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No worries you haven't disappointed me at all. I appreciate everything you've done for me with my original post. It was just a shot in the dark really but thank you :-)

Have to hold my hands up and say I'm not much help on the topic of adoption.

Unfortunately Cooper is a common name, and presumably we don't know the age of Edna when she gave birth?

Ancestry has London electoral registers, and the Representation of the People Act 1928 extended the voting franchise to all women over the age of 21 (previously it had been women aged 30 or over), so if she stayed in the London area she might show up on it, but we still don't know how young (or old) she was in 1929.

You could look for marriage(s) and descendants, and then see if they appear on trees on Genes or other sites, and if so, make careful and sensitive contact, perhaps starting off with a more general family history related enquiry first. Again, as Cooper is such a common name you could well have difficulty in making certain identification of Edna in online records.

Official adoption kicked in around 1927, but I don't know what records there are likely to be from that period, or how to set about accessing them if they still exist.

As the topic of your uncle is totally unrelated to this thread about your friend's family, it would probably be better to start a new thread with the information you've just posted, and let Genes helpers loose on it.

I'm sure there will be someone who will better be able to advise you, sorry to disappoint.

Wow Kucinta you have been busy. Thank you so much this has been a terrific help. You seem to know exactly where to look for things, I wonder if you could advise me on another matter. My uncle was adopted, I know his birth mothers name and where she was living but am drawing blanks on how to find anything else. His name was John Percival Cooper born Jan 1st 1929 at 302 Fulham Palace Road, his mother was Edna Maud Cooper a chambermaid of 116 Stockwell Park Road SW9. No fathers name listed. Any advice you could give to find anything else would be fantastic :)

Stray thought about the lack of Searson-Burton children after 1911. If we have the correct 1866 birthdate for Charlotte, then she would have been aged 44 or so in 1911.

So it's possible any lack of births is attributable to an aged related drop in Charlotte's fertility.

Doesn't explain the apparent absence of the family in census 1911 though :-(

????

Possible in census 1871 for Mary Spence who married Thomas Searson, if the death in 1879 aged 23 is her. Marriage details posted earlier say she had a father named says she had a father named Thomas


England and Wales Census, 1871

Name: Mary Spencer
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Birthplace: Greenhill Lane, Derbyshire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Basford
Sub-District: Greasley
Parish: Codnor & Loscoe
County: Nottinghamshire

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Self Thomas Spencer M 41 South Normanton, Derbyshire
Wife Elizabeth Spencer F 33 Greenhill Lane, Derbyshire
Daughter Mary Spencer F 15 Greenhill Lane, Derbyshire<<<<<<<<<<
Son Joseph Spencer M 13 Greenhill Lane, Derbyshire
Son James Spencer M 11 Greenhill Lane, Derbyshire
Son William Spencer M 8 Codnor, Derbyshire
Son Henry Spencer M 3 Codnor, Derbyshire

????

Burials

England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1910"
Name: Sarah Searson
Event Type: Burial
Event Date: 29 Sep 1868
Event Place: Codnor and Loscoe, Codnor and Loscoe, Derbyshire, England
Gender:
Age: 53
Marital Status:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1815
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
GS Film number: 1042035
Digital Folder Number: 004452671
Image Number: 00560


Name: William Searson
Event Type: Burial
Event Date: 16 Mar 1870
Event Place: Codnor and Loscoe, Codnor and Loscoe, Derbyshire, England
Gender:
Age: 50
Marital Status:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1820
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
GS Film number: 1042035
Digital Folder Number: 004452671
Image Number: 00569

Fits with census 1871, where Thomas Searson is living with his two brothers:

Census 1871:

Name: Thomas Searson
Age: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1850
Relation: Brother
Gender: Male
Where born: Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Civil Parish: Codnor and Loscoe
Ecclesiastical parish: Codnor
Town: Codnor
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England
Registration district: Basford
Sub-registration district: Greasley

Household Members: Name Age
Edward Searson 24 c1847 Codnor, Derbyshire, England Miner
Thomas Searson 21 c1850 Codnor, Derbyshire, England Miner
Joseph Searson 19 c1852 Codnor, Derbyshire, England Draper's apprentice.

????

Can't find baptism of a William Searson at Codnor c1820. There is this one at Heanor, which is very close by.

Name: William Searson
Event Type: Christening
Event Date: 09 May 1819
Event Place: St Laurance, Heanor, Derbyshire, England
Gender: Male
Age:
Marital Status:
Birth Year (Estimated):
Father's Name: Edward Searson
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Searson
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
GS Film number: 2104171
Digital Folder Number: 004453501
Image Number: 00721

This baptism of a Sarah mee at same church:


Name: Sarah Myle Mee
Event Type: Christening
Event Date: 06 Dec 1815
Event Place: St Laurance, Heanor, Derbyshire, England
Gender: Female
Age:
Marital Status:
Birth Year (Estimated):
Father's Name:
Mother's Name: Mary Mee
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
GS Film number: 2104171
Digital Folder Number: 004453501
Image Number: 00704

??????


England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
Name: William Searson<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 15 Oct 1838
Marriage Place: Selston,Nottingham,England
Spouse: Sarah Mee <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
FHL Film Number: 95049


Marriages Dec 1838 (>99%)
ELLIOTT George Basford 15 915
KNOWLES Matthew Basford 15 915
LEE Alice Basford 15 915
MEE Sarah Basford 15 915 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
SEARSON William Basford 15 915 <<<<<<<<<<<<
SLACK Sarah Basford 15 915 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
STOCKS Alice Basford 15 915
WATTS Charles Basford 15 915

Same family 1851:

1851 England Census about William Searson
Name: William Searson
Age: 31
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1820
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Sarah Searson
Gender: Male
Where born: Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Civil Parish: Codnor and Loscoe
Ecclesiastical parish: Codnor and Loscoe
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England

Household Members: Name Age
William Searson 31
Sarah Searson 35
Elizabeth Searson 11 daur c 1840 Codnor, Derbyshire, England.
Edward Searson 5
Thomas Searson 1

census 1861:

Name: Thomas Searson
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: 1850
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William Searson
Mother's name: Sarah Searson
Gender: Male
Where born: Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Civil Parish: Codnor and Loscoe
Ecclesiastical parish: St James
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England
Street address:

Household Members:
Name Age
William Searson 42 c1819 Codnor, Derbyshire, England coal & iron miner.<<<<<
Sarah Searson 47 wife c1814 Heanor, Derbyshire, England
Edward Searson 15 son c1846 Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Thomas Searson 11 c1850 Codnor, Derbyshire, England<<<<<<<<
Joseph Searson 8 c1853 Codnor, Derbyshire, England

England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973

Name: Mary Spencer<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Birth Date: 1856
Marriage Date: 22 Sep 1875<<<<<<<<<<<<
Marriage Place: Codnor and Loscoe,Derby,England
Father: Thomas Spencer
Spouse: Thomas Searson <<<<<<<<<<<<<
FHL Film Number: 1042035


Name: Thomas Searson<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Birth Date: 1849
Marriage Date: 22 Sep 1875
Marriage Place: Codnor and Loscoe, Codnor and Loscoe, Derbyshire, England
Marriage Age: 26
Father: William Searson <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Spouse: Mary Spencer<<<<<<<<<<<
FHL Film Number: 1042035

It's my friends Grandfather, she had a book with the names in and was curious about the connection.

I'm not seeing any Searson/Burton births post 1911. Could one of them have died and the other remarried? Wondered about emigration but can't see any passenger lists.

Sue - how did you connect to Bernard in the first place?

It's alway a team effort on GR, Sue :-)

After all, it was MarieCeleste who asked the pertinent question about William's occupation on Bernard's birth cert.

Have stuff to do right now, but I hope others can add more to the thread.

Thanks Kucinta you are like my very own detective lol. I really appreciate your help

????

Marriages Sep 1875 (>99%)
CAVE Maria Basford 7b 193
GRAINGER Henry Basford 7b 193
Searson Thomas Basford 7b 193 <<<<<<<<<<<<
Spencer Mary Basford 7b 193


This death for a Mary Searson?

Deaths Sep 1879 Searson Mary 23 Basford 7b 56

Unfortunately Maria and Maria have been used interchangeably in my experience, so not sure which bride Thomas married, Maria Cave or Mary Spencer.

Thomas already widowed by census 1881:


First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
JOHN TAYLOR HEAD MARRIED Male 63 1818 COAL MINER DRAYCOTT, DERBYSHIRE
ELIZABETH TAYLOR WIFE MARRIED Female 61 1820 - DRAYCOTT, DERBYSHIRE
THOMAS SEARSON LODGER WIDOWER Male 31 1850 COAL MINER CODNOR, DERBYSHIRE <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
WM SEARSON LODGER SINGLE Male 5 1876 - CODNOR, DERBYSHIRE
ANNIE SEARSON LODGER SINGLE Female 3 1878 - CODNOR, DERBYSHIRE

First name(s) THOMAS
Last name SEARSON
Relationship LODGER
Marital condition WIDOWER
Gender Male
Age 31
Birth year 1850
Occupation COAL MINER
Birth town CODNOR
Birth country DERBYSHIRE
Birth place -
House number -
House name -
Street MILL LANE
Parish CODNOR (DERBY)
Town -
County Nottinghamshire
Country ENGLAND
Registration district BASFORD
Series RG11
Piece number 3320
Folio 108
Page 33
Family member first name ELIZABETH, THOMAS, JOHN, WM, ANNIE
Family member last name TAYLOR, SEARSON
Record set 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Same family 1891?

Name: Thomas Searson
Age: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1850
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Civil Parish: Codnor and Loscoe
Ecclesiastical parish: St James
Town: Codnor
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England
Street address:


Registration district: Basford
Sub-registration district: Greasley
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 2658
Folio: 98
Page Number: 44

Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Searson 41 c1850 Codnor, Derbyshire, England widowed coal miner
William Searson 15 son c1876 Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Annie Searson 13 daur c1878 Codnor, Derbyshire, England

This chap was an Iron f worker in census 1901:


Name: William Searson
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1876
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Father: Thomas Searson
Birth Place: Codnor, Derbyshire, England
Civil Parish: Codnor
Ecclesiastical parish: St James
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Household Members: Name Age
Thomas Searson 51 c1850 Codnor, Derbyshire, England coal miner
William Searson son 25 c1876 Codnor, Derbyshire, England Iron F Worker<<,
Jonathan Woolley 28 son in law c1873 Langley Mill, Nottinghamshire, England miner below ground c hewer
Annie Woolley 23 daughter c1878 Codnor, Derbyshire, England

Father Thomas is described as married.

Thanks Kucinta that's the one. Wonder why it's not showing on Ancestry and why they aren't on 1911 census. Any suggestions?

MarieCeleste - he was a forge labourer