Robert obituary says he was born in Cambridgeshire, so that seems to be a good match  - https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115943145/

[Stuart_McDonald]

Thank you for the links Shelly.....much appreciated.  Willie's birth mother had a younger sister Martha......who married......Robert Russell.
It is all coming together.
......and a public tree on Ancestry that recounts the adoption story.
I really appreciate the news stories Shelly. Very kind of you.
Happy 2023 to you.