I'm adopted and my birth mother's name was Helen Ward and my name was Irma Lessie Ward so I need help finding info.

Question

My adopted parents are deceased. Their names were Benny Austin Thrasher and Dorothy Irene Oaks Thrasher. I had an older biological brother whose name was Hank Ward. He was adopted and his name was changed to William James Benfield. I had a younger half brother, but I am not sure of his birth name. He was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Deskins, Grundy, Va and his adopted name was Bobby Lee Deskins.

I have had contact throughout my life with my older brother, but we have never been able to find more info on Bobbie Lee.

Comments

Do you know what state you were born in? I have some Ward's in my family and would love to see if I can help you out!!!

Answer 1

 

 

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRY6-D6V

Bobby Deskins

United States Census, 1940

Name	Bobby Deskins
Event Type	Census
Event Date	1940
Event Place	Grundy, Grundy Magisterial District, Buchanan, Virginia, United States
Gender	Male
Age	9
Marital Status	Single
Race (Original)	White
Race	White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original)	Ward
Relationship to Head of Household	Ward
Birthplace	Kentucky
Birth Year (Estimated)	1931
Last Place of Residence	Rural, Pike, Kentucky

Comments

Looks like things may not have gone well with that adoption, this being some sort of school for homeless children. But the school still exists, and they might be willing to share more info - maybe even help get in touch, if he's still alive: https://mmskids.org/about/history/

Good luck!

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This obituary seems to be the family mentioned by Terry Lee below, and the Andrew Deskins in that obituary seems to be the only one in Grundy in the 1940 census or before. But if that's the case, Andrew was only about 17 at the time of the 1940 census, so it seems like he would have been too young to have already adopted a nine year old boy (and probably the eleven year old John Deskins above him) and then had that adoption fall through. So my guess is that either (1) Bobby's biological father was a Deskins (not Andrew, who would have been 8 at the time Bobby was born), (2) Bobby had a failed adoption with another Deskins in the Grundy area, or (3) that the Bobby in this census record is not Erma's brother. The Andrew in that obituary served in WWII and married afterwards in 1945.

That obituary mentions Andrew having another son Bradley of Martel, which seems to match the obituary on this Find A Grave memorial, which indicates that Robert/Bobby was living and had a wife named Sandy at the time of Jacob Bradley's death in 2019.

Not sure if this the right family, but I hope you're able to find him!

Answer 2

Robert "Bobby" Lee Ward (living Michigan in 2012) was adopted by Andrew Parson Deskins ... "Doc"

born 06 May 1923 Marvin, Buchanan, Virginia

died 01 Apr 2012 Caledonia, Ohio

buried Caledonia Cem., Caledonia, Ohio

and wife Gertrude Mary (Vandyke) Deskins

born 17 Feb 1925 Buchanan Co., Virginia