www.findbirthparent.co.uk
There are not many places where you get the chance to hear positive things about birthfathers. They, by far, have the worst reputation in the world of adoptions. Many people have given these men titles such as sperm donor, alleged or assumed father, run away dad, and of coarse, dead beat dad.
I, as a woman and a birthmother, do not feel that I have any right to write a provocative or note worthy article about birthfathers. Much less, something that would encourage them to stand up for themselves, while at the same time urging professionals (and the community at large) to give them the respect and understanding that they ultimately deserve. How could I know the essence of these men, the horror that they have gone through, the pain that they may bear? I can’t, but I also couldn’t find anyone else who could, or had the courage to write about it. With that said, the following is what I have learned about the complex realities of birthfathers.
From what I have seen of the birthfathers that stay involved in their adoption plans, they are an incredibly courageous group of men! It seems they are initially somewhat shy to the situation, and keep at what they feel is a safe distance. But all the same, they are a group of extremely proud fathers. I am speaking mostly right now of birthfathers who are in open and semi-open adoptions. They regularly keep contact with their children, and happily pass on the updates of their own lives. I have seen smiling faces on both sides of these complex relationships.True, these birthfathers have also expressed their frustrations. The fact that the woman gets to make all the decisions is very discouraging and a huge loss of control.
The fact that they feel powerless in general, in this woman dominated adoption world, keeps them from advocating for themselves! And, for certain, at some point, they were filled with rage and incredulous pain that they must “give away” their child. No doubt that this is a spontaneous reoccurring emotion that they must deal with from time to time. All these frustrations are understandable and poof of their manhood, fatherhood, and pure humanity in general! What a testimony to their acceptance of their responsibilities! All these emotions show the deep attachment that these men hold to their children, and their role as Father. It is in dealing with these feelings and those of letting a child go, that men become ambivalent, and further misunderstood by the rest of us.And to those who have walked away you ask? Yes, I am proud of these men who have stayed around, but in no way do I blame those who have not. Those who have come back in sorrow years later, to reclaim their “fatherhood” - the responsibilities they long to fill as a birthfather. To put it most simply, and quite bluntly, if I could have ran . . . I would have.I suppose it’s a sort of double edged sword. For birthmothers, adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and all those outraged at the flying feet of birthfathers – what else can we do but call them the endless list of names we have made up? What else can we do but create the enormously bad rap list we automatically attach to the title “birthfather”? So let me say again, as a birthmother, I would’ve given anything to have had freedom from my belly . . . and ran! Ran far away from it all.
I do not blame any man who takes advantage of that freedom, and walks or runs away. I do not think of them any less of a father. (At this moment I’m sure I have a few colleagues who are grunting and disgusted at that statement, but it is true.) But there is a catch. I do not blame any man who walks away; I just blame those who do not find their way back.It is true that men have the luxury to physically walk away from something like an unplanned pregnancy; however, it is also true that they can not mentally walk away. The emotions, the memories, these things will always remain. So, although a man's feet have added some distance to the situation, in the gut of it all, there will remain sleepless nights. I know there are thousands of you out there that know exactly what I’m talking about. And it is these men who eventually find a way out of the ambivalence of it all.
They begin the search; they return to the dreaded agency where it all began; they reclaim their Fatherhood.To these men, and all the birthfathers who have found the courage to accept their role, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for staying around; thank you for coming back. You help to shape the realistic, complex role a birthfather plays. I hope to hear more from all of you in the future. I hope to hear more of you setting the rest of us straight! I hope you find the strength to chisel down the enormous wall of misunderstanding, which stands too high in the adoption community. I hope you find a way to build deeper bonds with your birth children. Most of all, I hope you are able to find a sense of peace on Father’s Day – knowing the true virtue you hold as a birthfather.
Happy Father’s Day to you all.
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Birth Parents - Life After Your Child is adopted
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Life after your birth child is adopted
Immediately after a placement the grief can be unbearable. You often go over and over your choice and may wonder if you did the right thing. You may cry every day for the next few weeks, and not a moment goes by when you don’t think about your baby. For birthmothers, you often physically ache for the loss of a “part” of yourself. All of this is perfectly normal, and it’s your bodies way of grieving. A few months may go by and you realize that a day actually went by when you didn’t think about your baby. Shock at the notion you could possibly forget your baby sets in, and you go through another cycle of crying everyday. These types of ups and downs are also normal during this period. It will be hard for you to get used to the fact that you had a child, you chose adoption, and you are no longer with your child. In essence, it will be hard for you to get used to your place as a birthparent.
Some time between the baby’s first and second year of life, birthparents begin to really move on; they find a new place in their life, either with work or school, or maybe even family. This is usually very healthy, but begins to bring about a new set of grief. What exactly are you? What does birthparent really mean? How will being a birthparent affect your life? These questions come about due to your relationship with your child and perhaps their family, due to your relationship with your own family, and due to relationships with the outside world, like school and work. How should people refer to you? How much do you share? Are you really a Mother or Father? For birthparents in an open relationship the issues may go deeper: what should your child call you? How often should you have contact? How can you continue contact when it feels like the grief starts all over again after each visit?!
The most difficult part about being a birthparent is finding what fits best for you and your situation. We all get the awkward questions, and for as much as the ignorance of this world may annoy us, we can all come up with pretty good answers, or come-backs. We re-educate people. Explain that we had a child and chose adoption. We explain that we are a birthparent. But it’s up to you to decide what that means. Birthparent for some people may end at the “birth” part of it, and for others it may just begin with birth, and be reaffirmed with life. Some of you may choose to call yourself a mother or father, and some of you may decide that isn’t right for you. You have to allow yourself room to grow within the title, or place, you allow yourself to be.
Throughout all of this, life will go on and situations will change. Your child will grow. You will grow. Perhaps you will graduate from school, land a new job, parent children, or move away. At each of these points, your role as a birthparent will have to shift and adjust to incorporate the new person you have become. Perhaps the right thing for you is to come up with a yearly tradition: a special day to remember your place as a birthparent. To revisit the love you have for your child. Perhaps you will keep a journal or a scrapbook. It is important to remember that your grief will not end after a certain amount of time. Facing the grief head on, and finding an appropriate way to channel that energy is difficult. But only you can know yourself. Know which holidays are particularly hard for you. Find someone to confide in on those days, and allow yourself to grieve.
For birthparents in an open adoption, I would like to offer this support. Part of your responsibilities as a birthparent, and being in an open relationship, is to be open with your child’s parents. In an open adoption, the relationship has to initially be with the parents. This is not always easy. During visits or phone calls you may be thinking to yourself that you would do something different, or that they are parenting differently than you had expected. These types of feelings are normal. You are watching your child grow-up outside of your care, and you will often revisit the fact that you are not parenting. At moments like these it is important to remember the reason you chose adoption, and allow yourself to perhaps overemphasize the opportunities your child has gained from this adoption.
It is very important to find a common ground (easily the love for your child) with the adoptive parents. This will allow your child to grow-up with a respect for you, and the relationship you share with their family. When your child is older they will see how much their parent’s value your relationship, and they will want to be a part of that relationship. After all, once the child is old enough, the openness will be up to them. It’s important the relationship have roots within the family, and with the parents.
It’s ok to let the parents know how you are feeling. Ask them what they were thinking or expecting your place/role to be. In return, you should let them know what you dreamed your role to be. The start of this conversation can be difficult, and it may be appropriate to get a mediator from an agency to facilitate. The most important thing in an open adoption is just for you to be there and be available. It may be difficult at times, but if you always remain available, it will work. In open adoption, being “open” with everyone is the best call. As difficult as it may be, try to be honest about your emotions if you are having a difficult time with openness. You shouldn’t expect too much from yourself, and when visits are difficult, its best that you talk through it with the parents. At best, it will provoke conversation, and hopefully it will be something that the whole family can grow through, together.
Whether you are in an open or closed adoption, as a birthparent you will learn quickly just what they mean when they say “adoption is forever.” Your place as a birthparent is forever and although moving on isn’t easy, and does not happen over night, the grief does not last forever. Moving on means new experiences and new paths of life. It also means revisiting our grief sometimes, but it’s through this grief we will continue to grow, and as we grow, we will find new joys.
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Life after your birth child is adopted
Immediately after a placement the grief can be unbearable. You often go over and over your choice and may wonder if you did the right thing. You may cry every day for the next few weeks, and not a moment goes by when you don’t think about your baby. For birthmothers, you often physically ache for the loss of a “part” of yourself. All of this is perfectly normal, and it’s your bodies way of grieving. A few months may go by and you realize that a day actually went by when you didn’t think about your baby. Shock at the notion you could possibly forget your baby sets in, and you go through another cycle of crying everyday. These types of ups and downs are also normal during this period. It will be hard for you to get used to the fact that you had a child, you chose adoption, and you are no longer with your child. In essence, it will be hard for you to get used to your place as a birthparent.
Some time between the baby’s first and second year of life, birthparents begin to really move on; they find a new place in their life, either with work or school, or maybe even family. This is usually very healthy, but begins to bring about a new set of grief. What exactly are you? What does birthparent really mean? How will being a birthparent affect your life? These questions come about due to your relationship with your child and perhaps their family, due to your relationship with your own family, and due to relationships with the outside world, like school and work. How should people refer to you? How much do you share? Are you really a Mother or Father? For birthparents in an open relationship the issues may go deeper: what should your child call you? How often should you have contact? How can you continue contact when it feels like the grief starts all over again after each visit?!
The most difficult part about being a birthparent is finding what fits best for you and your situation. We all get the awkward questions, and for as much as the ignorance of this world may annoy us, we can all come up with pretty good answers, or come-backs. We re-educate people. Explain that we had a child and chose adoption. We explain that we are a birthparent. But it’s up to you to decide what that means. Birthparent for some people may end at the “birth” part of it, and for others it may just begin with birth, and be reaffirmed with life. Some of you may choose to call yourself a mother or father, and some of you may decide that isn’t right for you. You have to allow yourself room to grow within the title, or place, you allow yourself to be.
Throughout all of this, life will go on and situations will change. Your child will grow. You will grow. Perhaps you will graduate from school, land a new job, parent children, or move away. At each of these points, your role as a birthparent will have to shift and adjust to incorporate the new person you have become. Perhaps the right thing for you is to come up with a yearly tradition: a special day to remember your place as a birthparent. To revisit the love you have for your child. Perhaps you will keep a journal or a scrapbook. It is important to remember that your grief will not end after a certain amount of time. Facing the grief head on, and finding an appropriate way to channel that energy is difficult. But only you can know yourself. Know which holidays are particularly hard for you. Find someone to confide in on those days, and allow yourself to grieve.
For birthparents in an open adoption, I would like to offer this support. Part of your responsibilities as a birthparent, and being in an open relationship, is to be open with your child’s parents. In an open adoption, the relationship has to initially be with the parents. This is not always easy. During visits or phone calls you may be thinking to yourself that you would do something different, or that they are parenting differently than you had expected. These types of feelings are normal. You are watching your child grow-up outside of your care, and you will often revisit the fact that you are not parenting. At moments like these it is important to remember the reason you chose adoption, and allow yourself to perhaps overemphasize the opportunities your child has gained from this adoption.
It is very important to find a common ground (easily the love for your child) with the adoptive parents. This will allow your child to grow-up with a respect for you, and the relationship you share with their family. When your child is older they will see how much their parent’s value your relationship, and they will want to be a part of that relationship. After all, once the child is old enough, the openness will be up to them. It’s important the relationship have roots within the family, and with the parents.
It’s ok to let the parents know how you are feeling. Ask them what they were thinking or expecting your place/role to be. In return, you should let them know what you dreamed your role to be. The start of this conversation can be difficult, and it may be appropriate to get a mediator from an agency to facilitate. The most important thing in an open adoption is just for you to be there and be available. It may be difficult at times, but if you always remain available, it will work. In open adoption, being “open” with everyone is the best call. As difficult as it may be, try to be honest about your emotions if you are having a difficult time with openness. You shouldn’t expect too much from yourself, and when visits are difficult, its best that you talk through it with the parents. At best, it will provoke conversation, and hopefully it will be something that the whole family can grow through, together.
Whether you are in an open or closed adoption, as a birthparent you will learn quickly just what they mean when they say “adoption is forever.” Your place as a birthparent is forever and although moving on isn’t easy, and does not happen over night, the grief does not last forever. Moving on means new experiences and new paths of life. It also means revisiting our grief sometimes, but it’s through this grief we will continue to grow, and as we grow, we will find new joys.
www.adoptionsearchuk.co.uk
Monday, 11 May 2009
What is a Birth Parent ?
www.birthparent.co.uk
What is a birthparent? A birthparent is a mother or father who makes an adoption plan to have their child raised by another family. Birthparents legally terminate their parental rights to the child in order to place them for adoption. This plan can be chosen for a number of reasons (it can also happen involuntarily, when a child is removed from the home, however this website focuses mainly on birthmothers who freely chose to place their children), yet the decision is almost always made with the best interests of the child in mind.
Depending on the circumstances of the adoption, a birthparent may remain in contact with her child and the adoptive family through letters, visits, or sometimes not at all. Birthparents are very important people, even if they are not able to stay in touch with their child. Birthparents share their genes and heritage with their children. They are the bearers of life, and to some adoptive couples, the bearers of miracles!
Why create a forum? We recognize that there are not always community supports available to birthparents after their children have been placed for adoption. Being around others who have shared your unique experience can help you feel less alone. Members of this forum can offer valuable suggestions as to how they have handled the difficult days in their lives, as well as provide a sympathetic ear when unexpected situations arise. This site is designed as a safe, anonymous place for birthparents to share their thoughts, feelings and stories, so please feel free to read, respond, and share your story in this community by emailing feedback@birthparent.co.uk
www.birthparent.co.uk
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
When all is said and done, at the completion of an adoption there is usually a very sad and lonely birthmother struggling to reestablish her life. Whether you were a birthmom in a closed adoption (desperately trying to hide your pregnancy from everyone), or a birthmom in an open adoption (with adoptive parents celebrating each pregnancy milestone with you), you attached to the child growing inside of you. When a person has to let go of that kind of love, it's hard to get back on your feet again. Sometimes it's hard to find your place in the world; where do you fit?How have we faired after our life altering decision to become birthmother's? Some have coped better than others. Studies on the well being of birthmothers are few and far between.
Not many people have had the desire or the means to do an accurate study of women who have placed their children for adoption. However, when we look at society, we can make a few general observations about birthmothers and their place in adoption.
People do not know what a birthmother is unless they are involved in adoption. I think this one is turning around the fastest, but it's amazing how many people I talk to who have no idea what a birthmother is! They know that there are women who "give away" their babies, but they never knew there was a name for them! This is a form of oppression: nameless, faceless. We must have the courage to educate those who are uninformed to stop this oppression.
You do not hear about birthmothers in your community.
There is still a negative connotation to "giving up" your baby for adoption. People do not talk about "those women" unless they are directly related to them. If you do hear of a birthmother in your community it is because there is one very brave, courageous woman who refused to be ashamed of her place in her child's life, and has educated those in her community about the realities of adoption.
Birthmothers are often overlooked when people think about adoption. How many of you have had the following experience. Someone comments on an adopted child, and how wonderful adoption is. You say "oh, really . . . adoption is great, isn't it," they enthusiastically reply, "oh, were you adopted?" And if you had enough courage that day, replied, "No, I'm a birthmother," - how red did their face get! Although, in the past few years (as I have educated the people around me), I have seen it get better; but people still want to leave the birthmother out of the equation, like the baby just magically (and unemotionally) appeared.
Everybody knows a "girl like that." Even though they feel uncomfortable talking about it, once you get someone alone, they start talking about a girl they knew. They either knew someone in high school, or had an aunt that was sent away, or maybe they had a girlfriend who was parenting at the age of 16. Once people start talking about it, they feel that they in some way can relate to you. This is such a wonderful opportunity for birthmothers. If we can get people to relate to our situation, we can find a way to diminish all the stereotypes that still exist.
Birthmothers are making a difference in the world of adoption. Believe it or not, we can (and already do) make a difference. Since open adoptions have become more accepted and available to women, more birthmothers are finding the courage to speak out. Just being honest and open with friends and family about your adoption is making a difference. And many birthmoms find courage to write their stories. There are wonderful books out there written by birthmoms, for birthmoms. We want to support each other, and this is how we have done it. There are thousands of birthmoms who choose to express themselves through art. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, poetry, music, all of these have brought to life the story of a birthmother. The ways birthmothers have found to creatively express themselves are amazing! All of these things do make a difference in our society.
A birthmother doesn't need a study to tell her these things. We can look around and see them, feel them, in our everyday lives. Some days are harder than others; of course, Mother's Day is one of those days. Birthmother's Day was created to ease some of that pain. I'm not convinced that anything can really ease the pain, but it can be helpful in grieving positively. Perhaps, to you, Birthmother's Day serves as a day of remembrance. Maybe you take the time to go through your memorabilia. Maybe you play your favorite song that always made you think of your baby. Maybe you do all these things and allow yourself to cry - to love your baby and miss your baby. These are all very reasonable things to do, but you mustn't stop there. Let it be a day for you to celebrate your growth since you placed you child for adoption. Let it be a day you celebrate the opportunities you have allowed you child. Let it be a day you honor your responsibility as a birthparent, and the place you do, and continue to hold in your child's life.
There is no question that this may be a hard day for you, but hopefully it is days like this that continue to help us grow. Please be sure to surround yourself with support people - those who have seen you through your adoption days. If you are unable to find someone to connect with, please let our forum be a safe haven - we can lend our ears, and our hearts, and we can make it through, yet another hard day, together.
What is a birthparent? A birthparent is a mother or father who makes an adoption plan to have their child raised by another family. Birthparents legally terminate their parental rights to the child in order to place them for adoption. This plan can be chosen for a number of reasons (it can also happen involuntarily, when a child is removed from the home, however this website focuses mainly on birthmothers who freely chose to place their children), yet the decision is almost always made with the best interests of the child in mind.
Depending on the circumstances of the adoption, a birthparent may remain in contact with her child and the adoptive family through letters, visits, or sometimes not at all. Birthparents are very important people, even if they are not able to stay in touch with their child. Birthparents share their genes and heritage with their children. They are the bearers of life, and to some adoptive couples, the bearers of miracles!
Why create a forum? We recognize that there are not always community supports available to birthparents after their children have been placed for adoption. Being around others who have shared your unique experience can help you feel less alone. Members of this forum can offer valuable suggestions as to how they have handled the difficult days in their lives, as well as provide a sympathetic ear when unexpected situations arise. This site is designed as a safe, anonymous place for birthparents to share their thoughts, feelings and stories, so please feel free to read, respond, and share your story in this community by emailing feedback@birthparent.co.uk
www.birthparent.co.uk
www.findbirthparent.co.uk
When all is said and done, at the completion of an adoption there is usually a very sad and lonely birthmother struggling to reestablish her life. Whether you were a birthmom in a closed adoption (desperately trying to hide your pregnancy from everyone), or a birthmom in an open adoption (with adoptive parents celebrating each pregnancy milestone with you), you attached to the child growing inside of you. When a person has to let go of that kind of love, it's hard to get back on your feet again. Sometimes it's hard to find your place in the world; where do you fit?How have we faired after our life altering decision to become birthmother's? Some have coped better than others. Studies on the well being of birthmothers are few and far between.
Not many people have had the desire or the means to do an accurate study of women who have placed their children for adoption. However, when we look at society, we can make a few general observations about birthmothers and their place in adoption.
People do not know what a birthmother is unless they are involved in adoption. I think this one is turning around the fastest, but it's amazing how many people I talk to who have no idea what a birthmother is! They know that there are women who "give away" their babies, but they never knew there was a name for them! This is a form of oppression: nameless, faceless. We must have the courage to educate those who are uninformed to stop this oppression.
You do not hear about birthmothers in your community.
There is still a negative connotation to "giving up" your baby for adoption. People do not talk about "those women" unless they are directly related to them. If you do hear of a birthmother in your community it is because there is one very brave, courageous woman who refused to be ashamed of her place in her child's life, and has educated those in her community about the realities of adoption.
Birthmothers are often overlooked when people think about adoption. How many of you have had the following experience. Someone comments on an adopted child, and how wonderful adoption is. You say "oh, really . . . adoption is great, isn't it," they enthusiastically reply, "oh, were you adopted?" And if you had enough courage that day, replied, "No, I'm a birthmother," - how red did their face get! Although, in the past few years (as I have educated the people around me), I have seen it get better; but people still want to leave the birthmother out of the equation, like the baby just magically (and unemotionally) appeared.
Everybody knows a "girl like that." Even though they feel uncomfortable talking about it, once you get someone alone, they start talking about a girl they knew. They either knew someone in high school, or had an aunt that was sent away, or maybe they had a girlfriend who was parenting at the age of 16. Once people start talking about it, they feel that they in some way can relate to you. This is such a wonderful opportunity for birthmothers. If we can get people to relate to our situation, we can find a way to diminish all the stereotypes that still exist.
Birthmothers are making a difference in the world of adoption. Believe it or not, we can (and already do) make a difference. Since open adoptions have become more accepted and available to women, more birthmothers are finding the courage to speak out. Just being honest and open with friends and family about your adoption is making a difference. And many birthmoms find courage to write their stories. There are wonderful books out there written by birthmoms, for birthmoms. We want to support each other, and this is how we have done it. There are thousands of birthmoms who choose to express themselves through art. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, poetry, music, all of these have brought to life the story of a birthmother. The ways birthmothers have found to creatively express themselves are amazing! All of these things do make a difference in our society.
A birthmother doesn't need a study to tell her these things. We can look around and see them, feel them, in our everyday lives. Some days are harder than others; of course, Mother's Day is one of those days. Birthmother's Day was created to ease some of that pain. I'm not convinced that anything can really ease the pain, but it can be helpful in grieving positively. Perhaps, to you, Birthmother's Day serves as a day of remembrance. Maybe you take the time to go through your memorabilia. Maybe you play your favorite song that always made you think of your baby. Maybe you do all these things and allow yourself to cry - to love your baby and miss your baby. These are all very reasonable things to do, but you mustn't stop there. Let it be a day for you to celebrate your growth since you placed you child for adoption. Let it be a day you celebrate the opportunities you have allowed you child. Let it be a day you honor your responsibility as a birthparent, and the place you do, and continue to hold in your child's life.
There is no question that this may be a hard day for you, but hopefully it is days like this that continue to help us grow. Please be sure to surround yourself with support people - those who have seen you through your adoption days. If you are unable to find someone to connect with, please let our forum be a safe haven - we can lend our ears, and our hearts, and we can make it through, yet another hard day, together.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Tracing People USA
Prepared by http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/
Tracing People USA.
Tracing People in the U.SThe obvious solution is to employ a tracing agent http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/ although not all persons can afford to employ a tracing agent and the following is a general guide to thos who want to embark upon a DIY trace.
Tracing people in the United States can be a lengthy and time consuming process. Many records, such as those held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, are protected by the Privacy Act and cannot be divulged to third parties. However, the Internet has made many other resources much more freely accessible.
For information relating specifically to locating military personnel in the U.S. see Tracing Former Military Personnel in the U.S.
Search Engines
Most of the major search engines offer some sort of people search facility. Among these are: All-in-One Search, Alta Vista and Yahoo!.
Telephone Listings
One of the quickest and easiest ways of establishing contact with an individual is via their telephone listing. Some public reference libraries now hold U.S. telephone directories on CD-ROM and there are many internet websites providing access to phone listings. A number of these are to be found on Yahoo! However, it is worth remembering that many private individuals in the U.S. choose to be ex-directory.
Telephone directories can also be used to access lists of particular types of companies or services. For example, it would be possible to obtain a list of detective agencies in a particular location.
Vital Records
There is no central repository of birth, death and marriage records in the United States. These records are filed at state level and, in some cases, at an even more local level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has produced Where to Write for Vital Records, a useful guide to these sources. Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index is generated from the U.S. Social Security Administration's Death Master File. It indexes the records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. In most cases a report of death was made in connection with Social Security death benefits. Where available the complete record may be ordered on payment of a fee.
Humanitarian Organizations
The following organizations may be able to assist in cases of sufficiently compelling humanitarian need, and where the missing person is a close relative:
British Red Cross, Tracing and Messages Section. (This organization deals with inquiries from the people living in the United Kingdom. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lists contact information and web addresses of societies worldwide.)
The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service exists for the purpose of trying to restore (or to sustain) family relationships, by locating relatives who for whatever reason have become out of touch.
Adoptees' Liberty Movement operates a registry databank designed to match adopted children with their natural parents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Through its Family History Resources the Church offers advice to those undertaking family history research. There are over 2,400 Family History Centers worldwide including quite a number in the U.K. Most are located in meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here you can find census returns, wills, church records, etc for most parts of the world. In addition, you can consult the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the Ancestral File. The IGI is a worldwide index of approximately 187 million names of deceased persons. Searches can also be made on-line through the Familysearch.org website. The Index does not contain records of living persons. The Ancestral File contains genealogical data on millions of individuals from many countries, including information on names, dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Most of the information on the File concerns deceased persons. The File also contains names and addresses of persons who have submitted information, and this information is up-dated periodically.
Media Sources
It may be worthwhile contacting newspapers or local radio stations in the area where the missing person was last known to live. General information on obtaining or contacting U.S. Publications is available on the Ready Reference section of this website. Radio stations can be located via Radio-Locator (formerly the MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet).
Tracing People USA.
Tracing People in the U.SThe obvious solution is to employ a tracing agent http://www.peoplesearchamerica.co.uk/ although not all persons can afford to employ a tracing agent and the following is a general guide to thos who want to embark upon a DIY trace.
Tracing people in the United States can be a lengthy and time consuming process. Many records, such as those held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, are protected by the Privacy Act and cannot be divulged to third parties. However, the Internet has made many other resources much more freely accessible.
For information relating specifically to locating military personnel in the U.S. see Tracing Former Military Personnel in the U.S.
Search Engines
Most of the major search engines offer some sort of people search facility. Among these are: All-in-One Search, Alta Vista and Yahoo!.
Telephone Listings
One of the quickest and easiest ways of establishing contact with an individual is via their telephone listing. Some public reference libraries now hold U.S. telephone directories on CD-ROM and there are many internet websites providing access to phone listings. A number of these are to be found on Yahoo! However, it is worth remembering that many private individuals in the U.S. choose to be ex-directory.
Telephone directories can also be used to access lists of particular types of companies or services. For example, it would be possible to obtain a list of detective agencies in a particular location.
Vital Records
There is no central repository of birth, death and marriage records in the United States. These records are filed at state level and, in some cases, at an even more local level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has produced Where to Write for Vital Records, a useful guide to these sources. Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index is generated from the U.S. Social Security Administration's Death Master File. It indexes the records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. In most cases a report of death was made in connection with Social Security death benefits. Where available the complete record may be ordered on payment of a fee.
Humanitarian Organizations
The following organizations may be able to assist in cases of sufficiently compelling humanitarian need, and where the missing person is a close relative:
British Red Cross, Tracing and Messages Section. (This organization deals with inquiries from the people living in the United Kingdom. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lists contact information and web addresses of societies worldwide.)
The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service exists for the purpose of trying to restore (or to sustain) family relationships, by locating relatives who for whatever reason have become out of touch.
Adoptees' Liberty Movement operates a registry databank designed to match adopted children with their natural parents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Through its Family History Resources the Church offers advice to those undertaking family history research. There are over 2,400 Family History Centers worldwide including quite a number in the U.K. Most are located in meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here you can find census returns, wills, church records, etc for most parts of the world. In addition, you can consult the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the Ancestral File. The IGI is a worldwide index of approximately 187 million names of deceased persons. Searches can also be made on-line through the Familysearch.org website. The Index does not contain records of living persons. The Ancestral File contains genealogical data on millions of individuals from many countries, including information on names, dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Most of the information on the File concerns deceased persons. The File also contains names and addresses of persons who have submitted information, and this information is up-dated periodically.
Media Sources
It may be worthwhile contacting newspapers or local radio stations in the area where the missing person was last known to live. General information on obtaining or contacting U.S. Publications is available on the Ready Reference section of this website. Radio stations can be located via Radio-Locator (formerly the MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet).
Merchant Navy - Tracing
Research guide C1: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Crew lists, agreements and official logs
This guide gives details of crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships, crew lists or muster-rolls and official ships' logs.
They are of particular interest to genealogists and people tracing family history, and to anyone researching specific ships or seafaring generally.
Introduction
Crew lists
Crew lists, originally termed muster-rolls or muster-books, began in the 18th century and were initially kept in order to collect a levy from seamen's wages for a relief fund and as a record of the names, ratings, dates of entry and final discharge for all men serving on board a ship. The 1835 Merchant Shipping Act and its successors were intended to create central registers of all seamen who might be called on to support the Royal Navy in time of war.
This central registration stopped in 1857 and only began again in 1914 with the start of the First World War.
Crew agreements
Crew agreements, detailed contracts between a seaman and his employer, carried on beyond 1857, and provide greater information about the crew, apprentices, ships and voyages.
For ships engaged in the Home trade (operating in UK coastal waters, or from UK to North European and Baltic ports) records of agreements were submitted twice a year and usually include a list of all sailings and arrivals for the half-year.
Agreements for vessels in the foreign trade were submitted at the end of each voyage and do not include this information, just a general voyage description with dates.
Official logs
Official logs of British merchant ships also have some details of crew members but they are not, as many people assume, a daily diary of a ship's movements. They are more a 'parish register' for the ship, noting vital information about the crew and passengers, and only had to be kept only if there were relevant entries to record. These include new arrivals on board (such as births or the signing on of a new crew member); departures (death, disappearance, desertion, or signing off of a crew member at an intermediary port before the end of the voyage); marriages, illness, and any disciplinary action taken against a crew member.
The log will usually give the ship's position at the time of any birth or death, but may have no other reference to the ship's movements. Sailing and arrival dates are sometimes noted but were not required. The crew agreement, which provides at minimum the date and place of the beginning and end of the voyage, is often more informative in this respect.
Where to find records for...
1747–1860
All surviving muster rolls and crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships up to and including 1860 are held by The National Archives. Muster rolls exist for 1747–1851, but prior to 1800 only those for Dartmouth, Liverpool, Plymouth, Shields and Scarborough have survived. Crew Agreements are available from 1835.
Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. These and other valuable sources are described in The National Archives' Merchant shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements, 1747–1860.
After 1860, crew agreements have been divided between a number of repositories.
1861–1938
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements for each year, taken at random (every tenth box of papers) together with those for famous vessels (with some exceptions, such as those for the Cutty Sark and Great Britain), is in The National Archives. The remaining 90% for 1861, 1862, and years ending in '5', are held by the National Maritime Museum. Anyone wishing to consult them should give at least two weeks advance notice, stating the name and official number of the vessel (see below) and the year in which the relevant voyage ended. For other years, some crew agreements were taken by local record offices. Information on holdings at The National Archives and local record offices are described in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
All those remaining (about 70% of the total) are now in the care of the Maritime History Research Collection, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3Y1, Canada. The Collection offers a research service and will provide copies of documents for a fee based on cost recovery. Crew agreements for foreign-going vessels were submitted to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the end of the voyage (replacing the copy deposited with the port authorities before departure) and it is this date that determines the year in which an agreement is filed. Coasters and fishing vessels submitted crew agreements bi-annually.
1939–1950
All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
1951–1977
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements is in The National Archives; the remaining 90% for years ending in '5' have been deposited with the National Maritime Museum. The Museum has 90% of the crew agreements for 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1985, but it should be noted that they are filed in official order number not ship order. All remaining papers have been transferred to the Maritime History Archive in Canada (detailed above).
1978 onwards
The National Archives and the National Maritime Museum each hold 10% of crew agreements and lists of this period. The remaining, which dated to 1989, have been destroyed. All crew agreements and lists from 1999 are held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. Papers may be temporarily unavailable while in store or in transit.
Indexes
The Maritime History Archive in Canada has produced the Maritime History Archive Crew Lists Index (1863 - 1938) arranged by ship's official number. A similar index has been compiled to the papers held by local record offices and one is in preparation for The National Archives holdings. Copies of indexes produced by the Maritime History Archive and local record offices are in the National Maritime Museum's Library.
No indexes by ship's name or by names of crewmen have yet been compiled for the agreements held in the four main repositories, although some local record offices have indexes by ship's name to their holdings.
Official ship's number
This can be found by consulting the Mercantile Navy List or, after 1872/3, Lloyd's Register of Shipping. For muster rolls and agreements before 1854, the ship's port and registry number can be found through the indexes to ship registrations, 1786–1854, in The National Archives.
Official logs
British merchant ships were first required to keep an official log under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1850 and logs start to appear among official records from 1852 onwards. Many were later discarded, with only those recording a birth or death on board normally being retained. The survival rate is about 20%, except during the First and Second World Wars, for which all logs containing any entries were preserved.
Surviving logs are always to be found with the appropriate crew agreement, except between 1905–12 and 1914–18. For those years most are kept separately, at The National Archives, in class BT 165. The indexes to the Maritime History Archive's holdings of crew agreements indicate whether or not a log is available with the crew agreement. Copies of deck logs or journals survive only in rare instances and are not among official records.
The National Maritime Museum's manuscript collections include a few examples of logs and the Library has a copy of Log of Logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand, and surrounding oceans (Museum library reference 930.253.4:656.61.09), by Ian Nicholson (Roebuck Society Publication no.41, Aranda, 1990), which may be useful for tracing others.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching merchant ships' crews are:
Research guide C2: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Master mariners, mates and engineers
Research guide C4: The Merchant Navy: Sources for enquiries
Research guide C5: The Merchant Navy: Sources for ship histories
Research guide C6: The Merchant Navy: The Mercantile Navy List
Research guide C8: The Merchant Navy: Wrecks, losses and casualties
Research guide C9: The Merchant Navy: World War One
Research guide C10: The Merchant Navy: World War Two
Research guide C11: The Merchant Navy: The Handy Shipping Guide
Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records
Research guide E1: World War Two: Papers in the National Maritime Museum
Research guide E2: World War Two: The Dunkirk List
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd's Captains' registers
Research guide H5: Lloyd's: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
This guide gives details of crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships, crew lists or muster-rolls and official ships' logs.
They are of particular interest to genealogists and people tracing family history, and to anyone researching specific ships or seafaring generally.
Introduction
Crew lists
Crew lists, originally termed muster-rolls or muster-books, began in the 18th century and were initially kept in order to collect a levy from seamen's wages for a relief fund and as a record of the names, ratings, dates of entry and final discharge for all men serving on board a ship. The 1835 Merchant Shipping Act and its successors were intended to create central registers of all seamen who might be called on to support the Royal Navy in time of war.
This central registration stopped in 1857 and only began again in 1914 with the start of the First World War.
Crew agreements
Crew agreements, detailed contracts between a seaman and his employer, carried on beyond 1857, and provide greater information about the crew, apprentices, ships and voyages.
For ships engaged in the Home trade (operating in UK coastal waters, or from UK to North European and Baltic ports) records of agreements were submitted twice a year and usually include a list of all sailings and arrivals for the half-year.
Agreements for vessels in the foreign trade were submitted at the end of each voyage and do not include this information, just a general voyage description with dates.
Official logs
Official logs of British merchant ships also have some details of crew members but they are not, as many people assume, a daily diary of a ship's movements. They are more a 'parish register' for the ship, noting vital information about the crew and passengers, and only had to be kept only if there were relevant entries to record. These include new arrivals on board (such as births or the signing on of a new crew member); departures (death, disappearance, desertion, or signing off of a crew member at an intermediary port before the end of the voyage); marriages, illness, and any disciplinary action taken against a crew member.
The log will usually give the ship's position at the time of any birth or death, but may have no other reference to the ship's movements. Sailing and arrival dates are sometimes noted but were not required. The crew agreement, which provides at minimum the date and place of the beginning and end of the voyage, is often more informative in this respect.
Where to find records for...
1747–1860
All surviving muster rolls and crew agreements for British-registered merchant ships up to and including 1860 are held by The National Archives. Muster rolls exist for 1747–1851, but prior to 1800 only those for Dartmouth, Liverpool, Plymouth, Shields and Scarborough have survived. Crew Agreements are available from 1835.
Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. These and other valuable sources are described in The National Archives' Merchant shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements, 1747–1860.
After 1860, crew agreements have been divided between a number of repositories.
1861–1938
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements for each year, taken at random (every tenth box of papers) together with those for famous vessels (with some exceptions, such as those for the Cutty Sark and Great Britain), is in The National Archives. The remaining 90% for 1861, 1862, and years ending in '5', are held by the National Maritime Museum. Anyone wishing to consult them should give at least two weeks advance notice, stating the name and official number of the vessel (see below) and the year in which the relevant voyage ended. For other years, some crew agreements were taken by local record offices. Information on holdings at The National Archives and local record offices are described in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
All those remaining (about 70% of the total) are now in the care of the Maritime History Research Collection, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3Y1, Canada. The Collection offers a research service and will provide copies of documents for a fee based on cost recovery. Crew agreements for foreign-going vessels were submitted to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the end of the voyage (replacing the copy deposited with the port authorities before departure) and it is this date that determines the year in which an agreement is filed. Coasters and fishing vessels submitted crew agreements bi-annually.
1939–1950
All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
1951–1977
A 10% specimen group of crew agreements is in The National Archives; the remaining 90% for years ending in '5' have been deposited with the National Maritime Museum. The Museum has 90% of the crew agreements for 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1985, but it should be noted that they are filed in official order number not ship order. All remaining papers have been transferred to the Maritime History Archive in Canada (detailed above).
1978 onwards
The National Archives and the National Maritime Museum each hold 10% of crew agreements and lists of this period. The remaining, which dated to 1989, have been destroyed. All crew agreements and lists from 1999 are held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. Papers may be temporarily unavailable while in store or in transit.
Indexes
The Maritime History Archive in Canada has produced the Maritime History Archive Crew Lists Index (1863 - 1938) arranged by ship's official number. A similar index has been compiled to the papers held by local record offices and one is in preparation for The National Archives holdings. Copies of indexes produced by the Maritime History Archive and local record offices are in the National Maritime Museum's Library.
No indexes by ship's name or by names of crewmen have yet been compiled for the agreements held in the four main repositories, although some local record offices have indexes by ship's name to their holdings.
Official ship's number
This can be found by consulting the Mercantile Navy List or, after 1872/3, Lloyd's Register of Shipping. For muster rolls and agreements before 1854, the ship's port and registry number can be found through the indexes to ship registrations, 1786–1854, in The National Archives.
Official logs
British merchant ships were first required to keep an official log under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1850 and logs start to appear among official records from 1852 onwards. Many were later discarded, with only those recording a birth or death on board normally being retained. The survival rate is about 20%, except during the First and Second World Wars, for which all logs containing any entries were preserved.
Surviving logs are always to be found with the appropriate crew agreement, except between 1905–12 and 1914–18. For those years most are kept separately, at The National Archives, in class BT 165. The indexes to the Maritime History Archive's holdings of crew agreements indicate whether or not a log is available with the crew agreement. Copies of deck logs or journals survive only in rare instances and are not among official records.
The National Maritime Museum's manuscript collections include a few examples of logs and the Library has a copy of Log of Logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand, and surrounding oceans (Museum library reference 930.253.4:656.61.09), by Ian Nicholson (Roebuck Society Publication no.41, Aranda, 1990), which may be useful for tracing others.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching merchant ships' crews are:
Research guide C2: The Merchant Navy: Tracing people: Master mariners, mates and engineers
Research guide C4: The Merchant Navy: Sources for enquiries
Research guide C5: The Merchant Navy: Sources for ship histories
Research guide C6: The Merchant Navy: The Mercantile Navy List
Research guide C8: The Merchant Navy: Wrecks, losses and casualties
Research guide C9: The Merchant Navy: World War One
Research guide C10: The Merchant Navy: World War Two
Research guide C11: The Merchant Navy: The Handy Shipping Guide
Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records
Research guide E1: World War Two: Papers in the National Maritime Museum
Research guide E2: World War Two: The Dunkirk List
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd's Captains' registers
Research guide H5: Lloyd's: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
The Royal Navy - Tracing People
Research guide B1: The Royal Navy: Tracing people
This guide explains where and how to access the service records of the Royal Navy (which are held primarily at The National Archives), and lists some of the books in the Museum's Caird Library which can be used to research people who have served in the Royal Navy and its history.
Official records
Most Admiralty records are deposited with The National Archives: Ruskin Avenue Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
What you will find there:
Few centralised records of seamen were kept before 1857. In general you need to know the name of a serviceman’s ship in order to look him up. The muster roll or crew list should note where he was before and after his service in that ship, so you can track most people backwards and forwards from that point.
Records of Greenwich Seamen's Hospital and other hospitals; pensions and grants received; medals awarded, etc., up to the end of the 19th century.
Records of commissioned officers, warrant officers, tradesmen, etc, up to the end of the 19th century.
Lieutenant's logs
The lieutenant's logs were kept by the lieutenants of a ship in commission, recording details of weather, navigation and routine of the ship, as well as incidents that occurred during the commission. Printed formats appeared from about 1799, with the Admiralty laying down a standard form in October 1805 when the practice of starting the day's log at midnight to coincide with the civil calendar was begun (the nautical calendar had previously run from noon).
At the completion of each year, a lieutenant's log was required to be deposited in the Admiralty Office, where the chief clerk abstracted details of the voyage and, in return for a fee, sent the log to the Navy Office where a clerk in the off of the Clerk of the Acts made out a certificate entitling the Lieutenant to be paid. At the Navy Office individual logs were bound into volumes by ship name.
For a time in the 18th century the logs were collected by year as well as name, so logs of four or five ships (usually starting with the same letter) may be bound together. Any captain's logs that are bound with these logs are usually duplicates of those kept by The National Archives.
Books
Reference numbers given in italics refer to the Museum's Library and manuscripts catalogue.
Steel's Navy List - editions spanning 1787–1816. Incomplete run, but printed as frequently as monthly. Lists officers, ships and establishments including officers of Sea Fencibles before 1810. Miscellaneous intelligence reports, vessels captured, prize money awards.
Lean's Navy List - editions spanning 1878–1916. Information on officers alphabetically and by seniority, including short biographies of their service and decorations. Also lists of ships and establishments with serving officers.
Navy Lists - editions from 1814 to date. The amount of information shown in these lists changes with time but they record officers (retired and active) and ships, where ships were stationed, pay scales, uniform regulations, etc. They were published between one and several times a year at different periods. Copies are also held at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.
Charnock, J., Biographia Navalis (London: R Foulder, 1794-98). 92.355.33.094*
Marshall, J., Royal Naval Biography, 12 volumes (London: Longman, 1823–30). 92.355.33*
O'Byrne, W. R., A Naval Biographical Dictionary, 2 volumes, (London, J Murray, 1849). 92.355.33(42)*
Rodger, N. A. M., Naval Records for Genealogists (London: HMSO,1988). A guide to all classes of records and where to find them. 930.253.4:359
Syrett, David, ed., The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, (Aldershot: Scolar Press for Navy Records Society, 1994). This gives an alphabetical list of officers with known dates of promotion. An earlier facsimile copy (unpublished) of this work is available at the National Maritime Museum, annotated with the names of ships on which each officer is known to have served. 061.22NRS
* Many of the entries in these three sources have also been included in the British Biographical Index, edited by D Bank and A Esposito, published in microfiche with printed index by K G Saur, Sevenoaks, 1990.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching the Royal Navy are:
Research guide B3: The Royal Navy: Sources for enquiries
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
This guide explains where and how to access the service records of the Royal Navy (which are held primarily at The National Archives), and lists some of the books in the Museum's Caird Library which can be used to research people who have served in the Royal Navy and its history.
Official records
Most Admiralty records are deposited with The National Archives: Ruskin Avenue Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
What you will find there:
Few centralised records of seamen were kept before 1857. In general you need to know the name of a serviceman’s ship in order to look him up. The muster roll or crew list should note where he was before and after his service in that ship, so you can track most people backwards and forwards from that point.
Records of Greenwich Seamen's Hospital and other hospitals; pensions and grants received; medals awarded, etc., up to the end of the 19th century.
Records of commissioned officers, warrant officers, tradesmen, etc, up to the end of the 19th century.
Lieutenant's logs
The lieutenant's logs were kept by the lieutenants of a ship in commission, recording details of weather, navigation and routine of the ship, as well as incidents that occurred during the commission. Printed formats appeared from about 1799, with the Admiralty laying down a standard form in October 1805 when the practice of starting the day's log at midnight to coincide with the civil calendar was begun (the nautical calendar had previously run from noon).
At the completion of each year, a lieutenant's log was required to be deposited in the Admiralty Office, where the chief clerk abstracted details of the voyage and, in return for a fee, sent the log to the Navy Office where a clerk in the off of the Clerk of the Acts made out a certificate entitling the Lieutenant to be paid. At the Navy Office individual logs were bound into volumes by ship name.
For a time in the 18th century the logs were collected by year as well as name, so logs of four or five ships (usually starting with the same letter) may be bound together. Any captain's logs that are bound with these logs are usually duplicates of those kept by The National Archives.
Books
Reference numbers given in italics refer to the Museum's Library and manuscripts catalogue.
Steel's Navy List - editions spanning 1787–1816. Incomplete run, but printed as frequently as monthly. Lists officers, ships and establishments including officers of Sea Fencibles before 1810. Miscellaneous intelligence reports, vessels captured, prize money awards.
Lean's Navy List - editions spanning 1878–1916. Information on officers alphabetically and by seniority, including short biographies of their service and decorations. Also lists of ships and establishments with serving officers.
Navy Lists - editions from 1814 to date. The amount of information shown in these lists changes with time but they record officers (retired and active) and ships, where ships were stationed, pay scales, uniform regulations, etc. They were published between one and several times a year at different periods. Copies are also held at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.
Charnock, J., Biographia Navalis (London: R Foulder, 1794-98). 92.355.33.094*
Marshall, J., Royal Naval Biography, 12 volumes (London: Longman, 1823–30). 92.355.33*
O'Byrne, W. R., A Naval Biographical Dictionary, 2 volumes, (London, J Murray, 1849). 92.355.33(42)*
Rodger, N. A. M., Naval Records for Genealogists (London: HMSO,1988). A guide to all classes of records and where to find them. 930.253.4:359
Syrett, David, ed., The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660–1815, (Aldershot: Scolar Press for Navy Records Society, 1994). This gives an alphabetical list of officers with known dates of promotion. An earlier facsimile copy (unpublished) of this work is available at the National Maritime Museum, annotated with the names of ships on which each officer is known to have served. 061.22NRS
* Many of the entries in these three sources have also been included in the British Biographical Index, edited by D Bank and A Esposito, published in microfiche with printed index by K G Saur, Sevenoaks, 1990.
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for researching the Royal Navy are:
Research guide B3: The Royal Navy: Sources for enquiries
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
Adopted Simple Background
Adopted Persons - Simple Background Guide
As a legal process began in England and Wales on 1 January 1927. Anyone ‘adopted’ before that date was really fostered, and what follows does not apply to them. Tracing the birth parents of a fostered child, especially if there was a change of surname, is a time consuming, difficult and specialist exercise.The 1976 Adoption Act gave adopted adults in England and Wales a right to access their adoption records. This article explains the process for those adopted before the 12 November 1975. Those adopted after this date should seek advice from their local Social Services adoption team.Following the making of an adoption order all adopted children are given a new birth certificate in their adopted name. It is therefore possible that you may not know your original birth name or indeed the name of your birth parents. However, the General Register Office in Southport holds full records. They will be able to connect the information, which will help you to obtain a copy of your original birth certificate. If you want to gain access to your records so that you can find out more about your history they should be your first point of contact.When contacting them, you should ask for an application form and the leaflet ‘Access to Birth records: Information for Adopted People Living in the UK’ (ACR 100). The form will ask where you would like to receive counselling. Counselling is a compulsory part of the process if you were adopted before November 1975. Most people opt to go to their local Social Services office.
The GRO will send details to the place where you have asked to be seen and will tell you to contact them to make an appointment. This process can take some time so do not expect to be seeing someone the week after sending off the application form.All Social Services departments have workers who specialise in adoption and it is one of these people that you will eventually see. They will help you consider how you will deal with the information, how birth family members may feel if you decide to trace them and the impact that such action may have on you and your family.Before 1975 most birth mothers were told that their children would never be able to trace them. Some kept the adoption secret and may not have even told their new partner or other family members. This does not mean they forgot, far from it, but it was a part of their past that they kept to themselves. Anyone who wishes to trace birth family members must understand how potentially devastating this could be and any approach must be made in a sensitive way. Many birth mothers are thrilled to be traced, but some are not.
The worker who offers the counselling may also be able to offer a mediation service if you do manage to trace anyone. They will not usually be able to undertake the tracing, as it can be very time consuming. However, there are organisations that will help with this for a fee. One such reputable organisation is NORCAP, who offer help to all adults involved in adoption.
At your first meeting with the social worker it is unlikely that you will be given all the information. The point of the first meeting is to look at the issues and to provide you with the form to enable you to apply for your original birth certificate. Some people already know their birth name and have been able to obtain their original birth certificate without going through this process. Thats fine, but what they will not have had is the additional information sent by the GRO, which may include details of people who have put their names on the Adoption Contact Register.
Most importantly the GRO also sends a form to the counsellor to enable the court records to be checked so that the name of the adoption agency is disclosed. This in turn will allow the counsellor to ask for access to your original records. A long-winded system — yes, but one that safeguards all involved and maintains confidentiality.One difficulty that many people encounter is that their adoption was not arranged by an adoption agency. Before 1976 this was quite legal and many people became involved in arranging adoptions including doctors, the clergy and in one case I was involved with, a hairdresser! In such private adoptions there is often little or no paperwork and your trail could end there. This is both sad and frustrating and can mean that you will never find out any more. The way the legislation is framed enables adopted people to have access to identifying information, which, in turn allows them to trace relatives in the birth family if they wish. It does not allow for birth relatives to have the same sort of identifying information.
As I have already mentioned, birth mothers, particularly, do not forget, and for some this loss is something they have never come to terms with. Sometimes birth mothers make contact with the placing adoption agency to see if they can trace their child. Agencies might write to the last known address of the adoptive family or offer to keep a letter on the child’s file in case they ever ask for more information. Even if they can be given no positive information all birth relatives will be offered some support. In the past the majority of girls whose babies were placed for adoption went to live in Mother and Baby Homes, often a long way from their own homes, family and friends. Most of these homes have long since closed and many have been pulled down to make way for new developments. People who were born in such homes often return to the area seeking to locate their roots and are disappointed to find that the building has been demolished.
If you are adopted and thinking about starting this process then remember always to go at your pace. Do not let anyone else rush you, you must feel comfortable at each stage before embarking on the next. This is an emotional process, and you should not underestimate the impact not only on yourself, but also on those around you. Such a process can affect your relationships with those closest to you, particularly your partner and your parents. If you want any advice before starting this process do ring your local Social Services department or contact us if you feel we can be of help.
Birth Parent Trace Service Suite 113 , 111 Picadilly , Manchester , M12 HX Tel 0844 88 42 831
NORCAP112 Church RoadWheatleyOxfordshireOX33 1LUTele: 01865 875000
The General Register Office - Adoptions SectionSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthport PR8 2HH
As a legal process began in England and Wales on 1 January 1927. Anyone ‘adopted’ before that date was really fostered, and what follows does not apply to them. Tracing the birth parents of a fostered child, especially if there was a change of surname, is a time consuming, difficult and specialist exercise.The 1976 Adoption Act gave adopted adults in England and Wales a right to access their adoption records. This article explains the process for those adopted before the 12 November 1975. Those adopted after this date should seek advice from their local Social Services adoption team.Following the making of an adoption order all adopted children are given a new birth certificate in their adopted name. It is therefore possible that you may not know your original birth name or indeed the name of your birth parents. However, the General Register Office in Southport holds full records. They will be able to connect the information, which will help you to obtain a copy of your original birth certificate. If you want to gain access to your records so that you can find out more about your history they should be your first point of contact.When contacting them, you should ask for an application form and the leaflet ‘Access to Birth records: Information for Adopted People Living in the UK’ (ACR 100). The form will ask where you would like to receive counselling. Counselling is a compulsory part of the process if you were adopted before November 1975. Most people opt to go to their local Social Services office.
The GRO will send details to the place where you have asked to be seen and will tell you to contact them to make an appointment. This process can take some time so do not expect to be seeing someone the week after sending off the application form.All Social Services departments have workers who specialise in adoption and it is one of these people that you will eventually see. They will help you consider how you will deal with the information, how birth family members may feel if you decide to trace them and the impact that such action may have on you and your family.Before 1975 most birth mothers were told that their children would never be able to trace them. Some kept the adoption secret and may not have even told their new partner or other family members. This does not mean they forgot, far from it, but it was a part of their past that they kept to themselves. Anyone who wishes to trace birth family members must understand how potentially devastating this could be and any approach must be made in a sensitive way. Many birth mothers are thrilled to be traced, but some are not.
The worker who offers the counselling may also be able to offer a mediation service if you do manage to trace anyone. They will not usually be able to undertake the tracing, as it can be very time consuming. However, there are organisations that will help with this for a fee. One such reputable organisation is NORCAP, who offer help to all adults involved in adoption.
At your first meeting with the social worker it is unlikely that you will be given all the information. The point of the first meeting is to look at the issues and to provide you with the form to enable you to apply for your original birth certificate. Some people already know their birth name and have been able to obtain their original birth certificate without going through this process. Thats fine, but what they will not have had is the additional information sent by the GRO, which may include details of people who have put their names on the Adoption Contact Register.
Most importantly the GRO also sends a form to the counsellor to enable the court records to be checked so that the name of the adoption agency is disclosed. This in turn will allow the counsellor to ask for access to your original records. A long-winded system — yes, but one that safeguards all involved and maintains confidentiality.One difficulty that many people encounter is that their adoption was not arranged by an adoption agency. Before 1976 this was quite legal and many people became involved in arranging adoptions including doctors, the clergy and in one case I was involved with, a hairdresser! In such private adoptions there is often little or no paperwork and your trail could end there. This is both sad and frustrating and can mean that you will never find out any more. The way the legislation is framed enables adopted people to have access to identifying information, which, in turn allows them to trace relatives in the birth family if they wish. It does not allow for birth relatives to have the same sort of identifying information.
As I have already mentioned, birth mothers, particularly, do not forget, and for some this loss is something they have never come to terms with. Sometimes birth mothers make contact with the placing adoption agency to see if they can trace their child. Agencies might write to the last known address of the adoptive family or offer to keep a letter on the child’s file in case they ever ask for more information. Even if they can be given no positive information all birth relatives will be offered some support. In the past the majority of girls whose babies were placed for adoption went to live in Mother and Baby Homes, often a long way from their own homes, family and friends. Most of these homes have long since closed and many have been pulled down to make way for new developments. People who were born in such homes often return to the area seeking to locate their roots and are disappointed to find that the building has been demolished.
If you are adopted and thinking about starting this process then remember always to go at your pace. Do not let anyone else rush you, you must feel comfortable at each stage before embarking on the next. This is an emotional process, and you should not underestimate the impact not only on yourself, but also on those around you. Such a process can affect your relationships with those closest to you, particularly your partner and your parents. If you want any advice before starting this process do ring your local Social Services department or contact us if you feel we can be of help.
Birth Parent Trace Service Suite 113 , 111 Picadilly , Manchester , M12 HX Tel 0844 88 42 831
NORCAP112 Church RoadWheatleyOxfordshireOX33 1LUTele: 01865 875000
The General Register Office - Adoptions SectionSmedley HydroTrafalgar RoadBirkdaleSouthport PR8 2HH
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