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 Adoption Search
As mentioned here my great-grandfather may have been an orphan, although nothing has come to light to confirm this assumption as yet. However, adoptions occur for other reasons. An unmarried or deserted mother, perhaps the parents were unable to care for a child. For the purposes of genealogy, when all else fails check orphanages and do an adoption search. Family history is a process of elimination. When one road leads nowhere, make a detour. Be flexible enough in your thinking to look at genealogy as a number of diverging roads leading to a common destination. The full text of this article on adoption records can be found at http://genealogy.about.com
Adoption is often one of those "brick walls" you find in genealogy, especially the further back you go. Here are some tipsand techniques for ferreting out the details of an adoption when they aren't readily available. It is not unusual to uncover indications of an adoption when compiling a family history. It is just one of the surprises that are part of a family tree. Adoption is commonly spoken about today, but on this topic, our ancestors were primarily silent. Evidence of historic adoptions are apt to be buried under legal language and a myriad of documents, so commencing an adoption search requires an understanding of terminology and where to locate information. No matter what the time period, finding birth parents is an emotional, time-consuming process that does not come with a guarantee of success. A certain amount of data is necessary to increase the prospects of locating the adoption information. In particular you need to establish a time frame for the event and locate the name of the birth mother. The first is usually easy to verify, but the latter can be more challenging.  Evidence relating to adoption in the seventeenth century through mid-nineteenth century is usually hidden in documents such as apprenticeships and guardianships. While infertile couples may have sought to adopt, children were also part of the economic process. They were placed in families that needed the extra labor or taken in by relatives. Individuals unable to care for themselves, children included, were cared for by the town or city poor laws. Since these work or care arrangements were informal, the only positive proof may occur in a probate record where someone refers to "their adopted child." The establishment of charitable institutions that took an interest in abandoned and abused children created a variety of adoption options. Children became the responsibility of various state and charitable groups when their parents either died or became unable to care for them. These agency records usually contain data regarding the adoption and are a good source of additional family information, such as the names of siblings. When examining nineteenth century documents, be careful not to equate "orphan" with an individual available for adoption. It referred to someone whose mother or father had died. Census records, guardianships, and probate dockets also provide clues to adoption in the nineteenth and twentieth century. In the case of census records, look for children that have a different surname than the rest of the family or for lists of residents of orphanages and agencies. In addition, try juvenile court documents, poor farm records and case files of state charities and social service agencies. Abandoned or orphaned children became the responsibility of the town or state. Abused or neglected children were taken from the parents and placed in agency-run homes until they were adopted or were able to care for themselves. Informal adoptions also occurred within the family. When a single woman had a child her married sister or brother could take responsibility for the baby. These adoptions are almost impossible to trace unless someone in the family is willing to discuss it. Regardless of when the adoption occurred there are certain documents that usually prove helpful. Just as certain sets of records pertain to births, deaths and marriages, there is a group of materials that can contain information relating to an adoption. Types
of Documents
Do You Know the Birth Mother's Full Name? This is a difficult question to answer. If you are researching an historic adoption, before the institution of laws, then you should be able to find appropriate documentation as long as you know when and where the adoption occurred and the names of the adoptive parents .
Begin by re-examining all the documents in your possession that can provide clues. Don't forget to scrutinize all the materials pertaining to the adoption to see if you overlooked anything. Look for documents that may contain the birthparent's names. Keep in mind when the adoption occurred. Some records may not exist for the timeframe and location of the adoption. In general, try to obtain copies of the amended birth certificate and the original birth certificate. Reproduced here with the kind permission of Maureen Taylor An adoption search can be a painstaking process. But ultimately, if you are diligent with your research, success, though not guaranteed, will come. In my ancestor's case, however, nothing fruitful has yet surfaced. After many years I am still pursuing my great-grandfather's parentage. There is no-one more determined than a family historian, and if I were to draw an analogy the obvious one would be to compare a genealogist to a bloodhound. Utterly determined and single-minded these legendary, four footed slueths will track their prey to the point of exhaustion or death. I don't recommend that you take genealogy to that extreme but a dogged determination is certainly important. If you think that an adoption search is likely in your case, it could turn out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Imagine the joy of finding a family connection for your 'one that was lost'! |
