Genealogy Chat

We know that my mum was abandon at a few weeks old . Her mum for whatever reason had to leave her . But mum has no baby photos and its soon her birthday .I was wondering the likely hood of her photo or abandonment would have featured in the papers ?
I know that some cases are today but what about 1949 ?
It was in London .

Tina

Christine Simm is a foundling, discovered in the back of a cab on the 8th of December 1949.
It was close to Christmas so she was called Mary and given that she was abandoned close to Charing Cross Hospital, the day old baby Mary became Mary Cross. But bizarrely the details of this story were uncovered much later in life.

Adults Affected by Adoption-NORCAP is a national charity that provides support and services for adults whose lives have been touched by adoption, including adopted people, birth parents and other relatives. The organisation additional provides special services for people who were 'abandoned babies' i.e. Foundlings before they were adopted. AAA-NORCAP takes registrations from Foundlings on our contact register and assists them to make use of the very limited information available to them. In particular whenever it is possible to publicise the circumstances in which a baby was abandoned as Saturday Live did in carrying the interview with Christine on 3 December AAA-NORCAP is able to receive responses from anyone who may have information about the foundling featured or any other 'abandoned baby'. Channelling responses through AAA-NORCAP provides both support and protection for both the Foundling and for the person who potentially has information. Confidentiality is assured and potential connections can be researched objectively.

contact AAA-NORCAP on 01865 875000 or by email to [email protected]

She knows all about her adoptions and her parents ,who have now both died. But none of her parents family knew about my mum and she spent a while in foster care and no pictures of her as a baby exists .
It wasn't mentioned in her notes from the adoption agency that there was an appeal for her parents to come forward , just wondered if it would have been reported on.
I'll pass the details above to my mum.
Thank you Tina

I am sure that a photo would have appeared, if not in the national press then most certainly in the local paper.
If you want to pm me with a few details, date/place she was found I'll check the Times archive and have a route around for you. Can't promise anything.

Please try contacting The Salvation Army Tracing Service. Numbers of local and national numbers easily looked up. I used them frequently when I was a social worker [now long since retired] to trace information about someone's past or finding long lost relatives. One word of warning however. Be careful what you wish for. Wishes don't always come true and sometimes there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When undertaking tracings, you and your loved ones need to be prepared for finding something that might be worse than the not knowing. At least with the not knowing your Mother will have been able to hold a picture in her head about the circumstances of her abandonment that makes it somehow more bearable. Finding out that the truth is somewhat possibly different could hold disatrous effects for your Mother. I trust that she knows what you are searching and that she approves of what you are doing and has been provided with some professional counselling to help with the outcome - good or bad, for she is sure to need that whichever way things turn out.

Happy hunting.

Janet have pm you , thank you.

Elsie , thank you for the warning , in this case we already know the can of worms we opened and my what a sorry story it was .If you look at it the other way i wouldn't be here if she hadn't have been left.

She now has regular contact with 3 of her 8 siblings.
She has met another 1 and spoke to another on the phone ,one doesn't want contact with any of the rest and two more she has yet to have contact with .
( Joan Allan help us with finding them all ).
Tina

I wish you well in your quest, my thoughts go with you.

Previously added by Jenny on a previous thread. Might be worthwhile checking if there is any mention of the incident in these:

12/11/2007 18:40:43
This may be of interest:-

Two UK Newspapers Now Available Online

The "Guardian," a famous UK newspaper, and the "Observer," the world's
first Sunday newspaper, are going digital.

So far, issues of the "Guardian" from 1821-1975 and the "Observer"
from 1900-1975 are available. In early 2008, both of the newspapers
will be online in their entirety (from 1821 for the former and 1791
for the latter). Both newspapers are searchable. Searching is free,
but you must buy a timed access pass to view entire articles.

Visit the "Guardian" website for more information:
http://archive.guardian.co.uk/Default/Skins/DigitalArchive/Client.asp?Skin=DigitalArchive&enter=true&AW=1194298449025&AppName=2



Karen