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I would love to know what happened to an adopted cousin, My Mums sister had a baby boy on 19 May 1943 by an American serviceman, after her husband returned in 1944 she was given the choice of him or the baby, Michael Anthony Dunning was his name and he, I can only presume, was adopted....I do have a copy of his birth certificate and have been led to believe that, if people are adopted, the word 'adopted' is placed on their original birth certificate, is this true? His cert does not give this information. He was born in London.

I made contact with the Migrants Trust who advised he had not been sent abroad (like so many young children were at that time), I also contacted Barbardos who had no record of him.

The way an adoption was handled in the records changed over the years

From about the .1960, s an S is against the page nos on the gro record which means if the birth cert is ordered only a small copy would,be issued which wouldnt show any parents info

So it may be that a 1940, s birth cert won't indicate adoption

Thanks for that piece of information Shirley x

If an adoption took place it will have that written on the original certificate even from 1927.

A change of surname may have taken place with no adoption, (long term foster) then again if placed in one of the many homes may have retained the full name but has had no desire to seek any family.?

Thank you Kay for confirming what I was originally told......He was born at a house address, not in hospital, I have recently found out through electoral rolls who was living at that address before and after the war (none were taken during the war, as you may possibly know) I am therefore assuming my aunt must have obviously known the occupants and I believe one of them was a close friend of hers. Someone also suggested to me that he may have been taken in eventually (he was given away at 9 months old) by the person who occupied the property and could even have taken their name.

Many thanks x

Have you delved to see if the people of the address died and left a Will in which Michael may have been named.?

Hi Kay.......the people on the Electoral roll was a woman in her 40's with a daughter living at the address (not sure if she had a husband who was away at war) this was in 1940, the next Electoral roll in 1946 was a completely different family. I feel the woman in 1940 could have been my aunt's friend but they had moved from the property (possibly after taking Michael ?? ) I am assuming they may have just been renting) I haven't actually looked into the Electoral rolls any further because it has
to be done by the property, not the name ? Someone suggested looking at the school registers in the area but if I am correct, I believe this would not be possible due to records being held for 100 years before becoming public ??

I'm just really curios as to what happened to him, my mother told me about him years ago and at the time I was not into family history, she just said she used to look after him and I never thought to ask any questions at that time, I didn't like to! x

School records are not necessarily closed for 100 years ( unless you have been told that this is the case for your area of interest )

I have contacted schools direct and been given information regarding 1940s, because the books had not yet been archived.

Have you looked for him in other people's trees and online using his birth name ?

A quick google of his full name brings up an entry on companies house??

Christine

Christine I think the one on Company records was born 1952.

Thank you Gwyn for that piece of information, that's interesting, might follow up on that then.

Christine....Yes, I have been looking on and off for a number of years now and have googled on many occasions.

Thanks for your help x

Have you googled his name using the other known surname.?

Hi Kay

A kind person on this site looked at passenger lists and informed me there was a Michael Anthony Hicks who sailed on the JOHN ERICSSON ship in April 1946. After looking at this it was a ship taking American war brides back with children to New York, the child was the same age as he was and it looks as though he was possibly accompanied by the previous passenger, a young woman of almost 20 (noted as housewife) which got me thinking did my aunt give Michael to his father and he then took him back to America with him along with a possible new partner. Her surname was not down as Hicks, it just gave her name as Rennie May and under family name it stated 'Gould' I don't think troops travelled with them and was hoping to try and obtain more passenger lists for the troops but it seems these were not recorded during the war ! Would an American soldier have been in a position to take on a child in 1944 with the help of someone else of course ? I'm not so sure.

Yes, I have googled with the other names but have not found anything relevant

Michael was born in Wales as Hicks and went to US as Hicks/////---Allen the new surname of the mother,as per crossed records show.


so not the one. :-(.

Have sent you a private message........no, not Michael unfortunately but at least I know and know not to continue on that route.

Thank you for your time and effort x

Re: on the trail of Michael

I have now found out the details for the people in the Electoral roll in 1939
who may have possibly taken Michael in during the war.

They were Arthur Henry W WALKER B 2/6/1906
Dorothy Emily WALKER (nee Lynn) B 29/1/1900
They had a son called Arthur William in 1925. He died in Dec 1996

It seems that Arthur Senior died in September 1975 in Waltham Forest
and his wife died in Died in December 1975 also Waltham Forrest.

I joined up with a standard subscription on Ancestry thinking I would get the Electoral rolls, but did not.........BUT Arthur Senior left a will but I cannot read
this either.....his wife did not leave one.

Would someone be kind enough to look at this Will for me to see who the
estate/money etc. was left to.

Many thanks for any help. x

From the online Wills&probate.

This is the only one of that time.


Walker Arthur Henry,of 14 Norfolk House,Cecillia Rd,London E8, died 11th Nov 1974,Adminstered in London 10th April 1975.
£.1,544.

a copy would be needed to see the full details.

Thanks Kay

I found a Will for my 3rd gt gt Grandfather on there once and it mentioned who the recipients were, maybe things have changed.

Thanks again for your time x

Before about 1965, the Calendar entries listed who the Executors or Administrators were. They may not have been a beneficiary.

Ancestry do have a number of early Wills in their data bases eg
England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858