Adoption Tonbridge Kent in 1870s

[ellenmaggie]

This really is a speculative enquiry to see if anyone can throw any light on a DNA mystery in my MIL's family tree.  Her grandfather George Henry Field was according to his birth certificate born on16th December 1875 at Houselands, Tonbridge, Kent, about 60 miles away from where the Fields lived on the Hampshire border.  His parents are recorded as Eli Field and Annie Fanny Field, formerly Spiers and they married earlier that year. 

They had five other children that I have found - sadly three died in infancy (two sons and a daughter).   Their two other daughters Ellen Clara and Emily Selina did marry and have issue.   They also had an adopted daughter Agnes Jane Smith.  All these children were born on the Hampshire/Surrey borders.

I am not sure where to turn to try and find out more about why George Henry was born in Tonbridge.   I believe him to be the son of a Brown (possibly William Brown, a market gardener from Weybridge) - lots of DNA points to the Brown connection and just maybe his mother was a Riley.  William was married to a Deborah Riley - I have DNA that I can track back to Deborah's parents too.

Was there a mother and baby home in Tonbridge?   Does anyone have any ideas?

TIA Ellenmaggie

[CaroleW]

The marriage of Eli & Annie was registered in the March qtr 1875 so they could have married anytime from late December 1874 - 31.3.1875

If George was born 16.12.1875 - why do you think his father wasn’t Eli?

[CaroleW]

Son Eli Charles birth Dec qtr 1880 was registered in Hampshire but he was baptised in Frimley Surrey on 5.12.1880

[ellenmaggie]

Hi Carole,

I should have been clearer - DNA matches strongly suggest that George Henry Field is not the son of Eli.   I have no matches to the Field family (and have checked with someone who took a DNA test and has built a Field family tree) for my mother in law.   Her closest match after near family is a possible 1st cousin 1x removed - who I have traced back to the Brown family and from there I found many more matches.   So I am convinced George is not a Field - my MIL should have had some DNA from the Fields if he was (and I am not convinced Annie Fanny Spiers is his mother- no matches to the Spiers family - I am currently following up with someone who may confirm their Spiers DNA).   The strongest cluster of my MIL's DNA is Brown DNA.

So I suppose I am just trying to see if there may have been somewhere in Tonbridge that mothers went to give birth to illegitimate babies - it might provide me with a clue as to why George was born in Tonbridge, when the rest of the family was born in and around the Hampshire borders.

Eli Charles is one of the sons who did not survive infancy - he sadly died aged 1.

Ellenmaggie

[Aguella]

Purely considering those DNA results, may I suggest another possible explanation is that George Henry Field was not your mother-in-law's biological grandfather at all, and that a son of William Brown & Deborah Riley was (for example, through an NPE involving your mother-in-law's grandmother).

This sort of thing was incredibly common ... I've come across it quite a bit in my tree. It would perhaps make more sense than an adoption in the circumstances you describe.

Did William Brown & Deborah Riley have any sons together? Have you traced those sons' lives - where they were living around the time your mother-in-law's parent was born?

This could of course be way off the mark, and apologies if you've already discounted it, but just wanted to offer another explanation for these results.

[Dundee]

I have to agree with Aguella - a newly married couple adopting a baby, as well as registering and baptising that child as their own, would be extremely unusual.

Debra 

[ellenmaggie]

HI Aguella and Debra

I think you are right!  I had a complete brain block and couldn't see beyond my first supposition - I think I knew I was missing something, but I just couldn't see it  - one of those woods for the trees situations.

Some times other people's takes on a situation are just what you need.   Thank you!   I will start investigating my MIL's mother's parentage properly.  I was probably blinded by knowing her and the oral family history that I didn't revisit it as I should have done. 

Ellenmaggie

[Jebber]

The marriage of Eli & Annie was registered in the March qtr 1875 so they could have married anytime from late December 1874 - 31.3.1875

If George was born 16.12.1875 - why do you think his father wasn't Eli?

If it is any help you may be interested to know the following.

1)  For a marriage to be legal it has to be registered at the time of the marriage, so  a marriage in December would only appear in the December Quarter. Unlike births there was no six week period in which to register a marriage.

2)  Legal adoption at that time was rare and costly as it could only be arranged though a solicitor. Mostly it was an informal private arrangement between the people involved. Adoption as we know it now only took place from 1927 after the passing of the Adoption Act of 1926.

3) It certainly wasn’t unknown for a birth to be registered  as the child of of a couple who were not the birth parents, I have such a case in my distant family.

[ellenmaggie]

HI Jebber, thank you for that.   I will keep it in mind.   Ellenmaggie