Genealogy Chat

Hi
I wondered if anyone can help me as I'm a bit stuck

My Grandad had a sister Alice who gave birth to a son the birth was registered as George William Stringwell (12/July/1925, Luddington, Lincs) (Rgd. 1925, September Q, Goole, Vol. 9c, Pg. 1683) on the birth certificate it said he was "adopted"

He was baptised on the 19/July/1925, at St. Oswald's Church, Luddington, Lincs as John William Brown (Rgd No. 780, File No. 11794)

His mother Alice Stringwell died aged 25 on the 17/July/1925, Luddington, Lincs due to Syncope brought on by over exertion after Childbirth and was buried 19/July/1925, St. Oswald’s Church, Luddington, Lincs

From this point I'm stuck, I'd like to know more but I don't know how or if I can find more out about him

Any help would be welcomed

Graham

If it says 'adopted' on his birth cert, then it WAS a formal adoption, maybe he was taken in by a childrens charity ( Banardo's for example) .

There were some legal adoptions pre 1926/27

When you say the certificate says adopted on it, do you have the original certificate issued at the time of the registration or is it a copy you have purchased? If it is the latter, it appears that he was formally adopted.

Now as his mother was unmarried it would be possible that he was placed in a childrens home awaiting adoption. However, if you are sure that the baptismal document you have belongs to him it looks as if he was given to the Brown family shortly after birth. It is likely that when the adoption act came in to effect (1927) the Brown's sought to formalize the arrangement.

If you contact the GRO they should be able to check in the adoption registers to see if they can find the adoption certificate for you (There will be a charge for this.) You can order adoption certificates without the volume and reference for £10 from the GRO. This will give you the adoptive parents names and address etc.

It could of course be possible that Mr Brown was George/John's birth father.

Thanks for your help & info

I have a copy of George/John's Birth Cert. (No Father is named on it) and I have a copy of his mother's Birth & Death Cert.

Alice Stringwell is named in the parish baptism records as the mother of John William Brown

His "Stringwell" grandparents had both died, so they couldn't look after him

The only people left at the time was my Grandad and a couple of his sisters

My Grandad was about 23 at the time, but I don't think he would have wanted to look after a newly born baby

His sister Martha would have been about 12, so she'd be to young

His other sister Ethel who'd be 27, already had 5 children and had just lost 2 more herself earlier in 1925

I think "Brown" as the father is probably right but I don't know how I can confirm or dismiss it

Cheers

Graham

I can see no reason to put his name as Brown on the baptism if he was not going to go to people named Brown or the father was named Brown. As he was born to a Stringwell I would have anticipated his baptism would be in that name.

Who was the registrant on the birth certificate?

Likely scenario.
Alice is pregnant and unmarried. She is probably not going to be able to bring a child on her own and she has very little support network. She finds a couple who are looking to adopt and arranges that they should take the baby shortly after the birth. Unfortunately Alice dies and the couple go ahead with their plans.

Was he born on 12 July or was that the date the birth was registered?

If that was his birth date, what was the registration date?

Jill

He was registered in the September qtr so not registered by the mother. 12th July, I'm assuming, is the birth date.

Sorry I haven't made his birth date very clear

He was born on the 12/July/1925 and the birth registered on the 22/July/1925 by Ethel (my grandad & Alice's sister)

The birth cert. was wrote by Joseph T. Robinson Registrar.

The "Adopted" was wrote on the birth cert. after the end column by what looks like (Chas. H. Coggan ?) Superintendent Registrar

Cheers

Graham

It's quite possible he was placed in an orphanage, and adopted as a 2 y.o., under the new law.