Genealogy Chat

Thanks to all of you - I've been working away and discovered that my Grandmothers real mum lived 4 blocks away from her "adopted" mother for many years!!! Strange world eh? to have your real mother live only a matter of a few hundred yards away and never know her!! I'm on a mission now to find out if my Grandmother's real mother had any other children - who knows maybe I've got more cousins and Great Aunts out there!! Thanks again!!

Hi Jennifer, I've not seen godparents entered on a baptism entry in the parish register, only on the baptism certificate supplied to the parents, but the parent(s) appear in the register. That's just my experience and so there may be registers where the godparents are added. Legal adoption wasn't brought in until 1927, so before that it would have been a 'private' arrangement between the mother, or her family, and the new parents. My grandmother spent the first four years with a local nurse who regularly took in children, some of whom she 'adopted', others she fostered until other more permanent arrangements could be made, but she was then reclaimed by her mother. She was baptised at three months old, by her mother, yet she wasn't actually living with her at the time. Not all, but most children were baptised within a few months, so that might not help you if your relative was one of those and still with her mother at the time. What would help you is if she was baptised by the new family instead, so it's an avenue worth pursuing. Best of luck, Carole

If her natural mother registered her then the birth certificate should tell you the correct info. Only if she was baptised by her adopted parents will youhave an idea of how long her Mother kept her(But there probably not be a definative answer)

From this website's info on Adoption: Before formal adoption came into existence 1927 it can be very difficult to discover the original name of an adopted child. nell

Jennifer I think a baptism record should list the parents and possibly the godparents if they had any. i'm not sure about adoption not being legal back then. Mine was a long time in the future but thru an 'adoption society' rather than with Social Services involvement. the parish records should be able to help you

Hi, My grandmother was "given away" shortly after her birth in 1926. I have been told that adoption wasn't legal at this time. Her natural mother did register her birth and appears on the birth certificate but does anyone know if a baptism record will hold any details of God parents etc or who whether her parents were present at that time? This would help me locate how long her mother kept her for. Thanks in advance.