Adoption mystery

[laroc]

My Mother Vera Dorothy Tracey was adopted, this much I know, exactly when and how is not known.
She was adopted by Alfred George Tracey and his wife Annie sometime before 1927 I know this from her baptism certificate which states them as her adoptive parents on May 14th 1927, this gives her date of birth as 5 March 1917 and is the day she celebrated her birthday for the rest of her life.
However I recently found her school admission register from St Helens RC primary school in Brentwood, Essex which gives her date of birth as 19th March 1916 and does not mention the middle name of Dorothy. It also states that she joined the school on 8th September 1924, another entry in the register has her re-admitted to the school on 19th July 1926.
Both entries say that her last date of attendance at the school was 13 January 1931 and gives the cause of her leaving “left district” both entries give the parent or guardians name as Mrs Tracey.

So could this mean that her birth mother was a Mrs Tracey and that she came from within the family or simply that she was living with my Grandfather and his wife prior to her adoption?
Or could there be a formal adoption certificate somewhere waiting for me to find it?
Any help and advice would be most welcome, it is so frustrating not to have a birth certificate for my Mother.
Many thanks
Carol
PS
I have just been studying my family tree and have just noticed that my Grandfathers first wife Annie Lindsell died on January 13th 1931 so that could explain why my Mother was removed from the school on that date.

[Peter Goodey]

Presumably your mother is deceased (rules of the site and all that)..

I would have said the first step is to check the GRO adoption register index. I'm not aware of the index being online (but I never seem to be up to date on that) but copies are held at the London Metropolitan Archives and Westminster City Archives (I just mentioned the sites which I assume are handiest for you). An adoption certificate would be nice to have although it might not get you much further forward.

What do you know about the adoptive parents?

I assume you know about all the legal restrictions in researching the genealogy of adoptees (:

[Raffaele]

She was adopted by Alfred George Tracey and his wife Annie sometime before 1927

The Adoption Act of 1926 provided for formal adoption and records

http://
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/adopt1926.htm

If she was covered by the act you should be able to get all the records

http://www.
afteradoption.org.uk/page.asp?section=000100010001000300020004

I see Peter has also posted, use my references for info only and take his guidance.

[Peter Goodey]

If she was covered by the act you should be able to get all the records

Er not quite. Her mother, if still living, could do so. Unfortunately, if her mother is deceased, Carol would have no such right. Many people have hit this barrier and found they couldn't get any information about a (deceased) parent's adoption.

[Kerrywood]

Carol has kindly confirmed that her mother is deceased.

[laroc]

Er not quite. Her mother, if still living, could do so. Unfortunately, if her mother is deceased, Carol would have no such right. Many people have hit this barrier and found they couldn't get any information about a (deceased) parent's adoption.

Oh dear so here is my brick wall, my Mum died in 1979 so this means I have no chance of finding anything out if she was formally adopted. In which case I shall carry on with my research given the Grandparents I knew.
Many thanks to you all for trying to help me out.
Carol

[Kerrywood]

Do you have her death certificate? It should give her place of birth, which might offer a clue -- if the informant knew the facts.

[Peter Goodey]

You can still check for an adoption certificate as mentioned in message #2.

[David Benson]

Have you checked the date of marriage of the 'parents'. It might be that she was the daughter of Annie X, and was subsequently adopted by Alfred after they married. She would have then been registered as Vera X at birth.

[laroc]

Do you have her death certificate? It should give her place of birth, which might offer a clue -- if the informant knew the facts.

Yes I do have her death certificate but as my brother was the informant and he did not know where she was born either it is not a whole lot of help, he told where he knew her to have been baptised which was Brentwood.


You can still check for an adoption certificate as mentioned in message #2.

I have emailed the ONS and asked about this.


Default

Have you checked the date of marriage of the 'parents'. It might be that she was the daughter of Annie X, and was subsequently adopted by Alfred after they married. She would have then been registered as Vera X at birth.



My Grandfather was married twice, 1st to Annie Lindsell in 1906 at Lexden register office and 2nd to Annie Sach in 1934 at the Rochford register office. My Mother was born 1917 so I dont think there is a lot of help from the marriage dates.

[Peter Goodey]

2nd to Annie Sach in 1934 at the Rochford register office

Was I imagining it but wasn't she a servant of the family in one census I looked at? It crossed my mind that she might have been the mother but I couldn't see any supporting evidence.


I have emailed the ONS and asked about this.

You just order the certificate in the usual way.

[Kerrywood]

You weren't imagining it.

1911 - RG14/9998 SN 94

[Peter Goodey]

You weren't imagining it.

1911 - RG14/9998 SN 94

Interesting. There are a few female SACH births to an apparently unmarried mother round about that time in that sort of area. Wild speculation!

[Kerrywood]

I wonder if it would be worth a look at the Brentwood poor law records -- if they survive (I haven't looked yet!) -- in case she was adopted from there?

[laroc]

Was I imagining it but wasn't she a servant of the family in one census I looked at?
If you look closely she was a visitor to the family her occupation was servant but she was not their servant.
Can any of you make out where Annie Tracey was born? I can not make it out.


Interesting. There are a few female SACH births to an apparently unmarried mother round about that time in that sort of area. Wild speculation!
I am pretty sure my brother has been through all the possible permutations, but I did find a Vera Lindsell born 1917 that might bear investigation.

You just order the certificate in the usual way.
You still have to know which one to order and I can not get to see any of the registers.

[laroc]

I forgot to say that I have not checked the poor union for Brentwood but I have been in touch with the Roman Catholic childrens society and they could not find her in their records. Also I have been in touch with Norcat and Dr Barnardos with no luck.
Carol