Adoption in the 1800's

[Teabag]

Hello all

Another question I have is a relative of mine on the 1871 census has a child by the name of Grace E Brown aged 6, it says adopted next to it, (the families name is Wright) and then on the 1881 and 1891 she uses the name Grace E Wright and daughter next to that, would they have had to adopt her officially in those days or was it just enough to take them on? She is a teachers assistant on the 1891 then I cannot find her at all , nor a marriage?

thank you Teabag

[spudqueen]

I have a feeling that formal adoption was not allowed in this country until about the 1920's or 30's. It is possible that she just started using the name of Wright. Have you checked the 1901 census and marriage records under the name of Grace E Brown?

[CheekyChops]

She could just take on any name she liked, formal adoption didn't happen unril 1924. I have an ancestor born as Bradshaw in 1859 and found under this name in the 1861 census. In 1871 and 1881 he is under the name of his mother's new husband, Frost and in 1884 when he married, he used Bradshaw.

As spudqueen says, it is probably worthwhle looking for a marriage under both Brown and Wright.

[Teabag]

Thank you both, I have already had a look and nothing is coming up for either. ah the fun of looking up family trees, but I do love it!!

[dot.hawkes]

It is likely that this was an adoption through the Poor law Union and so the records of the local Poor Law Institute should be sought and checked for information on her admitance and release. If it was 50 years earlier it would have been considerable easier as the records for the Poor Law Administyration at that time are failry comprehensively indexed, the later records are in the form of various registers and minutes of meetings but in this case you do have a small window to search, i.e. approx 1865 to 1871. It is likely the child was left an orphan and so a check of the birth registrations for Grace on the GRo index fiorst would pinpoint a birth district and lead to the Union Workhouse and then you could search the death index for Wright deaths in the same district, possibly in the same quarter if the mother died in childbirth, then you have some info, alsdo you would have the chance to order the original birth registration for Grace which would probably give you at least her Mothers name.

[dot.hawkes]

As for her marriage, maybe she never married, have you looked for her death or do you have evidence that she lived to have her own family?

[Teabag]

Hello Dot

Thank you for all that, it gives me plenty to look at, this is all a new line in the family that come from Middlesex so I have plenty to look for, many thanks

Teabag