Year of Adoption

Hi All,

My grandad was 'adopted' by the Boardman family but which year I do not know.
He was born 1897 and then on the 1901 census he was down with the Boardman family as 'adopted son' - Is there any way I can find out which year he was adopted ? I've tried to search in the past at different records to see if I could find who the father was but no luck.
Just thought this may give me a different lead/

Thanks wendy

 

There was no formal system of adoption at that time so adoptions were generally informal arrangements. If there was any legal documentation, it's unlikely to have survived.

If the child had been in the care of the appropriate Board of Guardians (for example if he was born in the workhouse), it might be worth going through any surviving records to see if he was boarded out to this family and subsequently adopted by them. I'm afraid that's all I can think of pursue the adoption.

For his natural parentage, the book My Ancestor was a Bastard has some useful research advice. However, I think I'd check the workhouse records first.

 

Hello Peter,

He wasn't born in the workhouse but I've just bought the book My Ancestor was a Bastard so I will have a good look through it.

Thank you for your reply

wendy

 

I'd be interested to hear if you found the book helpful, Wendy - it's on my list.

Was it normal practice for motherless WH children to be boarded out to a family? Trying to get my head around what could have happened to my little 'adoptee'.

 

One of my relatives adopted 3 children. One has been identified on FreeBMD via her very unusual forename and POB (Northamptonshire)in the 1911 census but as to where she and her two "siblings" (both born in Birmingham) were adopted is a case of your guess is as good as mine.

 

Was it a fact he was of unmarried parents or a workhouse birth? Might he not have been orphaned & adopted into local community? [forgive me my tender moments, have read of too much hardships recently]
Has he been found in any Baptism records at all?

 

Hi Wendy I too would like to know what you thought of the book.

 

I did buy it, and found it an interesting read. Worthy addition to my bookshelf.

 

Not read it all yet with everythings that has gone on but, I will get round to it. What I did read was very informative - good read