Salvation Army Booth Memorial hospitals and maternity homes

I can't believe I stumbled across this thread. I knew I was born in a hospital run by the Salvation Army & that my birth mother was in a home for unwed mothers. I think that must be where she was! I know it's not much, but anything will help! New York is such a tough state to search in! I was born Tina Marie Sussman on May 15, 1958. I have been searching for birth family for years. this may be a lead!

I dont know much, other than my brothers birthday is August 15th and the year may be 1961, 1962, 1963 or 1964 . . . I think it is more like 1961 or 1962. He had red hair at birth. Please contact me if you have any information. Thanks in advance.

Hello all, I am trying to gather information on the Salvation Army Homes for Unwed Mothers, specifically the home that was operated in Kent County, Grand Rapids, MI. I was born at that hospital in 1975. My birth name on my Salvation Army Hospital Record was Amy Jessica Bussing, though it was changed when I was six months old. I primarily am looking to gather information on how the homes were operated, to hear experiences of the women that lived there or staff that worked there. Where was it located? What was a typical day? Did the children live there? What brought the ladies there? Did they continue to go to school? Were they visited by their families? Were they pressured to give their children up for adoption? Was it a good experience? Was it a bad experience? I am not successful in finding any historical information on these homes other than what is written regarding the Booth Family, snippets of things I read on sites such as this or what is on the S.A. website. Please rest assured that no ill will is intended here. I am life long supporter of the Salvation Army and am respectful of the privacy of others. I am not asking for anyone to give me their names or identifying information. I just would like to know what it was like. If you are willing to share your story or experience, please email it to me chantilla_edwards@yahoo.com. I won't reply or try to contact you if you would prefer. I just want to know how it was at that time. I thank you. Kindest Regards, CEB

Born at Booth Memorial in Cleveland. Mothers Name Sandra Lee. Father was a police officer. Mother sang in church choir. My original birth certificate listed mothers name as "Sandra Lee Voulo" she was 21 in 1957. She was born in Springfield, Mass. (There is no record of her birth...I don't think this was "her" last name...It was probably my birth fathers last name. I have been searching for 14 years... any help would be appreciated. Thank you

Where was your child born?

It has been awhile since you posted your comments. I hope this finds you well and that it will help you find some answers. I was a resident at the Booth Hospital in Denver CO in 1970. My experience may have been somewhat different than most residents that were there, as I was 25 years old at the time. I had traveled almost 1000 miles from my hometown to be there. The girls of school age had to attend classes daily to continue their high school education. We were offered counseling, attended religious services (voluntarily), fed three meals a day, were assigned jobs, and were generally treated with respect and dignity. There were two separate buildings at the Denver Booth. The main building housed the main offices, visiting rooms,the clinic, the hospital, the kitchen/dining hall, the chapel, the laundry, and the dorm rooms for those girls under the age of 21. The other building was residences for some of the staff, classrooms for schoolgirls, and the dormrooms for the adult residents. Daily life was pretty regular, with an occasional event to celebrate a holiday. Visitors were welcome, passes in increments of 2,4,or more hours were granted. For those who had families in the area, overnite passes were granted. I guess I could say I had a little more freedom than others because I had my car with me and could go shopping, on short excursions, to Mass on Sundays, etc. We all got along fairly well and I made a few friends. Although I lost contact with all but one, I have some good memories of the experience. I have always thought that it was the best place for me to be at the time. No one was judgemental or tried to force you to make your decision to give up your child for adoption. I will always be thankful for The Salvation Army for giving me a safe haven and very good medical attention.

My name is Roberta Lee (Wanden) Malinowski...i gave birth on 11-18-1972 to a son..Lee Michael...at the William Booth Memorial for unwed mothers in Detroit Mi. I am still in search for him...while there i was treated well....if there is anyone out there that can help me or was there at the time.....thank you

Randy Lee Stewart or Luttes D.O.B. - 02-26-1966 Caucasian Male Omaha Nebraska Other information will be provided as needed. Please contact: Jen777Wolfie@Yahoo.com

I recently received a copy of my original birth certificate and am praying to learn more of my birth family and hopefully be reunited with any of my birth relations. This has always been a missing piece in my life. According to the certificate, my mother's maiden name was/is Gail Margaret Harper. She was 14 years of age when I was born. There is no information about my father other than he was 18 and Caucasian. I believe he may have been in the military. I was born at 4:40am on 4/22/58 at S. A. Booth Memorial Hospital in Chicago. My mother named me Eva Marie Harper. I was put up for adoption with The Cradle Society in Evanston, IL. Any information regarding my birth and birth family would be joyously welcomed.

I was born July 12th 1971 and adopted July 16th 1971 through Lurtheran services. I have been told my mother was young and she was a child of 7 or 8 and her parents could not afford to support me as well.

In 1912 my father was born in Booth Home and Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. My grandmother had to travel from Iowa to access these services. She kept him. When I called the SA records office to get my grandfather's name, they did not disclose it, only his age and occupation. This was 100 years ago! Why do they keep records of decease people if they do not release them? They could be making money by charging a fee if the records are over 100 years old. Silly. If I was to get a court order, for what state do I need a lawyer from? Minnesota, Canada (where I live) or Virginia as that is where records are held. Easy to get the court order and costs? Anybody else in the same boat? Thanks in advance...this Canuck is going crazy with curiosity to know her roots!

I am in the same situation. You can read my post by searching my user name. Good luck and pm me if you want.

It is a frustrating situation and I can understand your feelings about records being held in secret. If you hire an attorney, I would suggest you inquire locally first. They will be able to tell you what is the best course of action. You may even be able to get free advise if you have a legal aide society as we have in the "states". If you contact The Salvation Army, they have a search service that you can register with for a fee of $50. I registered my search for birthson with their office in California (he was born in Colorado), so maybe they have districts for different states. I also registered in the state of Colorado for $20. If I were you I would contact someone in Minnesota to find out if there adoption records are open. But even if they are and you are able to get to the original birth certificate, his name may not even be on it. I didnt disclose my birthsons fathers name on the birth certificate. But when I contacted Salvation Army in CA they had the form that I had filled out that did have the fathers name listed. Of course this was in 1970 and things may have been handled differently in 1912. Colorado also has a not-for-profit organization that hires investigators to help with searches. For a starting fee of $800 they will begin a search for adoptees born in Colorado. Perhaps Minnesota has one also. A private attorney may cost more than that, so depending on how much this is worth to you and what you are willing to pay, you will have to make that choice. I hope this information and advise helps you a little. Good luck to you. I pray for you and all who are searching.

Was born@ Booth Home for unwedmothers in St. Louis. Boy born on January, 6 1976. Crib name Bradly then went to Children Memorial Home. Where can I find more info on this? Anyone looking?

We contacted the Salvation Army when beginning my search. I am not sure if this address has all SA records for the U.S., but it may be somewhere for you to start. If they are regional, they will direct you to the one for Missouri. They will send you forms to file your info and will keep it in a database for anyone searching for you. They will then contact both parties when a match is made. The fee was $50. The Salvation Army Maternity Home & Hospital Records Ministry PO Box 22646 Long Beach, CA 90802-5646 Also, you can contact the Missouri Dept of Family Services (or whatever they are titled) and they should also have a registry. They will probably also have a fee required. My son was born in Colorado and there dept. very helpful. They have a voluntary investigative search (kind of expensive). Havent paid that yet as it isn't always a guarantee that a match will be made. Another option would be to register at G's Adoption registry. They have voluntary "search angels" that can help you. They ask for a donation, but it is not required. You can find them at [url=http://www.gsadoptionregistry.com]GS Adoption Registry[/url] on the web. Have as much info as you can. Dob, time of birth, weight, length, and any names known. I am not sure if Missouri's adoption files are open as in many states now. Hopefully they are and that will make it easier for you. Also, post on other related threads here on Adoption.com and other adoption websites. Good luck in your search. I am praying for all birthchildren and birthparents who are searching and will add you to my daily prayers.