Articles Book I - Pg 66-180 (1977) - triadoption

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Creation 04 Agency i
Ily Mcllssn Berg
tlnmcr 01 ndl,ptd parents nnll
hlrs. Cervas and hcr r.~l!.cr wcre !
A urma~olIh~Sl~l1 cr pnrcnls. Foster pnrenls ~rroally reunit* nt Thank581v1nc. 1973.
In 1873 Mrs. Snlly Anderson Cer. know who ~ ~ vour ~arenls are, shu It was t11e11 lhnl Mrs. Cc:vns and !
vns decldcd to flnd out who h1.r snld. . . . . -..-nelurnl
pnrents wcre nnd nfler n
I i
hcr 6Istcr. Pegfiy. uhr? h ~th had '
0. Slnrt with il:c ngcllc)' uhrre br.cr1 iadol;tcd by n Sew Jcrscy cou. !
month search, lncl~dlng v:slls lo nn you wcre ndopld. .Ask fur pnrcnls' pie, und#!rslaxl u,hy lhry were ;
ndoptlon oge~~cy nnd n foilcr nlolh. Ilnnies, pllrrer find dates of trlrlll, glt'rn nwey.
er In Sew Jcrscy, she dld.
!hen ict~d for thzlr l8irtI1 ct.rt11l. >:rs. Cervias Ic.urnc4 her lirthcr
And lhnt, occording lo Mrs. Ccr. cnlt-s. whlch uli: have grotrdp~ir who had died in IWd. ha4 Lxwl an '
vex, whose molllcr gave her nwny enLr' _ norncs _ _ nnd s2drcsses.
alcoholic whu nbl~scd kt': mother. ;
. , C
when she wns 3 yenrs old. Is "sonic. a Senrch in lelrghone bouks and >Ira. Anderson lold hrr dauglllcrs
thlr~g everybody hns n rig111 to cnll nnyone wilh the anmc Ins1 shc Rave up lkem and lhclr hrolher. :
know."
name.
Ceorjic. In 1853 wlrrn she wds on the :
To help olhcr ndulls flnd llielr
verge of a nervous brenidcwn and '
Place newsyswr nds and
nnlurnl pnrelils hlrr. Cervnr. 27. 01
fell ahe could no longer care for
check wllh the hospilnl where you
salPS. Emery Rood hns estnbllrt~cd
them.
uere born.
Fnmily Flnders. For $35 plus ex.
George, then 8, was &Wen lo 111s
penres she wlll scorch for s per.
N%m you do Iwnle your family. lother's sister lo bern~srd ind Peg j
son's nntursl pnrenlsor lor $10 give
Mrs. Ccrvns sold I1 is hcllcr lo gy, then 6, and Sally.3, ucrelurned
perlcdlc consultallon. And for 52
wrlle n letlcr or hrr e someone else over loo chlld welfare agency.
she wlll send lnsln~cllons on how lo
lulk to them first.
airs. Anderson. wtd lold her
conduct your own search.
"It's no1 rlKht to barge Into your dsrlfihlers she hnd lnte~dcd lo re.
Though there nre npenclcs in
pnrenb' Ilvci. e,~c.rlnlly when turn lor them. wns hosp;l~li~ed for :
Sew York. Chlcngo nnd Denver
you're on llleflllmate chlld." she a yeor. When she wns reieascd she
lhnl provlde lnforniutlon on how lo
aald. "They may have a new life auld slle could 1101 reccmbcr the
conduct n scnrch nnd lawyers u'ill
and would u-nnt your existence in nnlne 01 the agency wt.e:e she had
track down pnri8tlls, Mrs. Cervns
lhelr . .. llves to come abut gradual. toke11 her dll~~hler~. sold lo her knowlt,dgc Fnn~lly Fin.
ly :.
Snlly nnd Peg~y urrc plnced In
dcrr Is the only ngetlcy lhal oclunl. "\Vhrn nppronct.in: lJc80ple abaul three dilfcrenl lorlrr honrs In the
ly mnken tllc scsrrh.
any irformnllon. polltc, but let next three yearr until they wcrc ,
Slrc re1 up 1110 conlpnny In Janu. them knuw you uiii not bc? discour. ndoplrd by llle J~~~~~
nry, she snld. txcnusc "on nu.ful lo1 ngedenslly." shc added. In 1850.
of pcoplc hnven'l the vnguest idca" Mrs. Cervns wis lucky In her However. lhelr llvcr didn't lm- !
01 where tostnrt senrchlng lor lllelr scorch. She already knew her prove, Mrs. Cervos sald. Thelr
nnlurnl parents. tier rcrvlce Is de. forrner surlinme ar.d lenrned from ndnpllve mother bell tiem and .
slgned. she added, to "help people o lornler foster mother she wna pullrd lhelr hair, pr~nptlng both ;
go through lhelr searches a1 the adopted In Slorr~stown, S.J. She glrls lo runaway sevcrr! :imes. !
least cost."
' went lo the njisficy there and
r Cervas ocknowlcdged
requested lhr nn:xes ond ncldrrsres L'tlnviny m:. sisler tt.cre mode il :
senrchlng Is often n conlroversisl,
of her nutur~ll porcr.1~.
ersler, bul I kepl hop,r.i that our i
pnrenls would come azd gel us.': !
difflcull nnd fruslrellng lesk. A soclnl worker pul the file on o hlrs. Cerves %aid. "I a:?ays lnata.
"\V~lh private ndopllon ngcnciea desk and then lrfl tt.e roorn for 10 slzerl tlint It irould ha;.e ten cite ;
11's hnrd lo gel nny inlurn~ntlun." nllnules. It wn5 obit0~14. 51rs. Cer. with nly nutural parents."
she snld. "You hove lo ho e the so. vns sold. 1I1c soclb! worker u.nntcd
clal worker Is cnmpuss[bnntc lo her lo see the (lie, bul did not want Mrs. Cervns snld she never fell j
yoqr couse."
lo hrenk pollcy by aclunlly stiowlng biller toward tier nnlural mother. :
11
In hlissmurl ndoptlon rrcords . In . h,.r. . . - . .
unlike her si5ler.
muy br opned only nt the discre. Frorn tllc file :Or. Cervur 00. "I just thr,u~ht lk.31 wmt!thln~
llon 01 lhc court nnd with "good ~nlr~c,l her pitrenu' first names- bud gone wrong. I Ge\'er uill. {
ca~isr." cxplaincd J;? L. Andersun, oa- 1°K lo UcceP' 'hat mY n~thtrdidn'l /
nn Independence lnwyer. tiislurl- c~nd thclr blrlh datcs. She sen1 lor Wnnlus.
cally, judges hove lnhen a nnrruw tlielr blrll~ certll~ciles whic11 llstd It is lmportnnt, she siid. lo be i
vlew of wI1n1 const1lutc~ good her grnndi~nrenls r.6mcb nnd u here prepared lo nccepl uP.al you find t
cnusc, Andcrson nddcd, and only they llv~.d. OUIB~NII~ your fomrly. !
pcrrons with serious hercilltnrydls.
1
Knuwllrg licr matcrnnl grnr:dpar. Mrs. Ccrvns snid $he w~ll no1 i
I eases or lilc.thrculenlnu lllr~csses ents Irad llvrd iri tkc Philndrlphlo se~rrcli for llir chlldren of parent3 1
have ken auccesslul k openlng urea, bnd they had nn unusuhi~lasl wlro hove glvcn lhem up lor ndop.
ndupllon records.
nomr-Ili~ll~cla!;e colled every llon, though she pl8r.r to stnrl s :
h'cw Jersey. Cnlllornlo arid 01110 nrtlilel in the telephone Iwk unt~l cross.flle of parents srekrng their I
nrr stoles lhol have more lll~rnl
$11~ lound n man uho snld he was nnl~lral children. i
pulicles regarding disclorurc of her nrother's icccr,G~ousit\.
Ttle plncemi~nt of en ndo bled
adoption records. Mrs. Cervnr sold. Through hlnl Mrs. Cervas chlld Is ,101 revcolt4 to 1t.e blofogi. !
Ilul for thobe wl!lin# lo undertake n Icnr~lvd llrr moll.er was livlng In cnl purrllls, and mony ct.lldrcn who :
, scorch, sonie 01 Mrs. Ccrv;rs'r rec. Ellston, 1'11.. ~rnd rrraligcd lor her lrhvc ken given up for ndopllon ,
omtncndallons:
molhrr's minlslrr lo conlncl her muy not know they are rduplrd, aha
.
First wrllc down lnctr you know und Rive her Mrs. Cervns's phone snld.
nboul youraelf nnd your notlrr~rl ntln~kr In Kunber Clly. "I don't think It's rlghl for people
' fnmll~: Names, dales and plnces of "She culled 81 imn nr lhry were to keep I1 Ithls lnformrtlon) from '
birth, place and dula of udoi~llon, lhrouyh lnlklng," Mrs. Ccrvus said. us," shurald. a
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