Genealogy Chat

My grandmother was adopted in 1892 by paid adoption arranged before her birth. This apparently was common in Victorian times. Through research we have found the family she came from and are considering making contact. Is ther any way of finding out if they are also looking? What advice can members give?

Official adoptions didn't start until 1927. Before then no official records were kept.

There is an Adoption Contact Register but I'd say it would be for adoptions post 1927.

I think there were some arrangements made using a solicitor butn of no concern really, regarding your query. If you want to get in touch I don't see a problem, it was a long time ago!
Jan

Thanks for the advice it is much appreciated.

I am a new subscriber based in Auckland, New Zealand and still finding my way on the website, so any advice is valuable. This adoption occured in Hastings in Sussex, and I suppose the only way to find out if her boilogical family has tried to trace her decendants is to search their family tree and make contact with the tree owner??

Thanks Barry

You are right. go for it - let us know how you get on.
Jan

Seems unlikely any family alive now would know about her. Even if they had heard a rumour about a baby girl being adopted they couldn't proceed with any research without knowing her new name.

Do you have her birth certificate?

Rose

Thanks Rose

Yes. And we know who the biological family is. Just wonder if they know about us.
Barry

proceed with caution, would be my advice!


some people get very upset when faced with the possibility that their ancestor was not as white as snow.




It is probable that the family who paid for the adoption to happen were a) reasonably well off, and b) were intent on preserving the reputation of the mother of the infant.


It is possible / probable therefore that no-one would know about the baby ........ girls were not always taken on long holidays in England or on the Grand Tour in Europe purely for education reasons. Such a trip with their mother was often a means of hiding a pregnancy.


There might be a few whispers in the family, but that might be all







as I say



proceed with caution





sylvia

Thanks for the advice

These and many other reasons are the route of our dilemma, however they must be balanced against our need to know more about my biological Great grandmother and her family.

So caution is the order of the day.

Barry