Genealogy Chat

If a couple were married(possibly separated) could a mother have their baby adopted without the fathers permission? This would be in the 1950's. Sue.

Probably if she was fairly inventive (read sneaky) If the father's name was on the birth cert. which it would have been as they were married, then she might have managed it if she swore an affidavit that he was not really the father, and therefore his consent would not be necessary. Her swearing would of course have been perjury if he was the father. I don't think that the ability to prove relationship by DNA was very advanced then, you would have to check that. Also it would not have been so widely known about, therefore a father would possibly not even think of challenging an affidavit. She would have to be pretty determined to do it though, as she would have been admitting adultery, and in the 1950s this would have been a stigma. Interesting question for me, as although my birth father's name was on my birth cert. I was adopted without his consent as the authorities at the time said that they could not find him - the adoption was held up for six months, I was told, to enable them to try - as his name and army no. and regiment etc. were on my cert. and he was the notifying parent, it should have been quite simple. It was simple for me thirty years later(and sadly too late) However his name was not on my full sister's birth cert. (nor was our birth mother's husband's name)So my full sister was adopted separately to me, but birth mother's married name was used even though her husband was not the father. For my half-bro. born four years later, birth mother had her husband down as father, though he wasn't. Half-bro was adopted but I don't know how she managed this. There was however a sworn statement giving a different address to that of her husband. All very complicated. I shall follow other peoples' replies to this one with interest.

Help????

My birth mother said ( although he wasn't named ) that she didnt know where my father was..simple as that hence he couldn't consent. the fact that she lied thru her teeth and she was still living with him somewhat beggars belief but there you are! jess x

The fathers name is on the birth certificate----would that have made any difference? Sue.

Thanks Eileen & Jess. Sue.

Sue Are you sure her husband WAS the father? Are you sure he DIDNT give permission? A work colleague told me recently that he found out when he was 22 that he was adopted - big big shock. It turned out that his BM was the adopted sister of his adoptive mother. She was married but her husband was not the father of the child. My colleague has two birth certificates AND an adoption cert. The first BC gives his parents as his birth mother and her husband. Hubby returned from the War and stormed down to the Registrar, demanding his name be taken off the cert and a second BC was issued. A private adoption then took place and we assume that only his BM had to give permission, as her husband had kicked up such a stink about not being the father. Olde Crone

Old Crone, I do not know if the father gave permission or not----I just wondered if it was possible. I was just toying with the idea that maybe the baby was born after their separation and the father didn't know anything about it. Trouble is, because this concerns 'living' people, I have to be a bit vague (and careful) about the information I give. Sue.