There were no adoptions in the U.S. until 1851, before which many children were placed by churches, local governments and families in the homes of others willing to at least see to their food and room in exchange for some measure of work. Massachusetts was the first to set standards concerning such legal devices, calling those adoptions. The balance of the country – state by state – followed their lead. There are myriad Web sites generally dedicated to adoption and attendant problems; Google [uoregon.edu adoption project] Or search for adoptions on a state-by-state basis, Google [adoption Indiana law history] or [adopting children in KY history].
The facts that in our nation there were no divorces as we know them until 1912 and no adoptions till 1851 illustrate again that "History is like a foreign country; they do things differently there." So, leave at home what you think is “common sense” and what you think you “know” about people. Your ancestors were very different from you in many ways and in rules of daily life.
Baptisms records in counties are many in numbers and usually will be found in alphabetical order in the names of the fathers, heads of households or adopting person(s). We know that genealogy, like politics, is local and is about “where.” In matters of adoptions and location of birth parents or adoptees, their “where” is even more critical than in some other searches.
Baptisms (christenings, etc.) usually are associated with churches, [child baptisms records "Corydon Indiana"], perhaps [Methodist religious baptisms Cincinnati Ohio] or [Early Catholic Baptism records Michigan]. Churches, even those disbanded, are not hard to find in local records, and virtually every local society has files or information as to where Christenings/Baptism records might be found. Google [Clinton County KY society baptisms] or generally Google [Norfolk county VA genealogy homepage].
Don’t forget to search both that state’s archives and those of religious disciplines, there seeking the same information you sought in the counties, e.g., Google, [Georgia State Archives adoptions history] or try [Evangelical congregations WV history]. Be inventive; try different words to find records of any city or state. Any city may have a place of the same name in another State. So, Google the name of city and State with quote marks, e.g., for common names of cities, such as Columbus, search for that name and the state together, in quotes. Google [“Madison county KY" birth records] and there you will find about 2,500 entries, but notice that if you leave off the quote marks and Google [Madison County KY birth records], you will find thousands of entries.
Your ancestors usually were buried in cemeteries, most with headstones. You need to find those. There are zillions of such records available; very few are on the pay-for sites. So, you must go to the “where” counties. Examine [FamilySearch.com] and [Cindy’s List] where many cemeteries are listed by state, county and area. After that, move to the where websites, e.g., Google [“Davidson County TN" cemeteries]; there are 82,400 entries! Then search the local society cemetery list, e.g., [“Davidson County TN" genealogy society cemeteries] where you will find another 528. Though some cemeteries will be on both lists, some will NOT, and those are important to you.
We suggest that you try to gain photos of cemeteries where some of your family rest; local societies often have or will take such photos for you. Then too, try to gain a short history of that cemetery. A very high percentage of folks were buried in a cemetery that once was near a church; many of those folks were members or attendants of those churches. So, again, examine the records of religious disciplines of that group.
Next time, we will consider charity organizations, facilities for children (“homes”), “poor houses,” “veteran’s homes,” “county farms," “foster homes,” etc., and examine still more important church records.
Lifestyles
FINDING YOUR FAMILY: More courthouse work and sources
- Lifestyles
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Widows Sons support TAD
The Widows Sons Masonic Riding Association, Dry Bones Chapter, held a benefit motorcycle ride May 19 to benefit the Teens Against Drugs (TAD) Center in Crossville.
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New Corvette Club shares love for flair, design
If you were reaching maturity during the 1950s through '60s, you were probably either a Chevy guy or a Ford guy. While Chevy guys had reason to admire Ford Thunderbirds and Mustangs, the Chevy sports car enthusiasts have had an ace-in-the hole with the advent of the first production Corvette in 1953 — only six months after it debuted as a GM prototype.
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Arts festival coming in September
Mark on your calendar the dates of September 14-15 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) for the Plateau Arts Festival at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive (off Peavine) in Fairfield Glade.
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PLEASANT HILL RAMBLINGS: Award-winning artist shares talent with community
Not everyone has the pleasure of living next door to a “real live artist” – not just a Sunday painter as many of us are, but an award-winning career artist who has had 20 solo exhibitions, been accepted into various juried shows and garnered numerous awards.
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2012 Tennessee Senior Chess Tournament winners honored
The chess tournament was a great success, with a total of 18 players representing Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky. They took home many prizes, plaques and cash playing open section.
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PLATEAU GARDENING: Photographing plants and blossoms
I keep a monthly photographic plant journal. With a digital camera, photography enthusiasts like myself can take lots of pictures at little cost. Not surprised plants are my favorite photo subjects, are you?
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Celebrating Tennessee state parks
Come celebrate National Trails Day and the 75th anniversary of Tennessee State Parks, Saturday, June 2.
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GIVING BACK: Take a look at state of our waste
The county recently submitted its solid waste report to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. In the past year, the county collected and landfilled 52,462 tons of waste. Another 6,067 tons of materials were collected and recycled. A total of 58,829 tons of waste were collected by the county.
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The River WILD!
The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River winds its way through the 125,000 acres of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area before flowing into the Cumberland River and Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. It’s a free-flowing river, with no dams to control release of the water, but the scenery and the magnificent rock formations make it a favorite of paddling enthusiasts who watch the weather to see if they can get out and explore areas that are hard to reach by foot.
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Farmer's Market opens for business June 2
The Cumberland County Farmer’s Market will officially open the growing season as it has every year since 1978. This year’s “opening” will be Saturday, June 2, at the traditional location on Livingston Rd., next to the fairgrounds. Selling will begin early (6:30 a.m. or so), although some vendors may set up a few hours later in order to provide the freshest vegetables picked just that morning. There is usually a good selection until well after noon.
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