Salvation Army Maternity Home NC 1964

Hi, Iam a new member to this sight,so I just saw your post. I am not a bmom, but I am an adoptee born at the Sal. Army Maternity home in Durham ,NC . I was born there March 11, 1962. Your post was the first I have ever seen about the same birthplace as mine!!!! How did you find your bmom? I hit nothing but dead ends. Iam also sorry about your bmom having passed away. Thank-you for any reply . Debra

To Teresa, I wish you the best of luck in your search for a pregnant inmate of the maternity home your birth mother used during a certain period. There is a slight possibility that your birth mother joined a reunion registry, if she died after the mid-1970s. There might be a few facts waiting for an inquirer. The key fact is the adoptee's date of birth, which is missing from your query. Two old but large reunion registries are ALMA & ISRR. Both maintain the registry offline, but maintain a web site to provide information on how to participate. [url]http://almasociety.org[/url] [url]http://www.isrr.net[/url] According to Joan Hollinger's 2000 book, North Carolina does not have a mutual-consent registry. That's a shame, since siblings sometimes seek each other. Reg Niles RegNMINiles@cs.com

Even though thousands of letters and questionnaires from adoptees and birth mothers have crossed my desk, I still feel I'm not an expert on the use of the alias in a maternity home. But, I'll tell you what I think----that it was the policy of some maternity homes to assign an alias to a pregnant unwed woman, whether she wanted it or not. Sometimes the woman's initials were reversed and the alias began with one of those initials. The purpose of the alias, I think, was twofold : to prevent the pregnant women from knowing the identities of each other, and to make each one feel it is hopeless that the adoptee will ever find her. Continuing with what I think, but cannot prove at this time, is that the alias is discarded on adoption papers, including the surrender document signed by the birth mother. If I am correct, in every state for every time period, it means the names on adoption papers are true names. Opposing viewpoints are welcome. Reg Niles

I am a birthmother who was in Florence Crittendon in 1968. By the way we were residents, not inmates (sounds like criminials). We were assigned alias names to keep us from knowing one another but many lifelong friendships were formed and we all knew our friends' real names from the beginning. In my case I was assigned a last name and chose a first name from a list. Anyway, when we went into the hospital to give birth we did use the alias, but on the county's birth records and on the surrender papers our real names were used. I have helped a couple of adoptees to find their birthmom and the birthmom's real name was in the birth index in the county of birth. Paula (an alias)

I sometimes use old-fashioned words that people don't like. In the present case, "inmate" is interpreted to imply that someone is a criminal. I just checked the American Heritage Dictionary and see no reason to abandon the word. A former friend objected once when I told her she had an involvement with the New York Foundling Asylum---later known as New York Foundling Hospital. She thought "asylum" made her sound insane. When I founded the ALMA reunion registry in Dec. 1973 (at the request of Florence Fisher, president of the Adoptees Liberty Movement Association), I decided that the index cards used to register a date of birth should contain racial descriptions to help match adoptees with natural parents---I mean birth parents, or do I mean first parents? So, I wrote "Negro" on some of the cards. Somehow, I didn't think the new word ("black") would catch on and I certainly didn't want to go back and amend any cards because of changing words. I left ALMA in 1980 and since then "Afro-American" has been replaced by "African-American." And "Adoption Triangle" has been replaced by "Adoption Triad." So what shall I tell my critics when they object to one of the old-fashioned words I use? I still use "foundress" to indicate the female founder of an orphanage or society. Shall I tell them not to lose their focus in the ongoing fight for open records? No, I don't think so. Keeping silent is what I would object to. I welcome opinions, pro or con, from the adoption community. Let me hear your voice. Reg Niles RegNMINiles@cs.com

Teresa, I have recently joined this site and it is possible my birthmother was at the Salvation Army Home in Durham. Did you find out any info? My birthdate is 3/7/62. Thanks, Linda

Hi there.I am looking for a half sister. I am in contact with your birth mother, Janet House Dunlap. Father has passed away. You were born at the Salvation Army Home for unwed mothers on May 2, 1967 and was 8pds, 2 or 10 oz. Born at Duke Medical Center in the morning, normal delivery. Janet has your birth certificate that states the Dr. name and details, all but your name although they called you "Mary Jo." You were adopted out of a Raleigh NC adoption center on Davie Str. and the caseworker was Mrs. Anderson. Janet and your father were both 16/17 yrs old at the time. Im sure that there is more information but if this relates to anyone please contact me. Thanks!