>>23952033
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
Mary Ellen Wilson (March 1864 – October 30, 1956), also called Mary Ellen McCormack, was an American victim of child abuse whose case led to the creation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first child protection agency in the world.[1]At the age of eight, she was severely abused by her foster parents, Francis and Mary Connolly.[2] Because she was assisted by Henry Bergh, then the head of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, some sources incorrectly state that statutes against cruelty to animals had to be used to remove her from the home.[3][4] Hers was the first case of child abuse in the United States to be thoroughly documented.[5]
Biography
Mary Ellen was born in March 1864 to Frances Connor Wilson and Thomas Wilson of Hell's Kitchen in New York City.[1] Frances Connor immigrated from England to New York City in 1858 and met Irishman Thomas Wilson. The couple married in April 1862, soon after Thomas was drafted into the 69th New York, a regiment of the Irish Brigade.[6]Following Thomas's death during the American Civil War, Frances had to take a job, and was no longer able to stay at home to raise her infant daughter. She boarded her daughter, a common practice at the time, with a woman named Martha Score.When Frances Wilson's financial situation worsened, she began to miss her visitation dates with her daughter and was no longer able to make child care payments to Score. Score turned Mary Ellen, now almost two, into the New York City Department of Charities.[2]
Thomas and Mary McCormack, a married couple, had lost three children to diseases bred from poverty. McCormack boasted he had fathered children by another woman, and on January 2, 1866, the McCormacks went to the Department of Charities and claimed Mary Ellen Wilson was Thomas McCormack's daughter.[6] The Department of Charities placed Mary Ellen into the McCormacks' care. Thomas McCormack signed an "indenture" agreement upon retrieving Mary Ellen from the Department of Charities' care. The McCormacks were required to report the child's condition annually to the department, but this only occurred once or twice during Mary Ellen's stay.[7]
Shortly after gaining custody of the girl Thomas McCormack died. His widow then married Francis Connolly.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellen_Wilson