The Family History Starts Here

8:46:00 AM judyo53 0 Comments

I was 7 months old when I was adopted, probably close to the photo here. In fact, this might be my first photo on or near the day I was brought home. That's the living room in our Blue Island home with my Dad Bud, Inky our cocker spaniel, Mom Bernice and me. Look close and you'll see the weird clown on the top left of the chair.

I'm still not quite sure why I was so old as they usually adopt out newborns, like my brother, your Uncle John. I'm wondering if my biological Mom tried keeping me. This is a real missing link for me and I keep trying to trick Mom (Bea) into telling me the truth.  She swears she doesn't know.

My name was Paula Tackitt, and I guess my biological Mom's last name was Tackitt. My Mom & Dad (you don't remember Great Grampa Bud, but my Mom is Great Gramma Bea, or Bernice) got married young and everyone thought GG Bea was pregnant. They got married during one of GG Bud's army leaves (he was in WWII stationed in Germany - supposedly he was a cook). So there were rumors going around.

Turns out they couldn't have kids and they tried to adopt a baby. GG Bud helped raise a baby girl while in Germany during the war and he wanted a daughter because of that. They actually had fostered a little girl but her parents got back together and they lost her. If they hadn't lost her, they wouldn't have been able to adopt me. The policy of the adoption place I was at (called The Chicago Foundling Home), was two per customer. You could adopt two kids and you couldn't already have children.

Back then they tried to match race, nationality and even religion as close as possible. That's what Mom keeps telling me was the reason for my 7 month stay - trying to get the best match - I'm not buying it. My parents, your great grandparents, were both of German descent. One of my great grandmothers came to the U.S. on a boat straight from Germany. A couple of my Mom's cousins spoke both German and English at home. My parents were Lutheran and I found it funny that my Mom was only allowed to date Lutheran boys!

I was told I was German and English and my biological family, probably my Mom, was of Protestant faith. The picture to the right is the first professional set that was done.