*To be archived 24hrs*Missing father and child

[mvitti185]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum but having viewed some previous posts I see that there are so many helpful people with great resources info so perhaps someone could help my family history query?

It's quite sensitive as it deals with immediate family, so I'll try to explain myself.

My gran, Daphne, gave birth to my mum, Jenny in Gloucsetershire 1944. However my gran was not married and she brought up my mum as a single parent. My mother has never known who her dad was - on her birth certificate no father's name is given and she was given her mum's surname. My gran has never told my mum and my mum has never really asked (out of respect/fear).

About twenty-five years ago, my mum was contacted by a half-sister she never knew existed. She was born in 1950 and was put up for adoption. She is called Hilary although on her original birth certificate my gran had named her Jillian. My auntie's adoptive mother was given info about her background which she passed onto her. At the time, by accident she was given my mum's contact details. When my mum confronted my gran about this half-sister she asked which one??

My mum never asked about this other child at the time. But Hilary's adoptive mother seems to think that this is true and that my gran had given birth to a girl before my mother and had named her Jane before giving her up for adoption. No info is concrete however. But there is perhaps some truth - all daughters had names beginning with J, not a coincidence I think.

Unfortunately my gran and grandad (they never had children - and they married 10 years after my mum was born) have recently gone into a home as their health is deteriorating rapidly and are showing signs of dementia. Obviously it would be impossible to ask my gran who my mum's father is and if she ever had another child besides my mum and Hilary. When we were clearing out their house we didn't come across a single letter, diary...nothing in connection with her past.

Anyone know how I could find out my mum's dad? Or find this 'Jane'? How can one access adoption files and records etc....

I appreciate any suggestions....

[Northern Lass]

Hi mvitti welcome to the forum

I am not too sure but I think that the GRO says that only people who are the adoptee can get the info

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

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/adopt ... nd_pay.asp

does anyone else have any ideas?

[marie]

Was your mom baptised? It might be worth checking the actual church records. 1944 is pretty late but, sometimes clergy noted suspected fathers. You could also look for the baptisms of the other sisters. One soldier that didn't make it back from the war might account for all of them. Church records aren't as good on addresses as the official certificates but can be better on relationships

[Northern Lass]

Just a thought....I suppose you have checked on the marriage records for your mum and half sister....cos as I go through the marriage records at the archives when it is a small knit community the vicar sometimes puts a suspected father on the certificate too!

Granted these are 1837 to probably 1900 I search, not many later ones, but you never know.

[gardener]

Hi
I have no idea if this would work or not but would the girls all have been registered under the mother's surname? In the same area?
For births after 1916 I can search on ancestry.co.uk just putting in baby's surname and mother's maiden name. So for a made up illegitimate Smith I could put in Smith and Smith and get a load of birth details.
If you would like to send me the surname (by private message perhaps?) then I could have ago at finding her that way. But like I say it might not work and I am not sure what happens to a birth certificate once a child is adopted. Is the entry changed? Perhaps I could try looking for all 3 girls and see how it looks. So if you sent me your mum's two surnames and her month of birth I could see how she is recorded and see if that helps. All I can think of
Kate

[lavy]

I dont know if this might help.
I applied for a Birth Certificate for my half brother born 1920. When I got it on the bottom had been written
Adopted. and the Superintendent Registrars name.
I knew who had probably Adopted him ( his Grandparents on his Fathers Side)
I looked in the Index Book for Adoptions and found the new Cert, Adopted 20th November 1934.
I wrote to the Court to try to get some information on the Adoption, but was told the files had been lost, possibly a pelite way of saying No.

Lavy

[Farmers daughter]

Do you know for certain that your Grandad wasn't the father of your grandmother's children? I know someone whose birth parents married later when they were both free to do so..in the meantime the daughter was adopted out.
Remember people in early stages of alzheimers live in the past...you never know how a conversation may turn out......
If your Mom and her sister are anxious to find outabout a sibling there must be somewhere they can get an answer.

FD

[grangers14]

To be archived in 24hrs.
Jo