Trista Gorrell

More Voices of The Willows and The Adoption Hub of America Trista Gorrell

Fascinating look into the early 20th century world of adoption in Kansas City, Missouri. "More Voices of The Willows" is a follow up to "Mansion on a Hill: The Story of The Willows Maternity Sanitarium and the Adoption Hub of America." Adoptees and birth mothers share heartwarming and sometimes heart wrenching reunion stories. Ranging from 1908 until 1969, these twenty-two voices express the common threads of needing to know who am I, what is my family background and medical history, fear of hurting adoptive parents' feelings, and guilt for being forced to give up a baby under difficult circumstances. One voice is a past Kansas governor who was a Willows baby and wrote about his being chosen by his adoptive parents. Another is an adoptee finding her ninety-year-old biological parents and learning they had eloped after finding out the young woman was pregnant. Upon telling their parents, the young bride was forced to go to The Willows and give up their baby for adoption. Readers will be amazed at the incredible story of a man who was born at The Willows, adopted multiple times, lived at Boys Town, was homeless, and eventually became a merchant marine at sixteen. These are just three of the amazing stories. New details about The Willows that has been discovered since the release of "Mansion on a Hill" is shared. In addition, there is information about other maternity homes and homes for infants that resided in Kansas City in the early 1900s. These include The Fairmount Maternity Hospital, Florence Crittenton Homes, St. Vincent's Maternity Home, St. Anthony's Home for Infants, East Side Maternity Hospital, Kansas City Cradle, and The Veil Maternity Hospital. There were dozens of homes for pregnant, unwed women that led to Kansas City being tagged the Adoption Hub of America.