Genealogy Chat

My husband was adopted back in 1960.We know where he was born and his birth name.Any ideas how we would continue the search from here.

Tracing the tree or tracing members of his birth family?

The first step in either case would be to apply for his original birth certificate if you don't already have it.

Glen

We have the birth certificate.Both at the moment.THanks for your help.Any other idea?

Hi Janet

If it his to trace is tree then it works just the same as researching any other tree. Depending on the details on his birth certificate it might be possible to check the birth index for potential siblings/half siblings fairly quickly for instance.

If however the search is to learn a little more about the circumstances surrounding the adoption and to possibly trace (possibly meet) members of his birth family then really he (with your support) will need to access his adoption file.

It can be done without using the social services department at the local council but really it is best for him to approach them for assistance.

They can apply for his adoption file, these vary in the depth of detail but at the very least there will be some documents that the birth mother had to be involved with. Mine was pretty comprehensive, (over 90 pages but there were problems with a blood test and that caused lots of paperwork).

A call to your local social services (either the child welfare or adoption unit) will give you an idea of what is involved, your husband would have to visit them for an "initial contact" meeting. Sometimes it's called counselling and that is the big hurdle for a lot of the male adoptees (it's a bloke thing!!).

It isn't really a counselling session but more of an informal chat, there are a lot of things that need to be considered and most don't even spring to mind,

Adoption isn't a "black and white" world, the feelings of the adoptee, birth parents and any family they have from before and after the adoption have to be considered and from experience i can say i never thought about that until i had my meeting. I just didn't realise how many shades of grey there could be when i started.

It's also a very emotional experience too, and if you (as a couple) decide to go further he will need your help and support. The highs are very high but the lows can be very deep too.

Glen

Thanks for that.It is very useful.But what is the birth index? I know he needs a lot of support and everything you have just told me is what we have discussed,Thanks for that reassurance that we are imagining only the worse.

The birth index lists all the births that have been registered since 01/07/1837 (for England and Wales). It doesn't give exact dates or name of parents but it does give the district where the birth occured.

Any birth after 1911 also has the maiden name of the mother appear in the index so it is possible to build a picture of potential family groups using the surname at birth and the maiden name of the mother.

Glen

Glen

What an excellent reply... I'm sure this will help Janet and her husband :-)

Janet

If you're not a member of 'Ancestry' then you may be able to access 14 days free trial (you will have to produce a credit card... but don't forget to cancel it before your time is up, otherwise, you will be charged for a years subscription. You can trawl the index of the Births Marriages and Deaths to search for possible marriage of your husband's mother and any siblings.

This takes time and a lot of patience.

NORCAP put out this publication on how to search go to

http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A617B53B-D3B0-4A1A-A5A8-86D22841A4A9/3/familyconnections.pdf

Hope this helps and Good Luck with your search.

Cheers Gerry

Gerry

Thanks for the comment, i'm not an expert but went through the process so can recall some of my own feelings and how things went from good to bad and back again.

Sometimes the male perspective regarding adoption is slightly different so i thought it worth adding my tu'pence worth.

One thing i didn't mention which is also important,

Although things can seem to go very slowly at times and it can be frustrating there are times when things seem to happen too quickly too.

It isn't a thing you can prepare for in advance either, if things start to get too much then it is worth stepping back for a time and only going back as and when everyone feels happy and wishes to continue,

You could have knocked me down with a feather when i discovered i had a half brother, two days later i found another half brother and a half sister in the index, it took a few weeks to sink in and i had to step back and calm down.
It's too easy to let your heart rule your head and the support of a partner or close friend can't be emphaised enough.

Glen

nudge for Wendy

Glen, know situation - my husband was adopted at the age of 6, he is now 52, we have found out in the last 4 years that he also had sister, we managed to trace her and also found out he had a brother and a half brother, we have just learned from records he also has 3 x half sisters, we are desperately searching for his half brother born in 1959 and put up for adoption in 1960. It has been frustrating but we are not going to give up