How many Lost Loves cases involved families split up because the father either deserted the family, was abusive, or jailed, and the mother could have kept the kids with help? I am not speaking of cases in which both parents died or were unable to care for children temporarily or permanently due to mental health, substance abuse, or some combination, but only cases where parents were reasonably healthy and willing and able to keep the kids but the problem was strictly poverty. I am less concerned with cases in which parents were poor but eventually reunited with all the kids, such as the man who left his two daughters with a family for two years during the Depression and then took them back when the parents weren't home so he wouldn't have to pay the family for keeping them.

I can think of only one case offhand where the kids were entirely alone--the young siblings living in a freezing farmhouse until the oldest burned it down trying to use an old tire for fuel, and they lived in a bus for awhile.

There was a young boy during the Depression sent off as farm labor, who ran off and returned to his mother, but I think a couple of siblings were never found.

There were several cases from the thirties and forties. In one the mother and children spent Christmas in jail as there was nowhere else for them to go.

One which particularly outraged my brother-in-law who caught it during a rerun was that of the mother and children who swept out boxcars so they could sift spilled grain out of the dirt to eat. A social worker came over, went through the house, particularly the kitchen, and rather snottily informed the mother they had no food. My BIL yelled, "Then they should GIVE her food!" All they did was take the kids away when the mother was doing above and beyond her best. I forget in which case the social workers claimed to be taking the kids to a movie, and then drove them straight to some horrible orphanage. In one of these cases, some siblings were reunited but two particularly cute little brothers were never found.

Quite possibly the saddest case was a little later, probably early 1960s, the mother of six who had an alcoholic husband who was sometimes absent and abusive when home. All six children were removed and the mother killed herself because without them she had nothing for which to live, and requested "Silent Night" be sung at the funeral. One of the sons was depressed around Christmas for years due to this, and I have never heard the song the same since. (Our church ends its Christmas Eve service with it every year.) I think this was the case in which all six were found, one brother had grown up super cute, but at the reunion only five would go on camera.

Not to get too political here but there should be a database chronicling such cases to show to the hardened types who beginning this month will be removing all safeguards both to prevent unwanted children being born, and to feed and house any in need. It has started already in several states before a certain person is even in office. The more I think of it the more I keep flashing back to these sad Lost Loves cases.

I can think of only one case offhand where the kids were entirely alone--the young siblings living in a freezing farmhouse until the oldest burned it down trying to use an old tire for fuel, and they lived in a bus for awhile.

This was actually two cases.
The first one, where the teenage girl accidentally burned the house down was Brenda Merrill.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Eric%2C_Glenda%2C_and_Keith_Merrill

The second was this one: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Siblings_of_Joe_Dillahunty_and_Mary_Smith


There was a young boy during the Depression sent off as farm labor, who ran off and returned to his mother, but I think a couple of siblings were never found.

I believe this was the case of Barney Dewey who was looking for his sister Angeline.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Angeline_Dewey


There were several cases from the thirties and forties. In one the mother and children spent Christmas in jail as there was nowhere else for them to go.

This one was the Hilda Craun segment: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Children_of_Hilda_Craun


One which particularly outraged my brother-in-law who caught it during a rerun was that of the mother and children who swept out boxcars so they could sift spilled grain out of the dirt to eat. A social worker came over, went through the house, particularly the kitchen, and rather snottily informed the mother they had no food. My BIL yelled, "Then they should GIVE her food!" All they did was take the kids away when the mother was doing above and beyond her best. I forget in which case the social workers claimed to be taking the kids to a movie, and then drove them straight to some horrible orphanage. In one of these cases, some siblings were reunited but two particularly cute little brothers were never found.

This case was the Heck family, who were looking for the last brother, Tommy. http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Thomas_Heck


Quite possibly the saddest case was a little later, probably early 1960s, the mother of six who had an alcoholic husband who was sometimes absent and abusive when home. All six children were removed and the mother killed herself because without them she had nothing for which to live, and requested "Silent Night" be sung at the funeral. One of the sons was depressed around Christmas for years due to this, and I have never heard the song the same since. (Our church ends its Christmas Eve service with it every year.) I think this was the case in which all six were found, one brother had grown up super cute, but at the reunion only five would go on camera.

This case was the Rogers family. http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Billie_and_Joey_Rogers

There were some other cases where families were split apart for various reasons.

The Stradt family was split apart because their father was institutionalized and their mother couldn't care for the kids: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Dolores_Stradt

The Seaton family was split up because the children were often left alone, I believe: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Bernie_and_Calvin_Seaton

Alethea Evertz was just five when she was left alone to take care of her younger siblings: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Siblings_of_Aleatha_Evertz

Rufus Hinkle had to give up his twin daughters after their mother died during childbirth:
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Martha_Hinkle

There are probably several more cases similar to this that were profiled on the show.

Thanks. There was one where the mother died following childbirth after being injured in a hurricane in Arkansas in 1915, where the father had to give the baby up for adoption. Her siblings thought her name was Verniece but it turned out to be Pernisa. The father remarried and had a total of 12 or 13 children, of which she was the only one he never found. When she was identified her family learned she had died in an accident over 50 years earlier but had married and had a couple of children. IIRC the father lived to be told of these grandchildren but passed away either just before the reunion, or just after.

In a case where nine children were split up because the father killed the mother, the father had no relatives who could take them, and the mother's wouldn't because they hated them due to their father, but that was more a crime case than a poverty case. One missing boy was named Keith, or Heath.

Another case with about nine children was that of some Native Canadians, maybe early 1970s, but I didn't mention them because their parents died or were deemed unfit or something, not just poor. I was asking mainly about fit parents who lost their children largely or entirely due to poverty.

I remember also some kids being split up and one meeting another in a barn or stable. The boy said he was being mistreated, then the others never saw him again.

Thanks. There was one where the mother died following childbirth after being injured in a hurricane in Arkansas in 1915, where the father had to give the baby up for adoption. Her siblings thought her name was Verniece but it turned out to be Pernisa. The father remarried and had a total of 12 or 13 children, of which she was the only one he never found. When she was identified her family learned she had died in an accident over 50 years earlier but had married and had a couple of children. IIRC the father lived to be told of these grandchildren but passed away either just before the reunion, or just after.
That's the Vernicy Bradford case, her sister Ruby was looking for her. However, the father passed away in 1984, so he never learned of the grandchildren.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Vernicy_Bradford


In a case where nine children were split up because the father killed the mother, the father had no relatives who could take them, and the mother's wouldn't because they hated them due to their father, but that was more a crime case than a poverty case. One missing boy was named Keith, or Heath.
This case involves the Vess family. Sharene was the oldest, I believe, and she had located all of her siblings except one, Heath, until the story aired.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Heath_Brian_Vess


Another case with about nine children was that of some Native Canadians, maybe early 1970s, but I didn't mention them because their parents died or were deemed unfit or something, not just poor. I was asking mainly about fit parents who lost their children largely or entirely due to poverty.
I believe this was the Seaton family, which I mentioned earlier.


I remember also some kids being split up and one meeting another in a barn or stable. The boy said he was being mistreated, then the others never saw him again.
This one is the Debbie Reis Hamilton case. Her parents adopted four foster children, two of whom had been abused, and they stayed with them for several years. However, they were unable to adopt them and the kids were sent to other families. A year later, one of the foster kids, Mark, visited Debbie at the stable where she had her horses. He told her that he was being abused by his new foster parents. Debbie never saw them again, until a few months before the broadcast when she found two of the siblings. After the broadcast, she found Mark and his sister Tammy.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Siblings_of_Debbie_Hamilton

I just remembered another case that fits what you're talking about: Gary Beckman. His parents were unmarried and his father left, so his mother had to raise him and his sister alone. Due to financial troubles, she asked a family friend to take care of Gary. However, social services eventually stepped in and took Gary away. Sadly, Gary has never been found.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Gary_Beckman

Also, Jackie Harrington and her family were split up in the 1930s because their parents were too poor to take care of them properly. Jackie and her twin Bill were sent to different families. Decades later, Bill reunited with his siblings, except for Jackie. Eventually, Jackie was found and they were all reunited.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Jackie_Purinton

There's also the case of Robert Brown. He and his twin sister Martha were born to impoverished parents and they were forced to give them up. Martha and Robert were sent to the same foster home, the Breitlers, but Robert apparently was dangerous and hurt Martha on several occasions. The two were then split up. Martha was able to find that Robert was living at a homeless shelter in the late 1980s, but otherwise has found no trace of him.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_Brown

Although this wasn't known until the update, Terris Derby's mother was forced to abandon her in a car due to financial problems. Sadly, she passed away before the show aired, but Terris was able to reunited with her siblings.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Family_of_Terris_Christie_Derby

Yet another case was the "Smoker Car Baby" Sandra Nelson. Her mother, Dorothy Johnson, had to give Sandra away because she did not have the money to take care of the child. Donald Caffrey informally adopted Sandra. Decades later, Sandra learned that her mother had passed away in a car accident, but she was reunited with several of her mother's relatives.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Smoker_Car_Baby

Like I said before, I'm sure there are more Lost Loves cases like this.

There was little Bonnie Jean, whose parents gave her up being unable to pay bills for a medical condition. A year or two later, after adoptive parents helped her recover and took her in as their own, the birth parents wanted her back and received her. Had medical or other assistance for low income families existed then, the adoptive parents would not have to go through this. Bonnie Jean was the adoptive father's only child and he was heartbroken at her loss.

Yeesh...it's that time of year again! As soon as "Silent Night" starts playing, all these sad stories start sifting through my head!

It's interesting to look back at how they coped with these things in those days. You'd never see something like an Orphan Train, dumping kids to be farm hands, today.

i am usually a lurker, so sorry for just randomly commenting. but omg, these segments (and other ones involving kids, such as Georgia Tan, or pregnant teenagers being forced into those "women's homes") make me so sad and angry. when people talk about how great things were back in the "good old days" these segments are one of the things i think of. they're a glimpse into how crappy the "good old days" were for a good chunk of people. and how often a twisted morality went into that crappy treatment.

anyway, will go back into my lurker cave now. :)

i am usually a lurker, so sorry for just randomly commenting. but omg, these segments (and other ones involving kids, such as Georgia Tan, or pregnant teenagers being forced into those "women's homes") make me so sad and angry. when people talk about how great things were back in the "good old days" these segments are one of the things i think of. they're a glimpse into how crappy the "good old days" were for a good chunk of people. and how often a twisted morality went into that crappy treatment.

anyway, will go back into my lurker cave now. :)

No, stay out of the lurker cave! I love hearing from "new" people, even if they just lurk in the background for years. :)

When I was a kid, I used to think I grew up in the wrong time period and that I should have been raised in the 1950's. Man, as I've gotten older, I've realized how miserable I would have been in the 1950's... :D

Link (https://www.cherokeememorial.com/services-obituaries/2019/3/26/barney-dewey)

Reverend Barney Clayton Dewey

Barney was almost 91 years old when he went to be with the Lord on March 23, 2019. He was born in Corsicana, Texas to Lucy and Barney Dewey. He enlisted in the Army in May 1946. After leaving the Army, he returned home to Odessa, Texas and met the love of his life Stella May in 1948. They soon married and that union has lasted 71 years in March 2019. They began to build a family totaling 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren. In 1952, he met another strong influence that changed his life: that was Salvation. He became a Minister of Faith; he has Pastored 3 churches in Stockton and Co-Pastored numerous other churches. Barney’s career as a Painting & Building Contractor continued until he was 83 years old. In 1992, he was on Unsolved Mysteries telling his story of how he searched & found his sister after 50 years. Bro. Dewey has always been an exceptional role model, many have looked up to him; and as a father and husband, we all looked to him for support and protection. He sang songs of redemption and hope; he laughed at life’s trials and made all of us feel better. He told us God would never leave us nor forsake us. Words cannot describe how greatly he will be missed.

That's great! I remember a man searching for his sister but I thought his name was Donald?

Link (https://www.cherokeememorial.com/services-obituaries/2019/3/26/barney-dewey)

Reverend Barney Clayton Dewey

Barney was almost 91 years old when he went to be with the Lord on March 23, 2019. He was born in Corsicana, Texas to Lucy and Barney Dewey. He enlisted in the Army in May 1946. After leaving the Army, he returned home to Odessa, Texas and met the love of his life Stella May in 1948. They soon married and that union has lasted 71 years in March 2019. They began to build a family totaling 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren. In 1952, he met another strong influence that changed his life: that was Salvation. He became a Minister of Faith; he has Pastored 3 churches in Stockton and Co-Pastored numerous other churches. Barney’s career as a Painting & Building Contractor continued until he was 83 years old. In 1992, he was on Unsolved Mysteries telling his story of how he searched & found his sister after 50 years. Bro. Dewey has always been an exceptional role model, many have looked up to him; and as a father and husband, we all looked to him for support and protection. He sang songs of redemption and hope; he laughed at life’s trials and made all of us feel better. He told us God would never leave us nor forsake us. Words cannot describe how greatly he will be missed.

I wonder if his sister is still alive? I remember she was mentally challenged & lived in a group home but she wasn’t mentioned in this obituary