Our speaker, Ian Waller, was a professional genealogist for over 30 years and despite being retired he is still very active in the world of genealogy. Ian’s talk ‘What happened to Lucy? looking at the plight of adoptees, foundlings, orphans and the Empire children (child migrants) mainly in the 19th & 20th centuries,’ was packed full of information.
Ian clarified that ‘Lucy’ was a generic name for either boy or girl and said that there are various problems locating these children which often give rise to brick walls. Some may live with other family members. Occasionally a census may say ‘adopted’ but then there are various correlations of that term. One example is the informal adoption of a daughter’s child. Often the daughter was sent away during pregnancy and did not return with the child. However, when she did bring the child home it was usually accepted as her parent’s and recorded as such on the census despite being common knowledge for the neighbours.
Legal adoption did not become official in England and Wales until 1st January 1927. Up until then there was no formal system. So how can you find the birth parents? It should be noted that circumstances surrounding adoptions are very sensitive, even if birth parents are traced, they may be unable or unwilling to accept contact from the child, or the family of the child, they gave up for adoption.
The Children’s Act 1975, states that if you are over 18, and your adoption took place in England and Wales, you are entitled to apply for your own birth records and adoption paperwork. The challenge for family researchers is that birth information is only available to the adoptee. Although, in some cases, the GRO might accept an application by an immediate next of kin of the adoptee. In either case details of the birth parents may still not be recorded or known.
There is an Adopted Children’s Index 1927 to 1969, but this does not replace the original GRO birth entry, which should be annotated ‘adopted’ once the adoption has taken place’. Only the GRO can link the birth entry with the adoption order. If you can obtain an adoption certificate it will show date and place of birth, adoptive name, gender, details of adoptive parents, date and court of adoption order. You could use the Adoption agency to help further your research if you know it. If not, then the court making the order in the local authority area where the adoption took place, again if known. Priority is given to pre 1975 cases.
You could try taking a DNA test to find your biological family. Ian suggested the best result would come if you took the test with more than one company. They differ in their results and are dependent on the numbers of people in their system who have taken their test. When the results arrive check your closest DNA matches first and contact them. Always check details given by any shared matches with other sources. Look for common ancestors within the first few generations as you might find a living family member. You may also consider using a professional researcher accustomed to tracking ancestors via DNA results.
Before 1927 the child might have been in an Orphanage, Foundling Hospital, a Baby Sale or a Baby Farm, to name but a few organisations involved with ‘unwanted’’ children. The Victorian moral attitudes meant it was considered a crime to be an unmarried mother. Consequently, both mother and child were often ostracised by society. Often a child’s bastardy followed them in to adult life and debarred them from entry in to the professions. Hence the Victorians considered adoption the best course of action and in some cases this may have been true. Many women were forced to leave home in disgrace just when they needed the help of their family. To support herself and her baby the mother needed somewhere to leave the child whilst she worked.
Baby Farming – run mostly by women as a business they would take on as many sickly babies or infants under two months as they could. Infant mortality being very high in the Victorian era there was little or no surprise at the time that a large number of the babies died. Newspapers of the era, aimed at young women, show dozens of adverts for this type of child care. Unfortunately, the ‘care’ given often meant the child was drugged with laudanum or other narcotics and they soon died from excessive doses. Ian gave a horrifying account of two notorious women, Margaret Walter and Mrs Harding (aka Mrs Dyer), who caused the deaths of many infants in their care. But shockingly they were not the only ones who treated their charges in this manner.
In the mid-19th century, with vastly overcrowded living conditions, many children were turned out on the street to fend for themselves, or they ran away because of cruelty at home. During this period over 4,000 orphanages were founded such as: Barnardo’s, National Children’s Home, Liverpool Sheltered Homes, Catholic Children’s Society etc. Some orphanages were related to a parent’s occupation such as the Metropolitan and City Police Orphanage, Midland Railway Orphanage, Quarrier Homes.
The Waifs and Strays Society (now The Children’s Society) – was founded in 1881 by Edward and Robert Rudolph. They found, in a neglected state, 2 boys who had stopped attending their Sunday school but could not find a suitable religious children’s home in which to place them. Therefore, they started one themselves with the support of the Church of England. The first was in Dulwich and was one of the earliest homes where children were looked after by a ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’, and possibly led a better life than they would have done with their own parents. They had a strict timetable of chores and prayers but were also allowed playtime. By 1905 there were 93 Waifs and Strays homes caring for 3,410 children, some were also sent abroad. Ian showed case records and conduct forms and letters as a sample of records you might to aid your own research. Access to these documents come under the 75year rule. You can normally plot where a child went on leaving via their discharge notice. One of the reasons for missing children in a family could be because parents had to ‘give away’ an older child, say about 9 or 10 years, due to overcrowding and too many mouths to feed.
Ragged Schools – founded by John Pound in 1818 the name arose because of the clothes the children wore. Started by churches and first staffed by volunteers they were eventually to be found all over the country. Ian suggested a visit to the Ragged School Museum in Copperfield Road Tower Hamlets London E3 4RR as worthwhile even if you don’t find an ancestor who attended one. He added that the records were brilliant much the same as a normal school with Minute Books, Admission Registers, Log Books etc. and are usually held in a local archive. For the whereabouts of records visit: http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk
Industrial Schools – these institutions educated children and taught them a trade. The Industrial Schools Act of 1857 brought many under the Poor Law Unions. Although, some records were destroyed when the Workhouse system ceased Ian showed examples of records we might find, where they survive. Industrial Schools were open to the under 14s found begging, homeless children and those whose parents had disowned them. Also, those under 12 convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment and those aged between 7 and 14 who committed a petty crime. Situated throughout the country often in rural areas they were very crowded.
Training Ships – were situated all over the country. They were run by the Marine Society to remove boys aged 11/12 from the Workhouse. The boys lived onboard a ship where there was strict discipline and their education included nautical skills. Many schools had brass bands. Boys stayed until aged 16 when they were encouraged to join naval or merchant ships. Records are in local archives or with the Marine Society. Names are often abbreviated in the records, but include a Certificate of conduct and ability, like a CV, for when they joined the Navy.
Foundling Hospital – founded by Thomas Coram in London by Royal Charter of 1739. Looked after over 270,000 children until WWII. Admission, after a petition by the mother, was by lots drawing a ball: White (immediate admission), Red (waiting list) or Black (rejected). Open mainly to babies under 3 months who were baptised under a new name on admittance. Index of baptism certificates can be found on Family Search (LDS film 0597095) and at the National Archives (RG4/4396). Unfortunately, they do not carry any birth names. Babies started off with a Nurse, often in the country before joining the hospital’s orphanage. Mothers often left a token such as a button or scrap of material to help claim the child. Sadly, few were claimed but there is a record book of those that were. The death rate was high and often happened soon after admittance as they were poorly at admission. There was a ridged timetable with boys trained for apprenticeship or the military, girls for domestic service. Hospitals were built in several places in the country one at Westerham, Kent. The Foundling hospital Archives are held at the London Metropolitan Archives and contain a variety of documents including Apprenticeship registers 1751-1951.
Child Migration 1619 - 1967- often children thought they were going on a boat trip and were not told where they would end up. They were also sent without the knowledge of their parents. Unfortunately, some never made it but died on the voyage. During WWII 17,000 child evacuees were sent to Canada, USA and Australia. Child evacuation was discontinued after 1940 when the SS Benares was torpedoed on its way to Canada killing 83 children. Check passenger lists which usually tells you the organisation who sent them. Also, there will be an official emigration record and government records of their training. Many children ended up in Camps and Farms to be trained to do the agricultural work expected of them. Unfortunately, their treatment ended up with many of them suffering both mentally and physically throughout their lives. In the Paramatta Farm School (also known as the Fairbridge Holiday Camp) MIs in the camp cemetery give full names of the deceased children.
The sources Ian provided will certainly give hope to many researchers trying to knock down brick walls and fill gaps in their trees.
Report by Tricia Baxter