NN NN, Adopted out

ADOPTION PAPERS DO EXIST SOMEWHERE

A family member (b. 1943) remembers the envelope her mother yelling and screaming at them to go get the papers and read about the half-brother they had - Freda had directed her and a younger sister (b. 1945) to get and read the papers with in from a buffet drawer or from under it but their dad stopped them and told Freda to shut up and keep her mouth quite.

A family member remembers the envelope as being long narrow but thick in content and taped shut. Her father had come in late one night when this incident took place; they were sent to bed and an agreement ensued between David and Freda.

A family member says she was 10 or 11 at the time which would place it 1954-56 depending upon the time of year. The girls were never inquisitive enough to look at the contents of the envelope or maybe by the time they did the envelope had been moved from its location.

The oldest daughter (b. 1930) wrote of this - "he must be around David's (b. 1934) or Doug's (b. 1938) age. She was always adamant about this time frame of being born between 1934-1938 no earlier or not any later checking birth c's he he was listed as

1930 - #1 dau father's occupation listed as Brick mason - no employer given 1934 - #2 son father's occupation listed as Brick mason - no employer given time at 8 years 1926-1934 1937 - #3 son father's occupation listed as Labor CMA time at 7 years 1930-1937 1938 - #4 dau father's occupation listed as day Labor CMA time at 6 years 1932-1938

The envelope was to have come from an Orphans home in Illinois somewhere contacted her father and that he had a son and wanted to know if he would adopt him or relinquished his rights to him.

That adoption / relinquishing papers came to the house (419 South Main St Culver Marshall county Indiana) in the late 1940's or early 1950's from somewhere in Illinois. The mother was said to have worked at the old Palmer Hotel in Chicago where Mike (David's brother worked).. The half brother would have been born between 1935 and 1938. Dave Burns' brother Michael Thomas Burns was in Chicago in 1935 worked Palmer Hotel as a bell-hop married Jan 17 1937 & lived t the Marine Hotel, Highland Park, Ill. but in 1940 was in Miami Beach, Dade, Florida by census

It is not known whether both David and Freda had to sigh the papers or just David; and it is assumed that he did sign them since the child was not raised with the family.

The oldest daughter has been interested in finding him for years and enlisted my help about 1976 when she found out I was tracking my family history.

In this case it could date from possibly before or after The oldest child's birth up to the time Mike entered the service during WWII on December 13, 1943; can not find place of enlistment. On April 1 1935 Mike and Ruth (his wife) were still residing in residing in Chicago, Cook, Illinois BUT per the 1940 census and at that time they were on Meridian Avenue Miami Beach Florida, and had a daughter born 1938 in Florida. Mikes SS card was issued in Illinois.

Also David work for James I Barnes Construction Company which had contracts for Post Offices all over the United States, plus others; this is verified by his Social Security card which was issued just after SS became law and has the employer stated on the backside and his address as 316 Lake Shore Dr. Culver, Ind.. The Social Security Act was signed by FDR on 14 Aug 1935 and taxes were collected for the first time in January 1937

At this point in time neither David or Michael can be found on any 1930 census records. David was to have married 13 Feb 1930 but his wife is found in the census with her parents under he maiden name still. David nor his brother are not found listed with his parents; nor in the Union twp. Marshall county Census of April 1930; he could of been out of town working for various masons or James I Barnes Co. of Logansport at the time; David would of been 21 and Mike 17.

It has been said also that it was possibly by some Seller's woman of the Delong, Leiters Ford area but that fact has never been verified.

But maybe there are papers that were left behind by the half-brothers that his children or grandchildren are curious about and the biological side. Such as as being 2nd generation American - David was born 28 Mar 1909 Kilmarnock Ayrshire Scotland he and his mother came from Muirkirk where her parents lived to join David's father in Chicago before moving to Culver Marshall county Indiana about 1913/1914; leaving behind a half-brother in Muirkirk with the grandparents.

All three brothers resemble each other and their male offspring also had a striking resemblance to their fathers and is even seen in the grandchildren - attached photo was taken 10 Nov. 1942 for David's Naturalization papers.

I know this is a needle in a haystack search with no exact names, place and date.

In restoring the old house tearing out the plaster walls I have not unearthed the papers all that's left if the basement; there was a military brass mortar shell that was placed within his stone heart shaped tombstone to look just like a rock he built in 1962 - One family member had the cylinder opened against her father's wished - and the comment was by another daughter (b. 1939) "...did not lie to us about opening the stone. We all knew about it. She was hoping to find the adoption papers for our half-brother, but the only thing in there were shredded papers in a plastic bag..." The youngest son (b. 1949) was told that their marriage license, possible wedding ring(s) and other items were placed in it but it was "nobody's ____ business" he told many of the shell but always preface it was "nobody's ____ business and it was to be left alone"

Another family tried to justify the opening by "are any of you aware that before Grandpa Dave died and more than once he old my mother something was in that stone? A way of telling her that she might want to open it. She waited several years before opening it. I can't know for sure but I am very suspicious that it had been opened before then"

It had never been opened as it would be impossible to do so unless it was chiseled open as was done - as it was cemented and encased within the stone heart shaped tombstone

This was done on or before 20 Oct 2001 11 years after his death.

I have a feeling that the "shredded paper" found as the one family member stated it was the envelope and its contents - David never talk of this child that I know of and it was years later after the tombstone was broken into that the close friend of David's told me that he had been told of the child - - - A close friend who retired from Culver Military Academy and neighboring firefighter said that David stated that he had a child in Chicago, Illinois but would give no other details. Firemen have a odd sense of trust and comradeship. I have only one other idea of where the papers could be... buried with his first wife or he just simple burned them.