Patricia Hope - The Journey of Hope: Her Search for Truth

Patricia Hope

THE JOURNEY OF HOPE

Copyright 2018 Patricia Hope

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Reprint of the Journey of Hope-From Tragedy to Triumph

Originally published by 1st Book Library and Author House

Stratton Press, LLC

122 Delaware St. Suite M#188,

New Castle, DE 19720

www.stratton-press.com

1-888-323-7009

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in the work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Shutterstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-948654-96-8

ISBN (Ebook): 978-1-64345-162-6

Contents

1. In the Beginning

2. Taken and Placed

3. Courage and Determination

4. Compassion and Endurance

5. The Long Trip

6. My Name Is Hope

7. A New Daddy

8. Childhood Years

9. Leaving the NestBig City Life

10. Courtship and Marriage

11. Westward HoSan Francisco

12. Sailing the Ocean Blue

13. OkinawaMy Faraway Home

14. Return TripNew Assignment

15. Civilians Again

16. New Mate

17. My Dreams

18. Return to Memphis

19. Beginning the Search

20. Stepping into the Past

21. The Wait Is OverSiblings Meet

22. Digging Deeper into the Past

23. Baby in the Basket

24. Putting the Search on Hold

25. Finding My Birth Mother

26. A Time to Rest

27. DestinationBattle Creek, Michigan

28. Next StopMemphis

29. Onward to Hickory, Mississippi

30. My True Identity

31. Making Connections

32. My Hearts Desire

33. Looking AheadMy Homeland

Dedication

To all the children and their families whose lives were altered under the control of Georgia Tann at the Tennessee Childrens Home Society in Memphis, Tennessee.

Especially in memory of my birth mother, my adoptive mother, and the little boy who wanted a sister.

Also, to all my birth and adoptive relations. None of this would have been possible without the knowledge of how each one of you have been a part of the pattern of my life.

To my adopted daughter Kathryn, not only do I know the joy and pain of being an adopted child but also of being an adoptive mother.

In memory of my late husband Louis, who made the long trips with me so I could visit the grave sites of my birth mother, father, grandparents, and Georgia Tann.

Acknowledgment

A special thanks to my friends for suggesting that I share my testimony in book form. Thank you, Stratton Press, for your dedicated service and encouraging advice while getting the book ready for reprint. I love you all.

To the search counselor and juvenile officer in Memphis, a great big thanks. To the lady in Nashville for your part in digging through old records and locating a birth brother.

To the kind and understanding folks in Battle Creek, Michigan, for all your help in locating my birth mothers grave. Especially to the funeral director and the staff at the nursing home for taking time to share with me about my birth mother.

To the special couple in Hickory, Mississippi, for showing us where Georgia Tanns grave is located and for opening up your home and hearts to us as we prepared to continue on with our trip.

Most of all, to my Heavenly Father for making all this possible.

I will forever be grateful and praise Your Holy Name.

Authors Note

Through the years, more often than I can recall, I have been told that I should write a book about my life, including the time spent at the Tennessee Childrens Home Society in Memphis, Tennessee.

I laughed about it, joked at the idea, and procrastinated. After trying to convince myself, I couldnt; I knew that when the time was right, I could do it not with my ability but in the strength of Jesus Christ.

Now the time has come, and by the power and guidance of Gods Holy Spirit, I will attempt to tell my story. The main purpose is to bring praise, honor, and glory to God my Father. He was there all the way. It is my prayer this testimony will encourage and strengthen others along the way.

Before you begin reading, please close your eyes, open your heart in prayer, and ask God to reveal to you the message that He wants you to receive.

Introduction

This book is based on the true account of the life of Hope and her journey into the past, searching for answers to why she had been put in the Tennessee Childrens Home Society (TCHS) in Memphis, Tennessee, and who and where were her birth parents.

The answers she found brought forth many kinds of emotions as she read through the old court records and filled in the missing pieces of the puzzle of her birth and the first four plus years of her life.

Hopes greatest joy was when she forgave those who had changed her original birth certificate, thus changing her true identity then sold her for their own gain.

The Tennessee Childrens Home Society opened in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1922, with Georgia Tann as the first superintendent. In 1920, Mrs. Camille Kelley was appointed as the judge who ruled the juvenile court with an iron hand and had a tendency to declare children wards of the state of Tennessee with unnecessary haste. Many children were placed under the control of Georgia Tann because of the decisions that Judge Camille Kelley made. In 1936, Hope was one of those children, and to date, she still remembers the cruelty and a very long ride in the big black car.

The first hint of trouble within the TCHS came in 1941, but it was not until 1950 that an investigation would begin. As the conspiracy began to unravel, Memphis and the world would find out the truth of a very well organized black market for selling babies and small children for personal gain.

In the fall of 1950, after twenty-eight years of being in operation, the TCHS was put out of business by orders of the governor of Tennessee.

Georgia Tann died of cancer on September 15, 1950. Judge Camille Kelley resigned November 9, 1950, and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she died in 1955. Neither one was ever brought to trial.

Note: Information pertaining to the TCHS and participants was copied from various articles filed at the Memphis Public Library. Hope obtained her personal family information from the juvenile court files with permission from a court deputy. Anyone interested in more details pertaining to the TCHS can obtain it through the web.

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

I am Hope, a child of God even before I was aware of Him or of His presence in my life on the journey I was to travel.

Where is the beginning? How do I go back to my beginning when I do not have any memories of the first four and one-half years of my life? I cannot remember the woman who gave birth to me and was a part of my infant years. I did not know my mothers name was Margaret until I began researching old court records in 1987.