"Cole Babies" are babies who were born in Miami during the period of 1927 to 1963 with the signature of Dr. Katherine M. Cole (4725 S.W. 8th Street) on their Florida Birth Certificates.
Background
While researching my family tree I discovered that I was not the natural child of my deceased nurturing parents. I obtained this information from the Florida Adoption Registry in Tallahassee. I was told about a series of newspaper articles printed about "Cole Babies" in the Miami Herald by Mr. John Donnelly
March 19, 1993
"Searching for Birth Parents"
"Old Memories New Clues Search by 'Cole Baby' Starts to Yield Results"
"Adoptees Search for Clues to Pasts Erased by Doctor"
"Hugs, Kisses End 48-year Separation"
"Tears Underline Words at Broward Reunion Mother Meets Only Child After 55 Years"
"For Cole Babies, A Secret Told is not a Mystery Resolved"
Dr. Cole was a "naturopathic physician" in the Miami area who allegedly ran an illegal adoption/abortion clinic in her apartment house. Young pregnant girls would come to her clinic and leave without their children. The babies were either sold to parents who, for some reason were not able to adopt through normal adoption agencies, or otherwise aborted. The doctor (a.k.a.: Granny Doc) died in 1981 and left no records behind to help us find our real biological parents. Her two-story clinic on Miami's western frontier at the time is no longer there. From 1943 to 1967 police arrested the doctor five times, for manslaughter, attempted abortion, unlawful possession of barbiturates, and for failure to file a birth certificate. She was cleared on all of these charges, except for the attempted abortion, for which she spent less than a year in jail.
Closing Comments
Many of us "Cole Babies" are still trying to seek out our natural parents, but time is running out. If you have any information about my birth parents, please send me an e-mail at the address listed below.
I would like to know who my real parents were and to thank them for giving me to two of the best nurturing parents anyone could ask for.
I also would like to know my family's medical background and whether or not I have any living relatives, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. LINK TO: REUNION REGISTRY.COM
Last Updated on June 18, 1997 by Bob Lightner