Genealogy Chat

Hi all, i am trying to trace an Adopted Cousin. Suffice to say i am not having much luck. I have contacted the Mother and Baby home where she was born and taken for adoption. Seems that the records for the year i am asking about where destroyed in a fire. My question is would there be any other records EG: copies. Or is this the end of the line befor ive even started? Steve :-)

Hi Steve Wouldnt have thought you were a close enough relation for any info to be divulged anyway. Shirley

I appreciate that and i am sure you are right. I have been sitting on her Birth cert for a couple of years now, and decided to have another try. It was sudgested to me that i should at least for a start to try and find out when the actual adoption was registered. :-)

If the adoption was dealt with by social services in that area, you could send them a letter for your cousin and ask if it would be possible for it to be passed on. I guess it depends on whether your cousin has expressed an interest to them in finding her birth family . She may not even know she is adopted.

Hi Steve, As an adopted person my self and just starting out trying to find my birth mother, there is now a register that you can put her name on and if she wishes to get in touch she can, also it depends on what year she was born and where, as there where a lot of different agencies dealing with adoption from 1940s until 1960s approx. hope this is of some help best wishes Phyllis. ps I have to go through a social worker before I can do any thing, ie get in touch or write a letter etc.

I think 'records were destroyed in a fire ' is becoming polite way of saying its info you are not entitled to/ we are not going to give you. if there were really as many fires as we are given to believe (and do that many court records depts have fires?) its funny how its only ever adoption records that get caught up in the flames..... They are official court record- they dont just go up in flames!

Loads of fires, brilliant :-) Only thing is they told me the year (1960) had gone up in smoke befor i told them what year i was asking about. Does seem odd though that only one year had been destroyed. Ive just looked at the Beacon Lodge site and they are actually asking passed adoptees to get in touch for a friendly chat. Ive mailed again, wait an see what happens eh.

Have a look at the GRO site , they have a good 'Adoption' section Steve . http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

I agree with Scarlett - England must have been ablaze for 40 years, the number of adoption records/children's home records that were supposedly 'destroyed in a fire'. OC