Question of the Week: Are there adoptions in your family tree?

Question

Were any of your ancestors or relatives adopted? Tell us about them with an answer below. (For privacy reasons, please do not give information about any living people other than yourself.)

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Comments

Yes, me born in 1960.  Found my birth mother in 1994 and 6 half brothers and a half sister.  We have a great relationship and I feel super lucky!  Just before Christmas I was contacted by a half-brother on my paternal side which is amazing!  He found me through a DNA test!  No idea how to attack my family trees and wondering if there are any more half siblings out there!

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My great great grandfather was supposedly adopted after his father was involved in a fishing accident and died at sea. I’m very confused by the whole thing records wise because his marriage certificate has his mother’s name and it’s not the name of the woman he lived with as a child and teenager. Unless there are two men with the same name… which is quite possible and wouldn’t be the only case in the family.

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My father was born illegitimately to Ruby Agnes Ryan c1884, on 9/9/1909 at a home for unwed mothers in Stanley St. Newtown. a suburb of Sydney in Australia. Ruby named him Stanley John Ryan.

Six months later Ruby gave him up to a childless couple Thomas and Eleanor Bancroft to foster, they raised him as Stanley John Bancroft which is why I bear that surname. DOCS now refer to this practice as being a 'Back Door Adoption' and NSW laws were formulated about 1925 to deal with it however it went on behind closed doors for many years.

My Gedmatch kit number is A626300 and the

Genesis number is JS8758526

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Following the death of my wife Sue's parents due to natural causes we were preparing their house for sale and her sister Jennifer came across her baptismal certificate.

It gave her dat of birth and her siblings ages was listed as of that date.

Jennifer noted something had been erased beside Sue's name. She took it outside into the sunshine and was able to make out the word Adopted.

Sue telephoned her only living Aunt and asked who her biological father was, she was told he was a Captain in the US Navy (Name Unknown) which is rather curious as he would have to have been visiting Sydney, Australia in April or May 1940 which was about six months before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Sadly the Harbour Master's records for ships tied up in Sydney Harbour at that time have not survived the rigors of time.

Sue passed away in hospital on the 8th of March 2024 from natural causes, she gave me permission to send a sample of her DNA to Ancestry to be tested so I am not losing hope of discovering her biological father's name.

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Yes, my maternal grandfather, the youngest of ten children, was orphaned by his biological parents at the age of 4 and he was sent to the Iowa Soldiers Orphanage Home in Davenport, Iowa. Two brothers are documented as being in the orphanage at the same time. My grandfather was later adopted. I have learned some information about his biological family and I hope to learn more. I have taken DNA tests and confirmed the relationship to the biological. I’d also like to know more about the orphanage home.

Answer 1

I am the adoptee! In 2015, I connected with my birth families through DNA, my birth mother's common name (Carolyn Taylor, whose surname I was given at birth), and the help of the State of Illinois. That help was a programs just started that allowed a court-appointed confidential intermediary get access to my adoption records. I was the first one in my county to take advantage of this, and printed out all the information the clerks and judge needed. which they seemed grateful for. That connected me to my two maternal birth brothers. I was asked by the intermediary if I wanted her to ask the judge to release my birth father's name - duh! - and it was given to me as "Carl Lushner". Ancestry came up with several Carl Leuschners, and one's mother's maiden name was Hendricks. I had a lot of DNA matches to that name. Bingo!!! Through newspaper articles and people searching, I found more paternal siblings. It has been wonderful!

Answer 2

I have a question related to my previous post: I have a convoluted DNA tree name on Ancestry - Lucinda Jean Taylor Jasinski. My birth name is Jean Marie Taylor, and my adopted married name is Lucinda Jean Jasinski. Any suggestions?

Answer 3

I was adopted. Searched for years based on wrong tips. Finally, a well placed bribe at the birth hospital led to my birth mother. She told me my birth father's name, but 35 years later a DNA test told me the REAL father's name. The 2 men were best friends. Ick. They're all dead and gone or I'd have strangled them. Despite that, I've built out their trees, on here and on Ancestry.

Answer 4

My grand-aunt Rachel (Humphries) Fisher (1880-1920) was adopted. Originally from Glasgow, she came to Canada to live with my g-grandparents at age 7.

She was a few years older than any of their natural children, and had married by the time my father or any of his brothers were born, so they likely didn't know much about their aunt. She died at just 40 when my father was still a young boy, a long way away in Fort William, Ontario.

Answer 5

Yes I was taken at birth, and 4 siblings by the state as our parents couldn't care for their children. They had 4 more children younger than myself that ended up also adopted out. After my adoptive parents passed. Had my birth records opened, and found my most of my birth family that same day living all around me.  (A common last name but second call, my husband closed his eyes and put a finger on one of the surname in the phone book, and it was a distant cousin!) Still searching for one older sister and two sisters that are the youngest, hoping for a DNA match.

My husband has an even stranger story his mother left when he was 3 weeks old and the father that's on his birth certificate wasn't really the father. So sort of "adopted". Turns out our birth families moved together and intermarried back the day. We had no bio children together:)

Answer 6

My husband adopted my daughter and her last name was changed to his last name.   When I set her profile up I put her last name at birth.  I wish there was a way to connect her to my husband as the non-biological adoptive parent.

Comments

Terri , see my profile.  There is! As there's a sticker for my adoptive parents and it links to my whole adopted family tree! Right off my birth profile.

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Thank you!!  Great idea!   I love your profile too!

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Thank you 

Answer 7

Yes. Me n 1958.  A biological half-uncles son.  My biological mothers son…to name a few.

So I have two trees to work on.  Many years before knew I would learn my biological story, I had researched my adopted  mothers line of Trescotts.  This line extends through immigrant William Trescott to his father-in-law George Dyer of Dorchester, MA in the 1630s.  I did quite a bit of research on George Dyer, but never learned what happened to him in his later years.

Then spring forward about 10 years, and I have discovered my biological parents, and I’ve got a good start on that tree.  In that tree I learned that I likely descend from David Phippen of Boston.  In examining Phippen’s will, I find a mention of a George “Diet” [I believe “Dier”], an occupant of one of his houses in Boston in 1650.  This makes sense to be my George Dyer because David Phippen is related to Thomas Purchase, George Dyer’s partner, and another adopted tree ancestor that I researched extensively.  

Could it be that Sarah Purchase and Gamaliel Phippen (my biological ancestors) were looking after or renting to an older George Dyer in 1650?  All that previous research came in handy or I would never of made that connection.

I have to wonder….we’re my biological Phippens helping my adopted Dyer/Trescotts in advance of the Trescotts helping me, years in the future…my adoption just paying off a bit of an ancient debt?

(Furthermore, if you try to extend the Phippen line and the Trescott line back to the Middle Ages you find a rivalry between the de Wrottesleys (Phippen) and the de Pertons (Trescott), wherein Sir Hugh de Wrottesley murdered poor John de Perton.  Too much to prove on this one…but makes me wonder that perhaps this was the actual ancient debt being paid for….since Sir Hugh got away with it!

Answer 8

Both my father and my mother's mother were adopted. My father was born Marques Orendorf in 1916. He was adopted in 1922 by Earl and Lota Berst. Somewhere between birth and adoption his name became Mahlon Berst. He found his biological father and 7 siblings as an adult. Records for him and both biological and adoptive parents have been accessible.

My grandmother is a different story. She was born in 1893. The family story that I grew up hearing was that her mother worked at Shawn Acres (an orphanage in Dayton Ohio) was very young, got "in trouble" with a young boy there, had grandma. She left the orphange and the family lost touch with her. Grandma (Cora Belle Smith/Helmer) was adopted by Frank Helmer and Minnie (Bell). This is confirmed by the Census of 1900. My mother found my grandmother's mother (Sarah Elizabeth Smith) in a  home in Springfield, Ohio in the early 1940's. Her stories were that she would ask her grandmother what she had for sinner and Sarah would reply "fresh meat". She also talked about the damn Yankees riding up on their horses and raiding her family's smoke house. That always led me to believe she was from somewhere in the South. A small family notebook lists her birthday as Oct 27, 1856. What I can verify is that in the 1910 Census my grandmother was listed as a Ward in the Knights of Pythias Home in Springfield, Ohio. Also in the 1910 Census Sarah Smith was listed as an Inmate in the Greene County Infirmary, Xenia, Ohio. In the 1940 Census Sarah Smith is still listed as living in the Children's Home and Infirmary, Xenia, Ohio with no designation of any kind. The death date for Sarah Smith is May 1946 Xenia, Ohio.

I can find no information on my grandmother's adoption nor why the Helmer's didn't keep her. The family story also doesn't make sense if Sarah was born in 1856 she would have been 37 when Grandma was born, hardly a young girl. I have tried so many ways to get some information and to track Sarah's family all with disappointing results.

Answer 9

Me too.  Born in '56, I know my mother but not my father, although DNA is now giving me lots of 4th & 5th cousins.  According to ancestry mother gave me Scottish and Irish genes whilst father gave me Scottish, English, Welsh and Norwegian ones. He obviously got around a bit

Answer 10

According to the 1920 Census Fleck-1100 was adopted. I am no expert in tracing adoptions, so I just have him listed with the details I know and state that he was adopted. Maybe someone can figure it out? I don't even know if he had descendants in order to trace his DNA relations.

Answer 11

Adoption is trauma; a ripple in one's life continuum. Sometimes choice and chance err on the favorable ream of reality; but not always.

My personal experience in genealogy is it is "gut wrenching" to both seeker and the searcher. I have had personal experience with over a dozen adoptions, known and unknown and in various time periods of history. I warn that it will be a painful journey even if their live is good now; the undertow is a powerful force that they may need to seek additional emotional support. I see my job as seeker to provide them of the historical context of the time with the best research I can offer.

The worst mistake I made was to joke, "your great-grandmother may have had an affair the the blacksmith".  Well, iceman would have been more germane to the timeframe The reference was made to highlight the discrepancies of family mannerisms, health and appearance; the question of adoption was not on anyone's radar. Imagine six generations believing they were "Randolph" but the reality was they were Smith genetically. Yes, legally they will continue into the future as "Randolph" but their true DNA bloodline is SMITH.

The most shocking discovery I made was to find I had a first cousin by an Uncle no one knew was ever married! The marriage took place one year before I was born. I must say I find it odd no one seemed to know or acknowledge the marriage. Unless I met this Uncle before the age of two, I was under the impression he never married and never had children because "he took off to Florida with an older woman".

The most challenging life mastery, I made was to find out had a first cousin 2 x removed that I had previously discovered that her grandfather had been given up for adoption by my father's sister. An extremely complex soap opera emotionally and a taxing task to do the family tree.

Answer 12

yes, my maternal grandmother Rosa Isabel. She was born in Cheltenham, UK Oct 19th 1919 in a home for abused women /unwed mothers in Hewlett Road.  Her birth certificate states her mother as Rosina Burford (White), a housekeeper in Aberdovey, father's name is blank. She was unofficially adopted by Frank and Rose Davey from Cheltenham. I am still searching for any biological relatives, but although I've searched my DNA, no joy. Any clues would be most appreciated.

Answer 13

Yes. Me in 1958. So I have two trees.  And it appears they connect.

Years ago, I researched my adopted mothers line of Trescotts back to immigrant William Trescott and his father-in -law George Dyer of Dorchester, MA in the 1630s. I also researched his client/associate (also an ancestor) Thomas Purchase of ME and his fishing and timber interests. This, along with all things Trescott in England was all  I researched back then.

Years later, I learned my biological story and started that tree.  I eventually learned that I was likely descended from David Phippen of Boston.

David’s son Gamaliel married Sarah Purchase, a niece of Thomas Purchase, my adopted tree ancestor.  But amazingly, I found David Phippen’s will mentioned  a George “Diet”(Dier) as an occupant of one of his buildings.  I believe this was my adopted ancestor George (Dier) Dyer, living in Boston in 1650. I previously never knew where he was in his later years…but now I may have found him.

I like to think my biological Phippen’s did a good deed for my adopted Dyer…that this might be a small cosmic payment in advance for my adoption in the future.

Furthermore, if you attempt to extend my biological Phippen line and my adopted Trescott line to the Middle Ages,  you find a rivalry between the de Wrottesleys (Phippen) and the de Pertons (Trescott).  There is way too much to prove that, but Sir High de Wrottesley murdered poor John de Perton (Lord of Trescott and Perton) in an encounter on the road.   

Was the housing provision extended by the Phippens to George Dyer another bit of cosmic payment for that ancient debt?

I like to think so…you see…Sir Hugh got away with it.

Comments

Sorry…I did two of these…thought i lost the first.  Where’s the delete button?

Answer 14

I am an adoptee. I recently have connected with both of my birth parents families through DNA. I went from having one sibling to having nine. These include "half" but I don't use that word. And I wish WikiTree handled adoption better. I consider my adoptive family my first family. I refer to them my "A Family." My parents used to host "adoption parties" at our pool when I was a small child which included other relatives in my "A Family" who were adopted, neighbors, and parents my mother and father met as the journeyed through the adoption process. And my birth mother was informally adopted along with her siblings when her birth father abandoned her family.

Answer 15

My uncle Kenneth Jacobs had two boys with his first wife Marj Coe, the boys were Kenny Roy, he was adopted by Francis and George King, Francis was Kenneth's older sister. The boy was Stuart and was adopted outside the family by  couple in western Nebraska and was renamed John Stewart Knotwell. DNA has linked two women and one man to Stuart, each had different mothers.We also found a son of Kenny Roy that we were unaware of. Currently working with a woman whose mother was adopted as an infant from the Naval Hospital in South Carolina in 1967, may be 4-6 cousin. Surnames that are close DNA matches to her connect with Harold Dexter Murphree of Cullman, Alabama.

Answer 16

My mother was adopted. We kind of knew who her mother was. But when we got the original birth certificate, the fathers name was not listed. So My mother ended up doing a DNA test.

As of now we have narrowed the father down to one of 3 brothers. 2 of them were married. One had 8 kids and the other had none, or so I have been told. The 3rd brother never married and it is his name that I am currently using.

At this time, I have not been able to get any response from the children of the Married brother. They are a Roman Catholic family and refuse to accept any kind of "Scandal" into their family so they have closed up ranks.

I am not too worried. At this point I at least know who the family were and have been able to trace their roots back to Scotland in the 1700s. That's good enough for me.

Answer 17

We think so and have DNA evidence to support the hypothesis, but we cannot prove it with primary sources.

Theodore B. Ceruti, (Ceruti-35) b. ~1812 Sardinia, d. Bahamas has a mysterious background. A yDNA test of a descendant yields not one male relative named "Ceruti." Many male relatives were named "Field" and "Fields," including the noted British astronomer, Sir John Field. The most reasonable explanation for this is that a family in Sardinia adopted either Theodore or one of his male ancestors. We have no evidence whether or not he knew that was adopted or a descendant of an adopted child. This may have been covered up for some reason. It is not the only covered up. For a voyage into the unknown, the Ceruti-family mysteries page, sail your ship into the Bahamas triangle.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Ceruti_Family_Mysteries

Answer 18

My birth mother was adopted. I did not know her birth mother's name until after she died. Her adoptive parents had a difficult life, her adopted mom died when my birth mother was 2 years old. Her adopted father was in the army and gave her to an orphanage. Not sure why, since he had numerous brothers and sisters and his parents still alive who could have raised her. perhaps because she was adopted, who knows? What's interesting is that the adopted father's mother and my birth mother are dead ringers for each other. another mystery... I, myself, was adopted by my father's parents, I was raised by them from the age of 6 months. I have yet to discover a link to a biological grandfather though and it's curious the people that I'm DNA connected to that I can find no links to other people in my family.

Answer 19

I am aware of two formal adoptions within my close family--my daughter as well as a nephew. Both are confirmed--one with DNA and original adoption paperwork and the other with ME since I was there when the court issued the paperwork for the adoption of my daughter.

Comments

Yes! My dad was born Tex Allen Bethel in 1940, in Parkersburg WV, he was adopted by Nora and Lewis Stephens in 1951 but had been with them since he was a baby. He had two birth certificates . Which I’ve not been given access to. My birth uncle and aunt were adopted to a family across the river in belpre oh and unfortunately my aunt Carolyn died at age 15.

Answer 20

Yes, my father was adopted.  His birth name was James Stuck, born 4-23-1924.  Birth parents were Fred Place and Estelle Stuck.  Note: Fred Place's birth name was Fred Eggleston.  His name was changed to Place when his mother remarried.  My father was adopted by Samuel Isaac and Jessie Gauntlett Sheler.  They changed his name to Richard Gareth Sheler.