Assisi Mother & Baby Homes

[SarahRobins]

Hello, my names Sarah.
Reading some of the stories on here have been really so moving and have sparked an interest for me as a history student.
My grandmother aged 18 gave birth to my Mum in '63, luckily for her, my grandfather married her and she was able to keep my mother (and go on to have 3 more children). Her story was a fortunate one. I think my grandmother felt so strongly about getting married to keep her daughter because she was born out of wedlock (end of WW2) and raised with her mother as a sister by her grandparents.
I'm currently researching for my social history dissertation and would be really really grateful to hear from some of the ladies on here with first hand experience of homes like these ones. I'm happy to just listen in complete confidence, equally if people are happy for me to share and use their stories I would do so with the absolutely and upmost respect. I'd also like to hear from children who were born in these homes and anyone who has knowledge of them.

Thank you all in advance,
Sarah Robins, UEL, London.

UEL - University of East London

[dawnsh]

Hi Sarah

Welcome to Rootschat 

If you are looking for more information from around the county, then you can use the search button at the top of the page with the search term "mother baby home" you will find pages of similar topics here.

It might also be better if people contact you off-forum.

We have a personal message system here but you need 3 posts to get access.

There's more help about that here

 http://www.rootschat.com/help/pms.php

Good luck with your research

Dawn

[SarahRobins]

Thank you Dawn. A bit of an update on my grandmothers story that I missed. She didn't know until she was terminally ill who her biological mother was, and at 52, passed away insisting to be buried with her parents (biological grandparents). I think she struggled to understand why my gr. Grandma had not told her ever after their 'parents' had died. My gr. Grandma (90) is still alive today, and I have been able to partially trace the American side of our family back to Ohio but we hit a brick wall there as their was a fire which destroyed a lot of records. I know this a diversion from the stories people are sharing here, it's just a little information on myself. My grandfather also on my mothers side was also born out of wedlock to my gr. Grandma who was Sarah too. She was sent to a home in Belfast from Donegal after falling pregnant by a local married man. She died of TB shortly after giving birth and my Grandfather was sent to Scotland with other family. My Grandfather died a year after I was born, my mum has passed on this information. I just think it's sad that the stories of my grandparents can never be truly retold.

[SarahRobins]

This was in Ireland in the late 30s. The records of this I have been told there is little or no hope of obtaining.

[Elisabeth Clifford]

Dear Katheryn Bryant, Thanks so much for starting this thread, for so many years i have been searching for any links to Assisi, as i was born there in 1965, October and adopted and i tried at the age of 18 to search my mother but was told the place had burned down with all the paperwork and 10 years ago i tried through the council services and was told the paperwork was lost. And in-between i searched the internet and nothing until now!. So i contacted the Cabrini society and they said they do have my records but they have such a demand that the waiting time to meet to see the records is 8 months, so i have 7 months to go, if patience is a virtue, i might be a saint by then!. I don't want to get my hopes up to high, it so long ago and i am sure my birth mum has suffered all these years and i cannot mend that but if she knows i was in a loving family and had a good life she might be peaceful and it will be a treat to meet her. It seems very brave to adopt a child,  a real sacrifice, i know she could have married my father but choose not to just because of circumstance, and that was brave as she must have known it would not have been a happy marriage. Anyway i will wait and see if i get to know more. Thanks so much and if you like i will keep you updated. Maybe you knew my mother. Best wishes. Hare Krsna

[KathrynBryant1]

Hi again Elisabeth, don't give up hope, just keep trucking and you will reach your goal.  I know how frustrating it is to have to wait especially when you know that there is something waiting for you at the end of it no matter how large or small.  As before, if you need any help then I am here for you or anyone else for that matter.  Despite my having a child at Assisi who then found me, I too was adopted in 1950.  It only took me just under six months to find my mother through hours of research on the Internet.  I then had a meeting in Surrey, where I was given my birth file and within that file were many other clues to my birth family which I then researched again and found that I had two half siblings, one in America and one in Ireland who I am now in contact with.  Life is full of surprises. 

If anyone on this forum would like some help, I won't promise the earth but will give it a go then please private message me with as much detail as possible.  I will then give you my home email address for further contact.

Don't give up hope, I didn't.  I know the endings aren't always what we would hope for but if you don't try you'll never know.

By the way, I work full time in a Solicitors office so usually only check for messages first thing in the morning and then again in the evenings.  Of course I have a little more time on my hands at the weekends.

Kindest regards


Kathryn

[Michele D'Acosta]

Hello Kathryn & Val,

I would like to take this opportunity to join in the conversation about the Assisi Mother & Baby Home on Hammer Lane. I was born here in January 1965. My mother's name is Winifred. I don't know how old I was when I was separated from Winifred (and "given up" for adoption) but I have no memories of my mother. Despite years of searching I may never find her.

In addition, I am shocked and saddened to hear about the harsh and brutal way that in which you were treated by the nuns.

I hope that posting this message on Rootschat will mark the beginning of finding answers to myriad unanswered questions about the untold stories of the mothers and babies at 'Assisi' on Hammer Lane.

Thank you.
 
Shelley

[KathrynBryant1]

Hi Shelley.   I've sent you a personal message.

Kindest regards

Kathryn

[KathrynBryant1]

Hi all, does anyone have any photos of the inside of the Home and/or the Nuns?  I know some girls had cameras and took pictures of their babies.   I was not allowed and the Nuns told all the girls not to let me take a photo of my child.   Just one of the punishments some of us had to endure for having a child out of wedlock.  Not sure about the rest of you but I was never taught sex education at school and my parents never spoke to me about the same.   I think its horrendous that we were so punished for something that we didn't understand or ask for.

Anyhow, if anyone has any photos of the inside of the Home as it was and/or the Nuns and grounds then kindly private message me.

Kindest as ever

Kathryn