This is the story of my father's adoption as I have been told by relatives. This is a sad story, but a true story. Ollie Norman and Elzy Brantley were married November 6, 1910. They had three children, David Washington Brantley, born August 21, 1911, Stella Mae Brantley, born February 10, 1913, and my father William Roscoe Brantley (Robison) born October 8, 1915. Elzy Brantley served in France during WWI. When he returned, he did not return to his family, but married another woman and started a new family. It is not known if Elzy Brantley ever divorced Ollie Brantley.
Ollie came down with influenza in the Influenza Pandemic that occurred in 1918 and 1919. She was sick and was not expected to live. Someone in the family, it might have been her mother, Luella Hildner (Norman), had an adoption agency come and have Ollie sign papers that gave agency permission to put the children up for adoption, Ollie thought the papers were for the temporary care of the children. They were not. She did not discover this until she had recovered from the influenza. By then it was too late. She eventually found David and Stella. David was returned to her because he had not been adopted. Stella and William had already been adopted. David was older and not as adoptable. Ollie eventually found Stella and spent years looking for my father.
Brother David remembered that a family had come to the home for my father from a town called Beggs, Oklahoma. There was a Beggs, Oklahoma, but she had no luck finding him. She found out later that the town was Peggs, Oklahoma, not Beggs. She was not able to locate him until he was over 21 years old and the adoption agency at that time released the information to her. My understanding, as told to me by Ollie's sister Mae, was that she was heartbroken over the loss of her child and never completely recovered. She died at the age of 56 of a brain hemorrhage. That is pretty much what I have been told by others.
Ollie came down with influenza in the Influenza Pandemic that occurred in 1918 and 1919. She was sick and was not expected to live. Someone in the family, it might have been her mother, Luella Hildner (Norman), had an adoption agency come and have Ollie sign papers that gave agency permission to put the children up for adoption, Ollie thought the papers were for the temporary care of the children. They were not. She did not discover this until she had recovered from the influenza. By then it was too late. She eventually found David and Stella. David was returned to her because he had not been adopted. Stella and William had already been adopted. David was older and not as adoptable. Ollie eventually found Stella and spent years looking for my father.
Brother David remembered that a family had come to the home for my father from a town called Beggs, Oklahoma. There was a Beggs, Oklahoma, but she had no luck finding him. She found out later that the town was Peggs, Oklahoma, not Beggs. She was not able to locate him until he was over 21 years old and the adoption agency at that time released the information to her. My understanding, as told to me by Ollie's sister Mae, was that she was heartbroken over the loss of her child and never completely recovered. She died at the age of 56 of a brain hemorrhage. That is pretty much what I have been told by others.
This is the story of my father's adoption as I have been told by relatives. This is a sad story, but a true story. Ollie Norman and Elzy Brantley were married November 6, 1910. They had three children, David Washington Brantley, born August 21, 1911, Stella Mae Brantley, born February 10, 1913, and my father William Roscoe Brantley (Robison) born October 8, 1915. Elzy Brantley served in France during WWI. When he returned, he did not return to his family, but married another woman and started a new family. It is not known if Elzy Brantley ever divorced Ollie Brantley.
Ollie came down with influenza in the Influenza Pandemic that occurred in 1918 and 1919. She was sick and was not expected to live. Someone in the family, it might have been her mother, Luella Hildner (Norman), had an adoption agency come and have Ollie sign papers that gave agency permission to put the children up for adoption, Ollie thought the papers were for the temporary care of the children. They were not. She did not discover this until she had recovered from the influenza. By then it was too late. She eventually found David and Stella. David was returned to her because he had not been adopted. Stella and William had already been adopted. David was older and not as adoptable. Ollie eventually found Stella and spent years looking for my father.
Brother David remembered that a family had come to the home for my father from a town called Beggs, Oklahoma. There was a Beggs, Oklahoma, but she had no luck finding him. She found out later that the town was Peggs, Oklahoma, not Beggs. She was not able to locate him until he was over 21 years old and the adoption agency at that time released the information to her. My understanding, as told to me by Ollie's sister Mae, was that she was heartbroken over the loss of her child and never completely recovered. She died at the age of 56 of a brain hemorrhage. That is pretty much what I have been told by others.
Ollie came down with influenza in the Influenza Pandemic that occurred in 1918 and 1919. She was sick and was not expected to live. Someone in the family, it might have been her mother, Luella Hildner (Norman), had an adoption agency come and have Ollie sign papers that gave agency permission to put the children up for adoption, Ollie thought the papers were for the temporary care of the children. They were not. She did not discover this until she had recovered from the influenza. By then it was too late. She eventually found David and Stella. David was returned to her because he had not been adopted. Stella and William had already been adopted. David was older and not as adoptable. Ollie eventually found Stella and spent years looking for my father.
Brother David remembered that a family had come to the home for my father from a town called Beggs, Oklahoma. There was a Beggs, Oklahoma, but she had no luck finding him. She found out later that the town was Peggs, Oklahoma, not Beggs. She was not able to locate him until he was over 21 years old and the adoption agency at that time released the information to her. My understanding, as told to me by Ollie's sister Mae, was that she was heartbroken over the loss of her child and never completely recovered. She died at the age of 56 of a brain hemorrhage. That is pretty much what I have been told by others.
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