Birth Parents - Michael ?

[Paula]

Can anyone suggest a route to find the birth parents of a male child who was adopted at 18 months old in 1947 (now deceased)

The child was called Michael. According to adoption papers was born Xmas day in 1945 and adopted by Basil & Ethel Hogarth (also deceased) in June 1947. We believe he was from a local family in Bookham Surrey.

The adoption went through the Epsom County Court in July 1947.

We have discovered from parish records that there was a child born on Xmas day 1945 in Bookham who was called Michael (name removed) - born to (name removed) and (name removed) and that the father was a Building Surveyor.

Is there any way we can we find out if this mght be the child who was adopted? If not where can we search for this family please?

Does anyone have any suggestions. Help would be so apprecaited.

Many thanks
Paula (on behalf of Michael's children and grandchildren)

[Olde Crone Holden]

You could look at Electoral Rolls in the Bookham area for Michael who would appear round about 1966/7. If he is there, then he is not your man. Similar traces for (father of) and (mother of).

Also check deaths for (father of) and (mother of) - if either of them died, this may have triggered his adoption.

Edited to remove names of possibly living people.

OC

[KiteRunner]

Hi Paula, I know that you mention that most of the people who you named in your post are deceased but since the others could possibly still be alive I have deleted their names. At first I thought the person whose birth you had found must definitely be the right person but re-reading your post, I see that you only know his original first name, so it could be a coincidence that somebody else with the same (fairly common) first name was born on the same day as him in the same place.

You say you found the birth in parish records - it could well be that your Michael was not baptised, in which case he wouldn't appear in those.

As for how to search for that family, you could go and look at the electoral rolls for the town and follow them forwards (I'm not sure what years of the 1940's actually had electoral rolls, though). Also ancestry has old phone directories online so you could look at those. Unfortunately the surname you mention is a very common one too so it could be difficult to know if you find the right people! But the mother's name is a bit less common so hopefully you can find her in the electoral rolls. Also you could search through the GRO death register year by year to see if you can find a death for her as there shouldn't be too many with her first name and middle initial.

[KiteRunner]

D'oh - just had another idea! You can order the birth certificate for that person and if he was later adopted then I think it will say "adopted" on it. Maybe someone who knows more about adoption can confirm this?

[Jessbowbag]

that is correct Kite, his original will have Adopted stamped on the end.

[Guest]

hope you dont mind me jumping in here but my sisters baby was supposedly adopted he was born in 1965 would I be able to get his birth cert and if so would it say adopted on it .

[Olde Crone Holden]

It should do, Val.

OC

[Guest]

would I be able to get it though OC ??? as I dont know the date of his birth and its within 50 years .

[samesizedfeet]

I think there's a fair possibility he's your man

I've just done a search on current UK records and in the whole country there only shows up 27 Michaels born on that date. The database is never 100% complete but even giving that it only managed to find half of them you'd still only be looking at 54 Michaels born that day.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Val

It should be in the GRO indexes in the normal way.

You might have better luck with the local Register Office though, who sometimes forget the 50 year rule.

OC

[KiteRunner]

You might not be able to get it from the GRO if you don't know his date of birth, Val.

[Guest]

thought not Kite, this is a very complicated story, dont think I can even ask my sister.

[Tom Tom]

Val, as long as you know his name and mother's name you don't need to have the exact date of birth.

At least I didn't when I ordered and 1964 birth certificate although I did that over the phone.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Yes, I should have made my post clearer - if the automated GRO system won't let you order it, then try to do it either through the local Register Office, or by phone to the GRO. It'll cost a bit more, but not much.

OC