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I'm trying to trace my deceased mother's true parents.
She was adopted at the age of 7 months in 1912.

I have the Deed of Adoption which states her parents as being John & Elizabeth Ellen Ritchie.
Unfortunately the firm of solicitors who drew up the adoption paper do not keep records that go back that far.

I have tried contacting her adoptive parent’s family but without success.

I have been unable to find a birth certificate for my mother in either England, Scotland or Wales nor can I trace the Ritchies through BDMs or Census records.

I have a copy of her Baptism Certificate which gives her 'Christian' name as Jessie Marion

If my mother’s birth was registered somewhere by the Ritchies I think it is unlikely that she would have been given the names Jessie Marion by them.

I think that these names were probably given to her by the adoptive parents as her adoptive mother was called Jessie Kezia.
Her adoptive parents name was Goodland and they lived in Tiverton, Devon.

If anyone could suggest a further avenue of research I would be very grateful.

Hugh Stephens

There is a John Ritchie [no S] = Elizabeth E Williams Dec Q 1912 Newton Abbot 5b 327

if this is the marriage you seek then the baby may have been born before marriage as Williams or if the pretended to be married before they did as Ritchie
if you know the date of birth then you may find the birth in that quarter or the one after.

Mavis

We could cut the search down by at least a half if you could tell us the date on the paperwork of 1912 when 'baby' was said to be 7 months old?

Dea x

There is this birth in Newton Abbott of a girl whose name is recorded as Williams with mother's maiden name Williams:-

Births Jun 1912
Williams Linda M Williams Newton A. 5b 210

Just wondering if the middle initial "M" could stand for Marion and her adoptive parents kept her original middle name??

Formal adoption didn't start in England until 1927, so I'm surprised there is any formal documentation from a solicitors. Do you have an address for the solicitors?

Kath. x

POSSIBLES pre Richie/Williams marriage
(but why give the baby away if you marry anyway )


Births Jun 1912

Williams Iris R Williams Exeter 5b 148
Williams Linda M Williams Newton A. 5b 210


Can not see any later Ritchie/Williams children that fit ??

Sad if they had no more children,

"""I have a copy of her Baptism Certificate which gives her 'Christian' name as Jessie Marion""

Is it dated AFTER the adoption?

In those days giving up the baby was probably forced on the mother if she wanted to stay in her own area.

My grandmother had a child out of wedlock in 1911 and she was disowned by her family and moved from Lincolnshire to Essex to have her baby (which she kept).

Kath. x

Jessie Marion Stephens DOB 23 May 1912

Mavis

A thought
if the baby was born Williams and it was adopted perhaps it was not John Richie's baby !!

We are of course presuming that that was the marriage, after the baby was born ??

Mavis

Marriages Jun 1906

GOODLAND Walter Fred Tiverton 5b 970
Wood Jessie Kezia Tiverton 5b 970

From freebmd.

Suzanne

Births Sep 1909

Goodland Ernest Tiverton 5b 366

Seems to be the only Goodland birth at that time in Tiverton.

Suzanne

Are there any photographs in your mother's belongings that are identifiable/or not identified?

What was the occupation of John Ritchie?

Was any money settled on the baby?
Is there any chance Elizabeth Ellen was related to Jessie or Walter?

Suzanne

How about tracing the church where the baptism took place... are you allowed to baptise a baby twice?

There may be a previous record of baptism with the birth name.

Suzanne

Have received this from Hugh by pm:

Hello Dea,
The Deed of Adoption is dated 27 Dec 1912.
According to the Baptism Cert her 'alleged date of birth' was 23 May 1912.
Regards, Hugh

Strangely, Mavis posted this earlier:

Jessie Marion Stephens DOB 23 May 1912

Mavis

..............

It could be a co-incidence but it certainly looks as though Mavis may be on to something here??

Dea x

I'm intrigued.......how has Mavis connected this child to this family..out of interest..I like to know how to think laterally!!

Suzanne

She later became Jessie Marion Stephens when she married my father in 1936!

Hugh

AAArrrggghh !!!!!!! - So she hasn't found a birth for her then - I wondered where she had got the exact birth date from ! !!

I think we have to go back to Fairthorn's 'William's children then ?

Dea x

Ahh...I think she must have found the death which also gave the birth!!

Suzanne

Back to the parents.
Why did they wait until Dec to marry and then promptly have her adopted within weeks?
Was it his child? Did he know about it until well after her birth and realised it wasn't his?
But then why marry?

Hugh

Perhaps..they wanted to emigrate...maybe one of them was very ill...have we found any likely deaths for them?
Also the adoption date may not be when the child was handed over...merely when it was made formal.

Suzanne