Adoption of Mary Elizabeth McKEAND

[Claire1]

Hopefully SKS can help

Mary Elizabeth McKEAND had a daughter who was later adopted in 1874. The letter from the solicitor reads as follows..

"I Robert Henry BROWNELL do hereby agree to adopt Mary Elizabeth the daughter of Elizabeth McKEAD and the same Elizabeth McKEAND to have no further claim on the said Mary Elizabrth McKEAD from this date April 20th also the namer Elizabeth McKEAD to pay me the sum of 3 pounds on the 22nd day of May 1874.
Robert Henry BROWNELL
Witness: George McKEAND

29th April 1874
Received sixpence for the stamp duty

W Henry ROBINSON
Solicitirs, Walsall"

I am looking for more info on either Robert BROWNELL, Elizabeth or Mary McKEAND

Elizabeth later went on to marry Jospeh ROME and had another daughter Matilda on 05/04/1894.

Any help would be appreciated. Was it normal to not only give away a child born out of wedlock but also to pay someone to take the child?

Claire

[winston]

Hi

Give me a clue, i need one. when was the Mary Elizabeth born, and where?

Wendy

[Claire1]

Hi Wendy

This is the 3rd time I’ve tried to reply, but it keeps disappearing!

Mary Elizabeth was adopted in 1874 and I assume she was not very old as the stigma would have been great in those days for an unmarried mother. I believe she would have been born in either Everton or W Derby area of Liverpool

Her mother Elizabeth married Joseph ROME in 1889 in Everton. They went on to have 5 children – Joseph 1892, Edward 1897, Ada 1891, Matilda 1895 (my husbands ggm) and Elizabeth 1899.

In 1901 Joseph is a widower living at 90 Edinburgh St, Everton with all his children and his aunt Mrs C Oliphant.

There is a death for an Elizabeth ROME age 30 in 1899 in W Derby so I am wondering if she died giving birth to her youngest child

This brings me back to anther puzzle. If Elizabeth was born in 1869 and Mary Elizabeth was adopted in 1874, the dates don’t tie up. Perhaps Mary Elizabeth used only her middle name and it was her who married Joseph ROME and it was her that was given up for adoption – the dates seem better on that.

Hope you can help throw some light onto the subject

Claire

[winston]

Hi Clair


Thanks for that that would make more sense.

I did find this one and only man named Robert Henry Brownell but he was born in 1827.

Here are his details for the 1881 census but if it is him where is the adopted child?  The child called Elizabeth Brownell who is 14 was with him in the 1871 census.

Any way here those details

 
 Florence E. Barker abt 1874  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Unknown  West Derby   
 Elizabeth Boswell abt 1867  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Servant  West Derby   
 Elizabeth Brownell abt 1867  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daughter  West Derby   
 Ellen Brownell abt 1827  Scotland Wife  West Derby   
 Ellen Brownell abt 1867  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daughter  West Derby   
 James Brownell abt 1864  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Son  West Derby   
 Robert Brownell abt 1853  Liverpool, Lancashire, England Son  West Derby   
 Robert Hy. Brownell abt 1827  Norton On Moor, Staffordshire, England Head  West Derby   
 Catherine Mc Cauley abt 1800  Ireland Lodger  West Derby   


Wendy

[Claire1]

Thanks Wendy

It gets more confusing by the minute!

Claire

[jdsbryan]

Hi Clare

My name is Jonathan Bryan. Elizabeth McKeand is my 2nd great grandmother. My greatgrandmother is Ada Rome. I am also looking for the same Mary Elizabeth Mckeand who was adopted by Robert Henry Brownall. My nana, Josephine Rome daughter of Ada had a copy of the adoption letter. Have you been able to get any further researching her? Can you please get in touch? I am also trying to found out about Mrs C Oliphant and I believe my McKeand branch of my tree may now be wrong. You can contact me directly at ^(*).

Regards

Jonathan

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[sarah]

Hi Jonathan,

Claire has not been online since 2005 but I think I have tracked her down on another website. Just sent a message with a link to your reply so lets hope she reads your message very soon.

Regards

Sarah

[Radcliff]

What a shame,
But according to Joseph Romes marriage his wife doesn't state her fathers name either,so I suppose that is the problem here,and she is 23 years old making her birth 1866,so adopted at eight,

[jdsbryan]

There is a baptism record dated 17 Jul 1866 for Eliza McKeand in Liverpool. This is the same year Elizabeth was born. It also records a George and Elizabeth as the parents. Could the father George be the same George as the witness on the adoption letter? If this Elizabeth is the same Mary Elizabeth, where does the name Mary come from?