Missing father...

[zippy1]

Hi
I am hoping someone will be able to help me in where to go next |help| The story so far... on behalf of a friend I am trying to find her ancestors...
We have a copy of a birth and death certificate for
Henry James Holdsworth
b. 3 July 1912, Queen Charlotte Hosp, St. Mary, London
d. 18 Sept 1955, Mortlake, London

His mother
Josephine Holdsworth
occ. Children's nurse of Fulham
No father is named on b. cert of Henry James Holdsworth
There's a lot of questions and I'm not really sure where I can (maybe) find the answers
- who was Joseph's father?
- when/where was Josephine born?
- who were her family?
- when/where did Josephine die?
There's a few family 'stories' regarding the situation i.e. Josephine had worked in a big house as a domestic servant also one day a 'foreigner' came knocking on her door and she wasn't in and left a message with a neighbour who didn't relay it correctly!?!? :confused:
I've been doing research on my family and have not come across this kind of problem where the father is not named so I'm not sure which resources are available that may answer some of the questions |banghead|
Any help would be much appreciated...
Rachel :)

[Jan1954]

Hello Rachel,

Did Henry James Holdsworth marry? If so, was his father named on his marriage certificate?

I ask as, in a number of my dodgy lot, there was no father on the birth certificate as the child was illigitimate, but he was named on the marriage certificate. This in turn has allowed me to track down the reprobate through parish records when the mother has applied for funds to help support herself and the child.

[zippy1]

Thanks for the prompt reply, as far as I know (but will have to double check) Henry James Holdsworth did marry a Winnifred, don't know where or what year though! Will have to ask some extra questions...
Rachel :)

[Peter Goodey]

Rachel

The first thing to do is to write to Queen Charlotte's Hospital. People have found that they are as helpful as they possibly can be and will be happy to let you know whatever information they have.

[zippy1]

Thanks Peter, I shall write to the hospital as you suggest and see if any more information comes to light.

Meanwhile, I've asked the friend and she has the marriage certificate of Henry James Holdsworth and Winnifred Dicker Halls, they married 2 Jun 1935, Richmond, Surrey. There isn't any information on the m. cert. about his father only his 'foster' father Henry Russell, but he was deceased at the time of the marriage. The family say Henry James was adopted but the certificate says 'foster', should I concern myself about the use of the different terms 'adopted' and 'fostered'. Is there anywhere I can go to find out when he was adopted/fostered?

Thanks
Rachel :)

[Jan1954]

It really depends upon whether or not Henry was officially adopted or whether it was an informal arrangement. According to the BBC News online: Although adoption and fostering have taken place informally for centuries, it was only in the 1920s that adoption became legally recognised in Britain.

Neil has posted some links here that may assist you in finding out about 20th century adoption: http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28666

However, Peter's suggestion of writing to Queen Charlotte's hospital would be a good first step.

[zippy1]

Ok, thanks, I'll get in touch with the hospital. Thanks Jan for pointing me towards the links on one of Neil's other threads.

Rachel :)

[zippy1]

hi, just a quick one... I've got the address for the now Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital but would the actual family have to request any possible information and which department/person would we address it to?
Thanks
Rachel :)

[Jan1954]

hi, just a quick one... I've got the address for the now Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital but would the actual family have to request any possible information and which department/person would we address it to?
Thanks
Rachel :)

I would suggest that you give them a ring and ask for details of their archivist. That way, you should have a named person to whom you may address your letter.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

[zippy1]

Cheers Jan, phoning them makes perfect sense |doh|
As we don't know as yet when he was/wasn't adopted/fostered I guess it's worth looking for a baptism to see if any father is named or 'pressumed', am I right in assuming the details will be in the LMA?
Rachel :)

[Jan1954]

Possibly, if it was local to where he was born. Unless you have any evidence to the contrary, that would be a good place to start.

[Peter Goodey]

People always feel obliged to look for a baptism in this sort of case. I would! Actually the chances of finding anything for 1912 are pretty low; it it were in the early days of civil registration the chances might be better.

The baptism records for Queen Charlotte are at the LMA in a special register of St Mark, Marylebone Road.

[benny1982]

Baptisms can be valuable in finding the father of an illegitimate child.

As said, most of the time, the mother wed the babys father after the birth, but if he wasnt, then the child would take his name but would more than likely be named as just stepchild or adopted child. It was a big gamble taking in someone elses child as your own as that carried a few risks like, the child might find out later in life, or the real dad might come looking, or even the "adoptive" father might get a bad name if people mistakenly thought he was the dad of an illegitimate child when it was someone else.