Find Living Relatives

I am looking for Mary Bell who had a baby boy called Peter John Bell in June 1953(my adopted brother.)

Without knowing where or when she was born...its impossible to find her

please look at freebmd to see how many Mary E Bell's were born

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

Thats of course if she was born in England or Wales?

Your brother can apply for his original birth certificate and his adoption papers which will give you a lot more info to work on

Thanks. I have ordered a copy of his birth certificate and i already have all his papers but they are no help

Providing he still goes by his birth name have you tried facebook ;-)

I was under the impression Sulyn knows who her brother is Braken :-)

I have now got Birth certificate,mothers address was "Fleur de lys,Marine Parade, Saltburn by Sea,Yorkshire but my brother was born in Dulwich,London

Around that time many unmarried mothers were packed off to mother & baby homes or to relatives in other areas to avoid bringing shame on their families. This could explain why her address was in a different area.

When you say you have his papers, do you mean his adoption papers - ie the legal stuff? Has he ever applied for his adoption file - this usually gives more background on the birth mother's circumstances.

If this doesn't throw any more light on his mother, I think you would need to start with the address in Yorkshire and check the electoral rolls a couple of years each side of his birth to find out who was living there. Trouble is, this would mean a trip to Yorkshire I'm afraid - or pay for someone to check it out. The local records office will usually do this for a fee.

The address sounds like a boarding house - the girl was probably employed there

Good point Reggie, didin't think of that. I've just had a look at postcode finder for Marine Parade and it looks like most of the properties are large ones mainly split into flats now.

Is her age on his adoption file? I did a random check for anything relating to a Mary E. Bell Guisborough, and found this, but pure speculation.

Name: Mary E Bell
Mother's Maiden Surname: Shaw
Date of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1928
Registration district: Guisborough
Inferred County: Yorkshire North Riding
Volume Number: 9d
Page Number: 746

Jan

Thanks everybody for all the info, no there was no age on any file which is why it makes it that much harder to find anyone ! How do you apply for an adoption file ? I have all the court papers and letters from the adoption agency.

Tell your brother to speak either to the agency through which he was adopted, or otherwise social services. He is the only person who is able to access this information, obviously!
Hopefully there will be a bit more information which might help the search.
Jan

Your brother needs to apply for his original birth certificate. Because of his age he will need to see a councillor, who will provide the original birth certificate and his adoption file. It's no big deal, they just want to check he is ok with getting the information and give some guidance.

This service is completely free, and can be arranged at a location close to where he is currently living. It can take up to about a month for them to locate the files, but it can be worth it. He will be provided with the original letters his mother would have had to have written regarding his adoption and usually some family background as to why she was considering giving up her child for adoption.

The application can be downloaded from here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Birthandadoptionrecords/Adoptionrecords/DG_175567

I must stress, it is only your brother who can request this.

Edit: Forgot to mention, if they initially state there is no adoption file insist they check again - these files are meant to be kept indefinitly. Caritas (Catholic Caring Society) arranged many adoptions back then and have been known to say that no file is available (destroyed by fire is the usual excuse) but which later turns out to be a lie. Or the social services have not checked all available options.

Hi Sulyn

The houses you refer to in Saltburn most are now flats rented out to DHSS and students They are all very big and are ontop of the cliff faceing the sea In their time they were very desirable opposite there are beatifull gardens

The records are held in Northalerton Records Office and Middlesbough Achives ;-) ;-)

Thanks for that will try there. :-)