As before please summit this article to any web site so as others may be helped. Two More County Adoptions Found While running deeds on cemetery locations at the Recorder of Deeds Office at the Jefferson County Courthouse I came upon two more adoption “deeds”. First, recorded in book 9 at page 356, “… Charles F. Lee of Jefferson County (adopts)… and Luella Maria Hughes, an infant girl of the same place (Jefferson County) daughter of Thomas Hughes and his deceased wife, and about the age of seventeen (Thomas)…”, standard “deed” of adoption. The second, on May 5th, 1907, recorded in book 63 at page 49, “…Eliza Ehlers and John Ehlers her husband of the County of Jefferson (adopt Susan) and John B. Gamache and Cora E. Gamache his wife of Jefferson County, parents by adoption of Susan Ruth Sutton, a minor, see deed of adoption at Recorder’s Office, City of St. Louis on July 25 1905, in book 1862 at page 177, also March 10th, 1906 in book 1895 at page 473…” What I believe is happening here, as I don’t have access to the St. Louis City records, is Eliza & John Ehlers are adopting a child that was adopted twice before, first recorded in book 1862 second recorded in book 1895. This also is a standard “deed” of adoption and the document was recorded, as any standard “deed” for land would be. It states that “…for $1.00 and the love and….”. If I am correct this child may have been a problem child, being adopted three times within a 22 month period. It appears like what would be done with a foster child of today. Herein lies another problem for genealogical researchers, if I am correct and the above was adopted twice, then her name my have been changed. Thus her “real” name may not be “Sutton” but have been changed to that by the first adoptive parent. You would have to look at the two previously denoted deeds. And finally be aware that any “Susan Ruth” you are looking for may not in fact be a “Gamache”. Copyright © 2000 Dave Hallemann This article may be distributed in any form as long as there no fee is charged, and the author is given credit