adopted and possibly not knowing?

[sparkle60]

I have a first cousin who was adopted 1944 in Scotland as a baby. I have his original birth record. But he has not registered with Birthlink for contact with living relatives. I do not know his new name of course. He may be unaware that he was adopted. Or he may know but has chosen not to seek more information. Or he could be deceased. All I can do is include his original birth name in our family tree, and hope that he (or children if he married) decide to research their genealogy and wish to make contact.

But maybe someone can answer the following...?
I guess there would be nothing on an adopted child's 'new' or 'short' birth certificate which might make them suspect they were adopted. Would this certificate be sufficient for all future needs? If they ordered a replacement for any reason, would they be sent the 'full' certificate revealing  'adopted' on it?  Might my cousin's descendants some time in the future, if they were researching their tree, be able to discover their father was adopted?

 

[a-l]

Hi , an adopted person can apply for the original birth certificate marked adopted. However it cannot be used legally , say to apply for a passport .  the long certificate issued with the adoptive parents names becomes the legal document along with the short version of course.

[sparkle60]

Thanks for your reply 'alienlady'.
So unless a person was actually told, they may never know they were adopted?
Or is there any other way they could discover this?
Does the true birth date, time and place (e.g. hospital born in) remain same on the
certificate issued to the adoptive parents?

[Jane Masri]

So unless a person was actually told, they may never know they were adopted?
Or is there any other way they could discover this?

Basically correct BUT my father found out he was adopted when he applied for a passport.  I don't know the 'ins & outs' of that but that's what happened.  When my father passed away I decided to do some digging, admittedly I had a few clues to start with, & easily found his original birth registration.  Sent for the certificate which stated in the margin, 'adopted'.
Only your cousin can apply for all the relevant paper work connected with his adoption (or at a later date his proven descendants) It's very likely he does know.  So as far as your research is concerned you'll have to be contented with his original birth details with maybe a note that he was adopted.

Jane

[aghadowey]

A baptismal record might also state that a child was adopted (have seen entries in register that list both natural and adoptive parents).

[a-l]

hi sparkle , yes the birth information remains the same. Only the adopted person can apply for their details during their lifetime.

[a-l]

that's very interesting aghadowey, i have not come across that before. was that in a particular era?

[a-l]

hi again ,do you know if it was an legal adoption? because many children were taken in by neighbours during the war years,when the children's families were killed. they remained with their 'adoptive' families.

[SmallTownGirl]

I don't know about Scotland, but in England, a short birth certificate for an adopted person has different wording on the printed bit.

A non-adopted person's says "I [name of registrar] Superintendent Registrar for the Registration District of .......... do hereby certify that the above particulars have been compiled from an entry in a register in my custody."

An adopted person's says "Certified to have been compiled from records in the custody of the Registrar General. Given at the General Register's Office, Somerset House, London under the seal of the said Office on the ..... day of ..... 19xx."

So, if you don't know what you're looking for, it would be easy to miss the difference.