Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 10 Jan 1997.
John Burt "J. B." Whaley obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 9 Jul 2007.
Berry's search for lost family comes to end
July 09, 2007
Kim Berry had a great childhood, with loving parents. But there was something missing.
From an early age her parents told her she had been adopted when she was just six weeks old. Like so many adopted children she longed to know who she was and who her missing family members were.
It's taken 20 years, but she has tracked them all down. Turns out she has three older siblings who were raised by relatives, and a younger brother she caught up with just a month ago. That brother, who's about seven years younger, was raised by Kim's birth mother.
Berry's is a story of perseverance, of working within and outside the system to track down relatives. She knows as much about tracing lost people as anybody. She knows how to use the Internet and how to take advantage of state laws to see sealed records.
"I wouldn't have the life I have today without my adoptive parents," she said. "They've been a huge blessing to me. The lady who gave me up was ill. Her life was very, very rough."
Berry's birth mother was a truck driver who moved from Illinois to Knoxville some 38 years ago. Hers was an understandably difficult life of travel and family neglect. Berry's three older siblings were sent off to live with relatives. Kim's birth mother elected to put her up for adoption. J.B. and Betty Ruth Whaley of Sevierville adopted the baby and raised her like their own.
When Berry began her search at age 17 she found she couldn't request her records from the state until she was 18. She dropped the project until she turned 21 and renewed her search. She petitioned the state to see her file, aided by a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling that said adopted children could see their sealed records under certain conditions.
She drove to Nashville and entered a building she compares to Fort Knox in its level of secrecy and protection. It was like a compound, with a barbed wire fence, armed guards and locked rooms. A worker came out with Berry's file, broke the seal in front of her and left the room. Berry paid a $150 fee for this service and saw mostly nonidentifying information about her and her adoption. Turns out her name was Patricia Ann Reynolds. Reynolds was the name of an ex-husband of her birth mother - not her real father.
For that fee the state agrees to try to find relatives. A year later Berry got a registered letter from the state telling her a sister had been located. She got a name, address and phone number. She already had signed a form agreeing not to try to contact any relative who didn't want to be contacted. It's a crime if you do. The sister, though, didn't ask for privacy.
"I contacted her that day. I was shaking. I had my husband with me when I called," Berry said.
The sister, Cynthia, who was expecting the call, lives in Baltimore and works for the U.S. Naval Academy. She's five years older. From that contact Berry was able to talk to Cynthia's brother and sister.
The younger brother who remained with his mother - Berry's birth mother - was a challenge. Neither he nor his mom had maintained any contact with his siblings. Berry did have a name, though.
"I tried to look his name up everywhere," she said. Then Berry's teenaged son made a suggestion that broke open the case. "He said, 'I bet he has an account with MySpace. I plugged his name in and came up with an account but no photo."
The account said Jerry worked at a jewelry store in Maryland. Berry called and was told he no longer worked there, but the man who answered was the brother's best friend. A short while later Jerry called. The call gave Berry insight into her birth mother's life.
Berry's birth mother, who died 10 years ago, was fluent in Spanish and sign language and active in her church. She had been deeply hurt when she gave up her daughter, the brother told his new-found stepsister. The woman had also maintained an online journal in which she offered insights into her life. She had been a good mother to her son Jerry.
The siblings are planning a reunion, and Berry talks to them a lot. Her husband Chuck and children John and Sara are not threatened by all this; in fact they are happy for Kim and her discovery. So is Kim's mom.
"I finally feel like the search is over," she said, "except for my birth father, and I don't have an urgent need to track him down. I am happy where I'm at now. I couldn't have asked for two better parents. My father died in 1997 but my mother has been very supportive. She's met my two sisters and hugged them and thanked them, telling them if it hadn't been for their mother she'd never have gotten me."
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
BERRY BEECHER O KIMBERLY J [NOT GIVEN] SEVIER 01-11-1991 02131
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
103467 BEECHER OLIVER BERRY KIMBERLY JANE WHALEY
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