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MARK-ALAN WHITTLE Mark-Alan whittle's social history -- December 1994 CIRCUMSTANCES BRINGING YOU TO ADOPTION Since your birth mother was a friend of your birth father's sister, your birth parents had known each other for about 3 years at the time of your conception They had a few casual dates before he left the east coast to work in Ontario. He remained in Ontario for about two years before returning east to spend Christmas holidays of 1956 with his family. He stayed about two weeks and your birth parents saw each other constantly. According to your birth mother, in this two week period they were intimate on one occasion. For a few weeks afterwards, your birth parents wrote to each other but then, before the end of January, he asked your birth mother not to write again. Your birth mother learned of his engagement and marriage the following summer. Your birth mother came to Hamilton in the latter part of August 1957 to join her father and to await your birth. Your birth mother's father had experienced unemployment in eastern Canada and had moved to Ontario a year earlier. He was able to be gainfully employed for a time in an industry. However he had not yet been able to finance the way for his wife and nine children to join him. He was concerned about your birth mother's pregnancy, of which he previously was unaware. His wife also did not know of your birth mother's situation until the father telephoned her after your birth mother's arrival in Hamilton. Your birth mother's father contacted the Children's Aid Society for assistance a few days before your birth. He felt that an adoptive home would be in your best interests. He seemed genuinely concerned about his daughter and anxious to make realistic plans for your care. On September 24, 1957 your birth mother signed a Declaration of Paternity. Considerable follow up was done on this. Your birth father denied paternity. However, he had initially admitted to your birth mother's uncle that he had been intimate with your birth mother at a time that could affect paternity. In spite of corroborative evidence, your birth mother did not wish this taken to Court. On September 30, 1957 your birth mother came to the Agency and stated that she wished to take you the next day directly from the hospital to her mother in the east. As your birth mother presented this proposal she was very emotional. She volunteered no alternative plan whatsoever beyond the trip and seemed completely unrealistic in regard to this idea. Since your birth mother had made no preparations for such a journey in regard to the baby, and her mother was not aware of her plan, your birth mother was advised of the danger of moving a premature infant such a distance and was offered the services of the Children's Aid Society until you were strong enough to travel and until your birth mother had received her mother's consent to accept you. During this discussion, it was concluded that you would be placed in a foster home on a temporary basis. This would provide your birth mother with some time to work out the details surrounding your care. On October 24, 1957 your birth mother related that she planned to take you east to her mother's home on November 1st. A friend of her father's was intending to drive and her father would be going, too. The following week she decided that she would leave you in care until Christmas time. This seemed to be a wise decision for the sake of your health and well-being since you were a premature infant. During this time, the emotions of your birth mother's father seemed to fluctuate between support and anger/frustration with your birth mother's behaviour and decisions. After this contact, your birth mother failed to get in touch with the Children's Aid Society in spite of their many efforts to contact her. The foster mother reported that she did not visit you after November 13. Your birth mother showed little responsibility for you both in visiting and finances, even though she was working. During this time she moved from place to place and could not be located. On January 15, 1958 it was the decision of the Children's Aid Society to appeal to the Court for temporary wardship for you for another three months. At Court on January 15, 1958 your birth mother declared that she would sign the papers for your Permanent Wardship. She believed that she would never be able to look after you properly. She did have your best interests in mind. Since your birth mother did not respond to the need of the Children's Aid Society for a social history, her father provided it to the worker on March 14, 1958. BIRTH INFORMATION Mark, you were born on Saturday, September 7, 1957 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. Your birth mother had a 37 week pregnancy and 8 hours of labour followed by a spontaneous delivery. Your condition at birth was good. Your birth weight was 4 pounds 7 ounces. You were a small, well-formed baby. You had a little fair hair, dark blue eyes, a small fairly round face and flat ears. Your birth mother named you Timothy Michael. YOUR FOSTER CARE EXPERIENCE You were placed from the hospital into a foster home on October 1, 1957. Your foster mother had cared for other infants for the Children's Aid Society. She was very anxious to have another baby in her home again. She had two sons of her own, fifteen and ten years respectively. Your foster mother appeared to be very capable and undoubtedly you received excellent care. During the first few weeks in your foster home you were rather discontent. with some changes in formula, this situation did change and improve. Your birth mother did visit you on two occasions in this setting, on October 8 and again on November 13. On the latter visit, she brought you a snowsuit and hat. Your weight on October 16, 1957 was 8 pounds 2 ounces It was noted in the records of October 24, 1.957 that you had become a much more contented baby. The worker shared that you had started to fill out and were much brighter. Your eyes were very wide set and you had fine features. You were starting to hold up your head and take notice of your surroundings. You had very long fingers and feet. Your weight on October 31, 1957 was 9 pounds 5-1/2 ounces. The Children's Aid Society social worker visited you again in your foster home on December 12, 1957. Your weight qt this time was 12 pounds 15 ounces. Your attractive physical appearance was noted. You had fine features, light brown hair, wide-set blue eyes, small nose and mouth and your ears were beginning to stand out from your head. It was difficult for the foster mother to keep you in a routine. According to the foster mother, you had a mind of your own. If you didn't want to swallow your food you absolutely would not swallow. She also felt that you were a bright boy. You took notice of your surroundings, played with your hands and laughed a great deal. Your weight on January 2, 1958 was 14 pounds 3 ounces. Mark, you became a Permanent Ward of the Children's Aid Society on January 15, 1958. On February 7, 1958 your foster mother expressed concern about you. For no apparent reason you had a temperature over 101 degrees with no other symptoms. The following day your temperature was back to normal and you appeared to be a perfectly healthy boy. There was not a reason noted for this occurrence. At this time your eating and sleeping habits were very good. You did make strange though and were easily upset when you were amongst strangers. After a medical examination on March 27, 1958, you were considered healthy and ready for an adoptive home. Your weight was 17 pounds 6 ounces. You received great deal of love and affection in your foster home. YOUR BIRTH FAMILY (This information was provided by your birth mother's father) BIRTH MOTHER Your birth mother was single and 17 years of age at the time of your birth. Her birth place was a Maritime province and her religion was Lutheran. The extent and/or depth of her church involvement was not recorded. Your birth mother was described as a very pretty girl who was about 5 feet 5 inches in height. She had a slender build, a small oval face, little facial color and a finely modelled, straight nose. she had lovely wide brown eyes and dark brown hair. She had thin lips forming a very pretty mouth. Her teeth were small, white and even. she was always smartly dressed and well groomed. Your birth mother had always enjoyed good health. She had the usual childhood diseases. Her hearing and vision were also good. Your birth mother completed Grade 9 in a commercial course at a school on the east coast. She apparently got along well with her teachers. She participated on school sports teams. She left school because she became weary of it and thought that she would like to work. Subsequently she enrolled in a night school to take a bookkeeping course. She had only been employed as a waitress and continued in this role after your birth. Your birth mother sang for her own, and her family's entertainment. She read to some extent. In manner, your birth mother was refined and quite gentle. She spoke in a soft voice. Her English was good. During her contacts with the Society, which were very late in the pregnancy and after your birth, she was rather emotional. She also displayed a lack of maturity, reliability and responsibility in her behaviour regarding a plan for your care. BIRTH MOTHER'S FATHER Your birth mother's father was 45 years of age when he provided the social history. His birth place was New Brunswick. His ethnic origin was English. Her father's grandmother was French. Her father was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 186 pounds. He did not appear as heavy as this would indicate. His eyes were blue and his hair was dark brown. His eyes were defective due to a difficult experience during his service with the Armed Forces. Your birth mother's father presented a nice appearance. Your birth mother's father completed grade 8 education. He liked school but financial pressures forced him to enter the work force. He was mechanically inclined. By trade he was a miner and he worked at this job for fifteen or sixteen years. He left the east coast for Ontario in the hope of improving his financial situation but this did not materialize. In the months after your birth, he had yet not been able to move his family from the east coast to Ontario as he had intended. So, on the surface, your birth mother's parents were living apart for economic reasons. Any other factors which may have contributed to this separation were not noted. At the time of your birth he was employed as a truck driver but was then laid off. In March 1958, when he provided the social history, he was living in a hostel. Your birth mother's father said that he liked to read anything of a political nature and such things as the Reader's Digest. BIRTH MOTHER'S MOTHER Your birth mother's mother was 39 years of age at the time that the social history was provided. She was born in Nova Scotia of French origin. Her health was good. She completed grade 7 education. Your birth mother's father described his wife as being exactly like your birth mother. BIRTH MOTHER'S SIBLINGS The following ages and circumstances were those of March 1958. The oldest sibling of your birth mother was a sister. She was 20 years of age and had completed grade 10. She was married with two children. She had a fair complexion, dark brown hair and blue eyes. She was a professional singer. Your birth mother had a 15 year old brother who was in grade 8. He had a fair complexion, brown eyes and blonde hair. Her youngest sibling was also a boy. He was four years of age. Your birth mother had four younger sisters. Her 13 year old sister was in grade 7. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. Another sister was 11 years of age and in grade 5 or 6. She also had blonde hair with brown eyes as did her sister who was seven years old. A sister who was six had just started school in the Fall of 1957. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. The entire family appeared to enjoy good health. The paternal grandmother had died of pneumonia at the age 39. The paternal grandfather died at 85 years of age during the year of your birth. Nothing was known relating to the maternal grandparents. BIRTH FATHER Your birth father was married and was 20 years of age at the time of your birth. His religion was Protestant and his ethnic origin was Canadian. He was employed in the area of transportation. Unfortunately there were no other details about his appearance, interests, health or family on file. YOUR ADOPTION PLACEMENT On April 1, 1958 you were placed with your adoptive family. You were described as a happy, extroverted child who loved attention. You adjusted quickly into your adoptive home. You continued to be a lively active youngster. You had been pulling yourself to your feet since you were 9 months of age. At one year of age you were walking and running both indoors and out and had 6 teeth. Your eyes, which were formerly a green/hazel color, had now turned brown. You seemed to be completely accepted by your adoptive family and the extended family. In the records of January to April 1959 it was noted that you continued to be an active, lively child. You loved to climb. Your movements were quick and definite. You had a good vocabulary at 19 months and would mimic many things you saw on television. You gave the impression of being alert and your adoptive parents enjoyed you very much. They also had very good parenting skills which were conveyed in their warm and understanding care for you. Judge T. L. McCombs signed your final Adoption Order on April 13,1959. Copyright (c) 2006 MARK-ALAN WHITTLE
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