Genealogy Chat

Hi, this is my first attempt at finding out my real father's details! I was born May 25th 1969. My name on the Birth certificate was Elizabeth Ann Button. Registration in the Reading district. My father is not written. My name was changed to Elizibeth Ann Allen by my stepfather on 29th May 1974. Application number was ACR 076422 at the Henley Juvenile Court. How can I find out details of my real father? Please help I am 40 this year and I would love to know his details! Thanks

Have you applied for your adoption file at all? It sounds as though your mother and your birth father were not married and/or he wasn't there at the birth registration as that is the case with my original birth details, I think. My mother's details are on but my father's are blank.

Presumably you can't ask your mother for whatever reason?

Hi Kate, No I cannot ask my mother but I am thinking of asking her this year as a Birthday present!!!! I have not asked for my Adoption file. Do you think this might be the next step? Thanks for replying! LizzieX

I think - I'm not sure so it might be worth typing "adoption file" into the search box for these boards and seeing what comes up - you can apply for it through social services, but I'm not sure. (But I've never applied for mine so I couldn't tell you how - I'm lucky that I've got a file of paperwork that my adoptive parents gathered together at the time, but it's not my "official" file.)

There might not be much about your father but there could be background details - there are in the papers my parents kept for me. (Possibly not his surname, though - my biological parents are just referred to by their Christian names.)

Hi Lizzie


You could apply for your adoption file contact SS in your area to start the ball rolling, there is a small chance that your Father may be named in there, but I do not want you to get hopes up.
If you do not want to upset your Mother, would there be any other relatives that may know this information ?

Were you adopted through local authority or through an adoption agency? I know someone who was adopted through an agency and in his file there was a letter from his father (not on his birth certificate) I think they needed the father to deny responsibility for him before they put him for adoption. (This was in 1967.)

I was adopted through Henley on Thames Juvenile Court. I guess it means it was done through the local Social Services. I will try and contact them. Thanks for all your help! I have approached a few people in the family but none of them know anything or they just don't want to say! LizzieX

The only bit of information that I can offer on this is that a friend of mine had a son but didn't marry the father nor did his name appear on her son's birth certificate.
When she did eventually marry another man, he wanted to legally adopt her son but they had to have the permission of the biological father who gave his consent.
But when the adoption went through BOTH parents were part of the legal adoption - even the birth mother.
So maybe in your adoption file there might be something from your biological father saying that he gives his consent.