Tracing missing relatives - advice needed, please

[fabarooney]

(Long, sorry) My dad was taken into care with two other siblings in the early sixties in Glasgow after the break up of his parents marriage. He and his siblings were subsequently fostered out and never saw either parent again. My dad was told by a care worker at some point within the first couple of years that his father had died and that his mother had subsequntly remarried and started a new family. Bearing in mind that this was forty years ago and my dad was only ten or so at the time and has a hearing disability, this may or may not be correct.

Understandably, this has had a devastating effect on my dad. Even though he was fostered by a wonderful couple that he considers to be his parents, he has never ever gotten over the abandonment. For so many years he has been too angry to try and find out what happened to his parents but now he's a grandfather he wants to know. He's not (at the moment) interested in contacting either of them but he does at least want to know if they are alive or dead and if he has any half-siblings.

Because of his hearing disability, I've been asked to help with his search. I contacted Glasgow social services department who put me in touch with the office responsible for trying to help children adopted or fostered in Glasgow trace relatives. I spoke to a very helpful chap who told me that even if records exist after all this time - apparently thousands of case files for the period in question were just binned a few years ago - there is a 14 month waiting list for processing queries. If records do exist in this case, all they will show are the reasons for taking the children into care and what happened thereafter. It won't give much information on the parents.

I have my dad's birth certificate with the full names of both parents and the date and place of their marriage. We'd like to find out if either parent is dead and if there were any subsequent remarriages and children. Can anyone give us some ideas about what to do next and if you've had any experience of a similar situation? Thanks.

I would guess that in the early sixties in glasgow, people didn't move around too much. It might be worth just looking up the names in the local phone book (you can do this online) where they were married and calling a few people with that name and see if they are related.
I'm sure other people will have better ideas, but it's worth trying for a start. A few years ago I was helping out a friend and tried tracking down some records here in london for a woman who was put into care in the 80's and there was virtually nothing available despite her having lots of very specific information about where she was in care. I think that non-social services routes are probably easier to pursue.

Think the Salvation Army can help with this kind of thing. Otherwise, could you put an ad in a local paper? Good luck.

I think you could try The Family Records office in Islington perhaps for parents death certificate,it might give names of relatives that notified the registrar of the death,this might give you a lead.Many records are now online I believe so you may be able to get info over the net.Best of luck to you.

The address for The Family Records Centre is-1 Myddelton Street.Islington.London.EC1R 1UW.Also there is The Scottish Assoc of Family History Socs,51/3 Mortonhall Rd. Edinburgh EH9 2HN