How would you find out the names of homes for unwed mothers in Vancouver in 1961? Wasn’t it possible to just board a ferry and ride from Vancouver to the U.S. without going through customs inspection?
They had lived in Washingtomn state...
They may have had friends in Vancouver..
Inj those days girls often went to stay with an aunt or friends...
http://www.originscanada.org/adoption_industry/homes-for-unwed-mothers.html
Homes for Unwed Mothers in Canada
I believe you could find out the names of the homes friend. The issue I was seeking to prove was whether Stanley Ann or Ann Dunham was a patient in the Vancouver General Hospital on the relevant dates as even a doctor with admitting privileges even today, could only get that kind of information. The only doctor that could get medical information would be her doctor. But it would be sufficient to proof if she was a patient in that hospital on the day of his birth. That basically gives you everything you need.
And yes, there was a ferry that went to the United States but I don’t recall folks not having to produce evidence of who they were tho. And also, as to unwed mothers homes, I believe these girls were admitted to them before the birth and then to the hospital for the birth, and then if necessary, back to the unwed mother’s home for a short period. All that would need to be verified however. But I trained in the 60’s (65-68) and I don’t recall there be many unwed mother’s homes.
Wasn’t it possible to just board a ferry and ride from Vancouver to the U.S. without going through customs inspection?
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They certainly have customs checks today on the ferries. I was just on a tandem ferry dock that had boats going into BC. Not too sure how strict it was in 1961..
Some time ago a poster, EngineerChief, posted information on this. From her research she found that there was a Salvation Army home in Vancouver at the time of 0’s birth but unfortunately it has long gone. You cannot contact her at this time because she has no internet right now. You could do a search on her user name and you will find tons of research. I don’t know anything about ferries but I used to live very close to the American border in Ontario. We would often go across with our children and never had to show more than a driver’s licence for my husband. If the birth had been in Vancouver or perhaps White Rock, the friend of her mother that she told her high school friend she was staying with, could have driven up to pick her up. She would have told the American agent she was going to Canada for the day—no documents necessary. Then on the way back they would have told the Canadian agent they were going home to Seattle—again no documents and away they would go. Easy as pie. We did this many, many times even when our children were very young babies.
Until the US increased their ID requirements in 2001, it was a breeze to go to/from Victoria and Port Angeles. Unless you had packages, all you had to do was show a legal ID card with photo.