Genealogy Chat

Sorry if I didn't make it clear.....the process of legal adoption, and the introduction of the national adoption registers, didn't begin until 1927. Before then, people could draw up private contracts or just verbal ones, but these have rarely survived so it's very difficult to trace them. But, as Nell says, if the adoption took place a few years later, after 1927, then that's most probably the reason it appears on there. I've only ever come across this once before, and the man in question was first 'informally adopted' at birth, in 1923, then 'legally' adopted by his grandparents in 1928. Cazza

I don't think that you can assume the baby was adopted in 1923 - if its written on the birth cert it would be after adoption was made possible. Lots of children are adopted in childhood. nell

I think it means that it wouldn't have gone through the legal process as we know it now, ie the courts. Mandy :)

I don't understand (I told you I was a novice), if adoptions weren't legal until 1927 why does the birth certificate show adopted?

Adoption didn't become legal in England and Wales until 1927, so before this date there were lots of informal adoptions within families, and private adoptions through organisations such as Dr. Barnados. Perhaps you could contact them and if they can't help they might be able to advise you on where else to go. Cazza

My grandmother had a daughter called Olive Joyce Cordy in 1923. I have a copy of the birth certificate and on the right hand side it says 'adopted'. I've only recently started working on my family tree and I don't know where to look next.