Genealogy Chat

Hi there. I'd be so grateful for any help anyone could give me re tracing the birth name of my father who was John Hocking Dunston b.14/10/1913 and adopted by Frederick Ernest Pike Dunston and Julia Slowly Dunston and registered on 21 June 1929 in the Petty Sessional Division of East South County of Cornwall. I've made so many enquiries and am just getting nowhere - I don't even know where to begin to find my father's birth name. I'd dearly love to find this out and to hopefully trace his birth parents. Thank you so much for any help.

From the info you posted, I would assume that the Dunston part of his name was an addition given by his adoptive parents so i would look for a John Hocking

Roy

Here are some possible's

John Hocking 1912 Jul-Aug-Sep Penzance Cornwall

John Hocking 1913 Jul-Aug-Sep Falmouth Cornwall

John Hocking 1911 Jan-Feb-Mar Redruth (To 1974) Cornwall

John W Hocking 1912 Apr-May-Jun Helston Cornwall

Roy

From the DOB you gave, although he was 16 years old when adopted he could have changed his christian name so her are the only 2 Hocking births that i can find, that fit the dob


Thomas J Hocking 1913 Oct-Nov-Dec Redruth (To 1974) Cornwall

John J L Hocking 1913 Oct-Nov-Dec Redruth (To 1974) Cornwall

strange how all three (John and adoptive parents) have all got a surname as a middle name?

Roy

He seems awfully old to be being adopted. Could Julia be his mother and when she married Frederick he adopted her son. I know that my Mum was adopted by her own mother and new husband when gran remarried. (Despite the fact that the new hubby was mum's biological father anyway!)

If he was taken in by the Dunston family at a young age they would not have been able to adopt him as legal adoption only started in 1929

Roy

Roy, see where you are coming from.
For information 1901 census

Frederick E P Dunstan
Age: 31
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Julia S
Gender: Male
Where born: Egg Buckland, Devon, England

Civil Parish: Devonport
Ecclesiastical parish: St Paul
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Street address: New Star Inn, Queen Street

Occupation: Licensed victualler

Condition as to marriage: M

Registration district: Devonport
Sub registration district: St Aubyn
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 260
Household Members:
Name Age
Frederick E P Dunstan 31
Julia S Dunstan 34
Harold Dunstan 5
Mary E Dunstan 3
Frederick C Dunstan 4 months
Caroline Lisle 17
Charles Messant 32
Charles Snowey 32

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 2106; Folio: 51; Page: 36

So that blows my theory out.

I know adoption didn't start until 1927 but it still seems odd to me that even if the Dunston's had taken him in as a young child why would they bother adopting him formally when to all intents and purposes he was an adult who'd probably been earning a wage for a couple of years. The only reason I can think is that he was related to one of them or they wished him to be equally entitled to any inheritance when they died.

Can't find any definite leads but thought I'd add in case it's any use
Frederick Dunston married Julia Taylor 4th qtr 1891 in Plymouth. Have looked for a Hocking/Taylor marriage on free bmd but drew a blank.

Roy and Janet - thank you so much for your help. You are absolutely right about Frederick Dunston - he was born on 5 February 1870. I see there's a slight difference in the spelling of the name in that there's an "a" instead of the "o". As far as I can tell my father entered the RAF at the age of 16 on 30 October 1929 - I wonder if he'd have to have had a birth certificate to go into the RAF in which case would that have triggered the adoption? It's all guesswork for me. I believe in those days a short certificate was all that was needed and it was from that certificate which I'd found that I was able to obtain a full birth certificate showing he was adopted.

I must have a look into the two Hockings born in Redruth in October 1913 and see if I can find any links.

Do you think there is any mileage in seeing if I can trace his birth name (if different from Hocking or Dunston) from trying to track down the adoption records on the side of Frederick Dunston. I keep being told though that only an adopted person can have access to adoption records.

I am a little confused...
Do you have a birth certificate , ..perhaps which shows in the far right hand column that he was adopted
OR
Do you have an adoption certificate?

Gwyn

Me too! My head is beginning to swim a little. I do have a full birth certificate which I obtained from the General Records Office last October which shows that my father was adopted. I don't have an adoption certificate though - presumably that would confirm my father's birth name. How would I go about getting that? Thanks. I can't believe how helpful people are.

Sorry - I'm getting confused about birth and adoption certificates. I have a short birth certificate which just shows my father's name, his sex, date of birth and place of birth as being England.

In October 2008 I obtained from the GRO a copy of an entry giving all details of my father's adoption which includes the date of entry, his name, details of adopters, birth date of my father and date of adoption order and description of court by which made.

I still think their is more to how all three (John and adoptive parents) have all got a surname as a middle,

on the 1901 census Frederick E P Dunstan is listed as born 1870 at Egg Buckland, Devon

Egg Buckland is a part of plymouth,

I can find no record of his birth their and he is not their on the 1870 or 81 census, However their is a Frederick Pike

1871
Name: Frederick Pike
Age: 6 months
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Ellen
Gender: Male
Where born: Plymouth, Devon, England
Civil Parish: St Andrew
Ecclesiastical parish: St Andrew
County/Island: Devon
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View Image
Registration district: Plymouth
Sub registration district: St Andrew
ED, institution, or vessel: 23
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 185
Household Members: Name Age
John Pike 40
Ellen Pike 37
John Pike 8
William Jas Pike 7
Elizabeth Ellen Pike 5
Frederick Pike 6 months He is not with the family in 1881

Birth
Name: Frederick Pike
Year of Registration: 1870
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Plymouth
County: Devon
Volume: 5b
Page: 260


I find this very strange?

1881
Name: John Pike
Age: 50
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1831
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Ellen
Gender: Male
Where born: Winkleigh, Devon, England

Civil Parish: Plymouth St Andrew
County/Island: Devon
Country: England

Street address: 11 Cobourg St
Condition as to marriage: Married
Education:

Employment status: View Image
Occupation: Grocer

Registration district: Plymouth
Sub registration district: St Andrew
ED, institution, or vessel: 23
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John Pike 50
Ellen Pike 47
John Pike 18
William J. Pike 17
Elizabeth Pike 15
Maria Bellew 36

Update < My theory is wrong young Frederick died

Name: Frederick Pike
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1871
Year of Registration: 1871
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death: 0
District: Plymouth
County: Devon
Volume: 5b
Page: 183


Roy

My father was adopted when he was 16 years old, my mother said this was to stop his real mother getting his wages! how true this is I have no idea.

Goodness - I've not heard of that one! I've no idea if that was the case with my father as neither he nor my mother ever mentioned he was adopted. I wonder if they actually knew. I only discovered the adoption as nobody knew anything about his relatives and I decided to start delving at the end of last year.