Another Mother Struggles to Find Her Daughter

Elizabeth gave birth to a baby girl in January 1970 during the first two weeks of January and  her daughter was relinquished to adoption.  The adoption, like most during that time, was closed  with no telling where her daughter went once she signed the relinquishment papers.

Searching for a Florida born Daughter with an Unknown Birth Date in 1970

Like so many, her attempts to find her daughter are met with dead ends. This is further confounded by the fact that she has adoption trauma induced amnesia and cannot pinpoint the day of birth. Elizabeth worked as a Unit Clerk at St. Mary’s Hospital, and gave birth there as well. One solid memory is that it was at night when she gave birth, because she worked 7-3 and came back to the hospital at 6:30pm.

The West Palm Beach hospital told that her they only save ten years worth of birth records and anything over that length of time is purged, so there is no way for her to back into birth date of her daughter; the one identifying factor that can tie mother and daughter together. January 1 to January 16-ish 1970 is the best time frame to consider.

Maybe Adopted Through Children’s Home Society West Palm Beach?

Elizabeth was certain that she had gone through Children’s Home Society in West Palm Beach, Florida, but a couple of years ago she wrote to them only to find out that they had never heard of her.  When she went to check further last year, she  found out that they didn’t even have any record of her being in contact with her. So it could be faulty record keeping or it could be faulty memory.

The doctor that delivered the baby, Dr. Hudson¸ is no longer in practice and the practice has been split up.  Again, she can’t find out the exact date that she gave birth, which would make things easier.

Revisit the No in Adoption Contact

In 1970, when she relinquished, Elizabeth  was asked, presumably by the Children’s Home Society, if she would be open to contact when her daughter became older.  Like many mothers who relinquish and have no ability to grasp what the full effects of placing a child is like, Elizabeth, said no to contact. As Elizabeth sadly says now, ” I was young, and foolish at the time, so was not thinking straight.”

As time and pain can be great influencers, like many mothers, we find that the “Birthmother Rules” don’t fit into the reality of post adoption life.  As they cannot find her on file, it is impossible to change this preference now. It is possible that her daughter might have already contacted the West Palm Beach Children’s Home Society and was told that he mother did not want contact. It is possible that there is another agency that has this “non contact” information on file. It is definite that this “no contact” request is now incorrect.

Non Identifying Information Through the State of Florida

It is hoped that perhaps her daughter has requested her non identifying adoption information form the state of Florida. If you are in the age range of 42 and female adoptee from Florida who is searching, please compare to what the possible non identifying information might hold:

• Biological Mother:  Caucasian , was 21 at time of birth, brown hair and brown  eyes,  Irish/English decent , 5 ft 6 inches tall, worked in medical field/hospital/office clerk, Christian
• Biological Father: Caucasian, was 25, at time of birth,  light brown hair and hazel eyes, and would stand 5 ft 4 inches tall, unemployed due to physical disability, Christian

Other possible genetic information for this female adoptee from Florida:

• Poor Eyesight: “All of us have problems with our eyes and wear glasses.”
• A good head of hair: “My father was bald, but my mother and I were blessed with lots of hair. My daughter had lots of hair when she was born.
• A love of music: “I have always been involved with music. My parents both enjoyed music. My parents and I played the piano. My dad also played the violin and he and I  sang in the choir at church. We mainly loved jazz, southern gospel music, and classical music.
• A love of water: We love anything that has to do with water. To this day i still love to fish.
• A love of service to others: All our lives we felt that we were here to serve others.

The Story of Your Relinquishment

“I was 21 at the time I was pregnant.  Both of my parents worked and were strict in their beliefs, such as being married before having children, etc. ”

“Her Father is a very good Christian man, who loves to have a good time.  He is a very loving individual and sees nothing but good in people. He has physical condition that kept him from working. He was 25 at the time.”

“I tried to get help from the State toward taking care of the medical and hospital bill, but the people there told me that I would have to get the father of the child involved, etc. and he was unemployed” making it impossible to receive assistance form the state.

“I could not financially take care of her and did not want to put an additional burden on my parents.  My Dad at times held down two jobs, and my Mother worked full time just to make ends meet.”

“My parents did not know I was pregnant and I kept it from them the whole time.  I moved to West Palm Beach a few months before I gave birth and lived with an elderly lady.”

Your Name was Claudia and Your BirthMother Wants to Know You

“Believe me if I had known that my daughter had tried to contact me I would not have turned her down.  I have regretted my decision for many, many years.  I am not afraid to meet her. I would give anything if I could give her a very big hug and tell her that I have never stopped loving her and thinking about her….  I would very much like to find her if she is still alive.  I would like to fill in the blanks as far as to give her more background of her biological family, and also to tell her why I gave her up, and to give her medical information.  ”

“I would consider it a miracle if I was able to locate my birth daughter.  I love her so much.  I noticed when I saw her, a couple of days after she was born, how much she resembled me when I was her age.

“The name that I gave my baby was Claudia. My last name was Barltrop.”

From One Claudia to Another Claudia

If you think that you might be Elizabeth’s daughter, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I have her contact information and I can tell you that there is no need to fear any of the typical reasons we worry in adoption searches. Your birthmother has open arms for you and the purest of intentions.

It was a mistake she deeply regrets in saying “no contact” back in 1970. There will be no secondary adoption reunion rejection. She does not have any ulterior motives imagined and she is a good professional person as a Life Enrichment Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, and a Certified Unit Health Coordinator.  She  has lived in Orlando, Florida since 1971and I have her contact information for you.

Please share far and wide. Perhaps this post can find its way to this other Claudia and give Elizabeth the adoption miracle she has been waiting for.Tweet
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