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  1. #1
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    Default Charles James Bond b 1898ish

    I'm stumped about where to go next!
    Charles James Bond, known as James, was the adopted brother of my granny, Mary Ann Bond. He is in the 1901 Census, aged 3, living with his sister, aged 13, and my great-grandparents Henry and Jane Bond in South View, Crownhill, Devon. His place of birth is given as Scarborough. In the 1911 Census, he is in the same place with the same couple but his place of birth is now recorded as Dublin, Ireland. Sadly he died in 1915 from tubercular meningitis and his death notice (in our family bible) states he was a 'dearly-loved adopted son'. I've tried all the commercial sites I can but I don't know how to find out his original name and how Henry and Jane came to adopt him?

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Brick wall demolition expert!
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    I am sure you know that there was no legal framework for adoption prior to 1926. Before then they were usually quite informal and often between family or friends. However, I do know that there were some that were done by solicitors where the mother basically signed up to handing her child over.

    It was probably fairly unusual for a child to be adopted by non family so far away from he was born - either Scarborough or Dublin.

    Were you family in any religious? Could the adoption have been arranged by a religious organisation, and if so do any records exist there?

    Unfortunately unless you can find any family papers I think that it is unlikely that you will be able to track down his birth family.

  3. #3
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    Many thanks for that, Megan.

    I'm not sure if they were religious or not. I wish I knew! All I know about my great-grandfather, Henry Bond, was that he was born on the Isle of Wight but his birth wasn't registered. (When he married, he gave his father's name as David Bond, a tailor, but there's no record of him either so I can't trace any other siblings. Grrr.) Henry's nowhere to be seen until he pops up in the 1891 Census working as a prison warder on the Isle of Wight, then he moved to Dartmoor Prison but after he was stabbed by a prisoner, he retired and became a shoemaker so I can place him in the 1901/1911 Censuses. He signed an evidence of age form as a discharged soldier so I wondered if he had somehow adopted Charles James from someone in his regiment but I don't know what that was either. I'm bricked in by several walls! I just can't understand why there would be two such different birth places given.

  4. #4

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    Was the sister also adopted?
    Do you have that evidence of age form? Does it give his rank and number?

    Some people apparently preferred to make up an answer to an official question than admit that they don't know or can't remember the answer....

  5. #5
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    No, Lesley, my granny wasn't adopted. Her mother, Jane Bond (nee Williams) married quite late in life so she probably couldn't have any more children apart from my granny a year after she married.

    I have Henry's evidence of age form from FMP but it just says that he was a discharged soldier living in Portsmouth.

    As to your suggestion about making up an answer ... maybe that's why I can't track down Henry's father, David Bond (a tailor) because he was a figment of his imagination!

  6. #6
    Wilkes_ml
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    The only other thing that may help is if his adoptive parents had him baptised in their local church. If you can find an entry, it may give his date of birth and birth parents, but that is very unlikely.

    I was very fortunate to find my great great grans adoptive sister's baptism, and it gave her parent's names...however, her baptism & birth certificate parental details were not consistent, and I still have never been able to trace her real parents. I think the majority of pre-1927 adoptions are almost impossible to trace if they are not related.

    Edited to add that some adoptions went through Barnardos from 1845, so may be worth looking into them just in case.

  7. #7
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    Many thanks. I've tried every local baptism register but no joy.

    I may have to concede defeat ... but not before I've checked out the Barnardos possibility!

  8. #8

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    What does his death certificate say? I see that you quote your family bible for his death - it would be interesting to know what the adoptive parents said when faced by official questions from a registrar. I assume that he's the Charles J Bond aged 17, registered in Plympton?

  9. #9

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    maybe that's why I can't track down Henry's father, David Bond (a tailor) because he was a figment of his imagination!
    Hmm! Odd that Henry doesn't seem to appear on census returns before 1891, not with a father David anyway. I cannot find a Henry Bond born circa 1848 in Isle of Wight.

    I notice Henry married in Wales, was he working there? What details are on his marriage cert, e.g. occupation, witnesses, address.

  10. #10
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    Lesley, you got the right record! On his death certificate it says Charles James Bond, aged 17 years, apprentice to chairmaking; died of tubercular meningitis 14 days and exhaustion; registered by Jane Bond, mother, present at the death; 7 South View, Crownhill, St Budeaux.



    I don’t know if you can make out the death notice they’d stuck in at the top of their bible, but it says ‘dearly-loved adopted son of Jane and the late Henry Bond’.


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