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Help please - Lost cousin adopted away

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Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 14:51

Looking for a baby girl born to my aunt and adopted away.
Many years of trying to find her have revealed nothing. Messages previously on all main sites for looking have never had replies. No leads at all.

My aunt was married twice but ‘had no children’. Family secret was revealed by my dad only after she died. But he had no details, by then, other than a baby girl.

My siblings and I grew up supposedly cousinless - not knowing we actually had a cousin

Have no name or birth year. Only details of my Aunts name..
Any ideas how I can look for her please, (apart from Davina and Nicky)?

Hoping she is still alive. Sadly she arrived at my Aunts house just after my aunt had died. Even more sadly, she was turned away by my grief stricken uncle.
This is all we know.
Any ideas please, I am aware that adoption registers are closed to only the immediate relatives. Something must have happened tho for her to arrive at my aunts house. Grateful for any help!

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 26 Oct 2018 15:01

Well without her adopted name then there's no chance

Have you looked on freebmd for a possible birth using aunts maiden name or married names

Having established aunts birth you could look as a starting point from her age + 15 years

It's possibly going to be a long slog !!

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 15:09

Yes.. I know. very difficult. trying again. The longer it’s unknown the more chance of her not still being alive.

Yes I have.. searched here for all trees, nothing.
Searched bmd with the various combinations, maybe worth doing again, in case of any added info from when I last did.. will try.

She was born Ruby Clayton 1925 Wolverhampton . She married twice, new surnames were Fieldhouse 1952 and Mountford 1975. I don’t expect this child to have either of those surnames tho. Any given name at birth could likely have been changed at adoption as well. It’s a tough one this one!

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 26 Oct 2018 15:54

Well it would be changed but the birth would be in her maiden name if she single when the child was born

Gwyn in Kent

Gwyn in Kent Report 26 Oct 2018 15:58

If the daughter was able to track down her mother even after 2 marriages and subsequent changes of surname, it suggests that she had help along the way.

The first thought is that the child was born when you aunt was young and unmarried, but could the daughter have been born between marriages and perhaps been registered Fieldhouse.?
You need a starting point of the correct birth registration before you can move forward.

Maybe an add in a local paper, sensitively worded might draw a response.

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 26 Oct 2018 16:02

Well it would mean getting the cert but she married Bilston reg district to fieldhouse and there is a birth in 1944 Bilston

Also reg as Astin so not married

Details on freebmd

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 26 Oct 2018 16:41

The family were in Staffordshire in 1939


Clayton Household (4 People)
99 Alma Street , Wolverhampton C.B., Staffordshire, England
Add to tree View original image Print
FIRST NAME(S) LAST NAME(S) DOB OCCUPATION
Christopher Clayton 07 May 1880 Builders Labourer
Bertha Clayton 09 Sep 1888 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.
Ref: RG101/5345A/009/22 Letter Code:
© Findmypast Ltd
Open a closed record Request a living person's record Close an open record Report an error

They had two daughters Thelma and Ruby and these would be the closed records

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 16:44

Thanks. Yes that is the family.. I don’t have any idea when this baby was born.. but yes it could be before she married.

Reg as Astin? Please can you explain more about that please? Who is regd Astin?

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 16:53

Just had a look at that. It’s confusing.. There are surnames Astin and an Aston and a Clayton all born September to December 1944 to Mom Clayton. [these are all for one birth reg.]

This may have been what I found before. Will try to cross reference these..

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Oct 2018 17:01

There is a girl born in the 3rd quarter of 1944 in Bilston registration district whose birth surname is registered as both Clayton, mother's maiden name Clayton and also registered as Astin, mother's maiden name Clayton.

This would usually suggest that the parents are not married but that the father admitted paternity and the birth was registered in his name as well.

If you bought the birth certificate it would let you know who the mother was and whether or not it was your aunt.

Kath. x

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 17:05

Thanks Kath Yes - Not sure which cert to go for as there 3 possible there... wonder what happens with name changes after or at adoption. No idea what area this baby girl would have been moved to, to check any ERs.

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Oct 2018 17:11

I would order the certificate in the name of Clayton just to see if the mother's name matches the name of your aunt.

If the baby was adopted then the name won't be the same now anyway.

You could add your name to the Adoption Contact Register just in case this baby decides to look for her birth family and registers herself.

https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records/the-adoption-contact-register

Kath. x

Gwyn in Kent

Gwyn in Kent Report 26 Oct 2018 17:12

There was a daughter born to someone with your aunt's 1st married name, who has the correct mother's maiden name.

I don't see another marriage for a couple with those names in the right time frame......

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 17:19

3 records for a Jean A - so A could be Aston or Astin as middle name.. as the tradition of including unmarried fathers surname as the middle name.

There is also a Joan born to Clayton mom as well. I think this is why I didn’t order any certs so far..
:-S

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Oct 2018 17:30

Did your aunt's first husband die or were they divorced? Just wondered if you knew when the first marriage was over.

Had a look at Gwyn's suggestion about a child born with surname Fieldhouse, mother's maiden name Clayton in 1962 in Wolverhampton. Could your aunt have had a baby with someone else either after her first marriage or during that marriage (could be a reason for a divorce if she actually did divorce).

Kath. x

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 26 Oct 2018 17:31

Will send the details of that birth in a private message as this person may still be alive.

Kath. x

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 17:32

Thanks for all your help everyone, getting excited about picking through this trail again. So she could be possibly 74 years old now bless her.
I did not know about that adoption register thing Kath. Well I did but I think the info on this has changed since I last looked. So thanks for that!
When I tried to access adoption info, before you had to be a child or parent directly involved in the adoption.

Gwyn in Kent

Gwyn in Kent Report 26 Oct 2018 17:32

3 of those Jean certs. probably belong to the same person, but are just indexed in different ways.

One of the index names possibly is on someone's tree on this site.
Have you searched names using Search all members trees...to top right of your screen?

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 17:34

Yes Kath they did divorce. (The 1st marriage.)

Anji

Anji Report 26 Oct 2018 17:35

Yes Gwyn I have searched the tree all records here and came up with nothing, but will try again with all the possibles... and yes that is what is confusing me and Joan is a similar name to Jean too!