For genealogical research purposes, abandonment records refer to records used to document the lives of orphans or those individuals abandoned by a parent or parents. They may include adoption records when abandonment results in the adoption of the abandoned child.[1]
These records document an orphan's arrival and life at an orphanage or foundling home. Information found on these records could include the name of the orphan, the name of a parent or parents, names of guardians, information on the orphanage, and more.
While there is no specific time period or geographic period for abandonment records, for the United States and England, many children were abandoned during the Victorian era, from the late 1830s through the early 1900s.
Types of abandonment records
There are various types of records to look for when researching cases of abandonment:
- Almshouse and poorhouse records: Admissions registers often listed reasons for being institutionalized and possible relatives' names.
- Birth and baptismal records. Look for the word "orphan" next to an entry.
- Census records. Some institutions held their own censuses of residents. For the United States Federal Census, look for the enumeration district of an institution such as an orphanage or maternity home. In later censuses (1930 and 1940) these were grouped towards the end of the pages for the enumeration district. In addition, the 1880 United States Federal Census included a the Dependent, Defective, and Delinquent Classes supplement listing individuals with a series of disabilities as well as homeless children.
- Court records including probate and guardianship records. Depending upon the location and time period, a judicial process was in place to handle abandoned children. Determine which court house managed guardianships. In addition, some courts required a bond be paid by the guardian and check for those records.
- Death and burial records. Many institutions handled their own burials and maintained their own cemeteries.
- Foundling hospital records: Records documenting abandoned infants, sometimes including physical descriptions and items left with the child.
- Legal notices and newspaper announcements. Some jurisdictions required the posting of a public notice - usually in a newspaper - as to guardianship proceedings involving children.
- Maternity home records: Some religious denominations maintained homes for "unwed mothers" with the children being subsequently sent to an orphanage or adopted out.
- Mental institutions: Patient records detailing medical histories, admittance reasons, and occasionally family contacts.
- Orphanage records. Records including child intake forms, placement records, health information, and sometimes correspondence with a birth parent or prospective adoptive parents. Also check Board of Trustee and administrative records as well as records of proceedings; often these contain information on the placement of orphans.
- Orphan Train records: The Orphan Train Movement was a social experiment in the United States from the 1850s through the 1920s, transporting children from Eastern cities to foster homes in the Midwest.
See also
- Birth records
- Baptism records
- United States Census: Federal Census records
- Death records
- Court records
- Burial records
- Cemetery records
- How to ensure your family tree is accurate
- How to evaluate your genealogical research
- How to find new relatives and biological family
- How to deal with unwelcome family history discoveries
- How to research ancestors who were lost at sea
- How to research genealogy in disaster zones
- How to research unincorporated areas
- How to overcome genealogy brick walls
- How to research ancestors who changed their names
- How to use social media in genealogy research
References
- ↑ Child Abandonment. FindLaw.com