Patrick HEFFERNAN

[dog_foster_carer]

Were people able to change their name without paperwork in the 50s/60s?  Or do you think that perhaps Patrick/Ada adopted William knowing he was their grandchild?  Is there anyway of finding out?  Or could Sidney Arthur, being his birth father, have adopted him so he could be added to Williams birth certificate?

ETA:  And Sue, is this the Ethel Simpson you mean #20236/1893 and who did she marry and when?

[sparrett]

Were people able to change their name without paperwork in the 50s/60s?  Or do you think that perhaps Patrick/Ada adopted William knowing he was their grandchild?  Is there anyway of finding out?  Or could Sidney Arthur, being his birth father, have adopted him so he could be added to Williams birth certificate?

Marriage

Reg 15592 Yr 1916    HEFFERNAN    Sidney A
To    JOHNSON    Eileen G
At    BATHURST

A child was born to this couple in 1918 and registered at Lithgow. So Sidney was still there.

I think it would have been difficult for the new daughter in law not to notice in a  rural community that Ada HEFFERNAN had a little 2 year old at the time of this marriage.

Regarding use of a name.  I believe is not illegal in Australia to call yourself whatever you wish as long as it is not done for purposes of deception or fraud.

There were no formalised laws for adoption in the times we are looking at.

 

BTW, how do you find 1914 NSW births as I can only view up to 1913?

I think this was discussed between you and another chatter on another thread earlier this month.

Sue

 
 

[sparrett]

ETA:  And Sue, is this the Ethel Simpson you mean #20236/1893 and who did she marry and when?

I cannot say if that is her birth.
There are two marriages in the name Ethel E Simpson and you can see them for yourself on http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/
Both these women (who by the way are not the same identity) went on to have children.

Sue

[dog_foster_carer]

Were people able to change their name without paperwork in the 50s/60s?  Or do you think that perhaps Patrick/Ada adopted William knowing he was their grandchild?  Is there anyway of finding out?  Or could Sidney Arthur, being his birth father, have adopted him so he could be added to Williams birth certificate?

Marriage

Reg 15592 Yr 1916    HEFFERNAN    Sidney A
To    JOHNSON    Eileen G
At    BATHURST

A child was born to this couple in 1918 and registered at Lithgow. So Sidney was still there.

I think it would have been difficult for the new daughter in law not to notice in a  rural community that Ada HEFFERNAN had a little 2 year old at the time of this marriage.

Regarding use of a name.  I believe is not illegal in Australia to call yourself whatever you wish as long as it is not done for purposes of deception or fraud.

There were no formalised laws for adoption in the times we are looking at.

 

BTW, how do you find 1914 NSW births as I can only view up to 1913?

I think this was discussed between you and another chatter on another thread earlier this month.

Sue

Sorry, I obviously wasn't very clear, the daughter-in-law I mean is Sidney Arthur's second sons second wife and she wasn't on the scene until the late 1950s early 1960s when William was in his late 30s.  She has mentioned William but not in the sense that he was a half brother-in-law to her but more of an uncle type relation, unless I misunderstood her.  I'll check with her again but I'm trying not to be insensitive and pushy, seeing as how I've only just found her this week - it's hard to know how to ask such a difficult question as it relates to her recently deceased husband.  Is William her husbands half brother or his uncle - maybe she does know and still wants to keep it quiet.  I'm hoping to hear from a couple more of her rellies in the near future so perhaps more answers will come then.


Quote from: dog_foster_carer on Today at 08:03


I cannot say if that is her birth.
There are two marriages in the name Ethel E Simpson and you can see them for yourself on http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/
Both these women (who by the way are not the same identity) went on to have children.

Sue

Thanks Sue, that's what I thought. I'll wait and get Williams birth transcriptions (there will be two of them won't there?)  and hopefully that will tell me who she is.

Cheers!!
dfc 

[Neil Todd]

Regarding names.

While not illegal then and now, it cannot be used on a government form, you may have noticed on them a section on alias's. "Have you ever been or do you use another name other than your birth name."It is still frowned on, as normally it is for "DUBIOUS" reasons

Also as Sue says, it cannot be done to confuse or defraud or to escape legal custody under the law.

Neil

[dog_foster_carer]

I've received a copy of the death certificate for Patrick's son Lawrence Charles Heffernan and it states that in 1951 Patrick was a grazier (although he must be getting on in years by then).  There is no mention of him being deceased like there is on his daughter Vespa's marriage certificate.  The informant on Lawrence's death certificate is his grandson Harold and I would've thought he would have known if Patrick was deceased or not.  So the dilemma continues. I'm still waiting on further transcriptions regarding Patrick's childrens deaths and/or marriages.

Also, this was included in Lawrence's probate packet. I don't know what it means and I was hoping someone here could decipher it for me please. See attached.

dfc
 

[sparrett]

In NSW, between the years cited, no registered adoption of a child  took place by a man called Lawrence Charles Heffernan, the husband of Madge Ida Heffernan.

Sue

[dog_foster_carer]

In NSW, between the years cited, no registered adoption of a child  took place by a man called Lawrence Charles Heffernan, the husband of Madge Ida Heffernan.

Sue

Was that a normal type of search that was done prior to finalising probate?  Or any ideas why this type of search would've been done as he and his wife had two of their own kids? I just don't understand why a search for him having adopted someone was undertaken as there is nothing in any of the family info that I've found already to suggest that he adopted someone.  Would he have been able to adopt someone without the rest of his family knowing about it? I just find it odd.... 

[rosball]

Yes they frequently appear in probate packets of that era - I've seen a few (all with negative finds).  I think it was a standard form to be completed.

cheers,
   Ros