Does anyone know how to find 1881-2 adoption papers in Nova Scotia?
Vital Records wouldn’t hold the adoption papers because they are court proceedings and are maintained in the court archives. Remember, however, that in the 1880s a formal order of adoption was rare, except amongst the upper classes. Children were routinely taken into a family and raised as their own without court oversight. I would suggest contacting the Clerk of the Court where you think the adoption may have occurred and ask where their archived records are sent and how to search for the records of that particular case. Follow the trail wherever it leads.