Mary Ellen Wilson
By: Gabe Kain
Did you know that Mary Ellen Wilson was the first child to be rescued from an abusive home? Because of this her case started all sorts of child cruelty prevention programs like the ASPCC (American Society of Prevention to Cruelty of Children) and many more like it. The ASPCC was originally from the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Mary Ellen Wilson was the first child saved from an abusive family.
Did you know that Mary's Ellen's birth parents didn’t actually abuse her? She was actually adopted into the abusive Connolly family. She got adopted around age 5-6 and she was rescued at the age of 9 on April 9th, 1874. During this time that she lived with this family she never even got to leave the house and never went to school. When she got rescued she was put in an institution then she got back with her biological mom. She was married by 24 to a widower and had daughters Etta and Florence. She also became a foster mother to a girl named Eurice. (source 3 no author).
Mary Ellen was abused horribly.The day right before she was rescued she was stabbed with scissors! She got whipped very often it was pretty much every day at minimum. She was left alone all day and never came out of the apartment. The family was very poor. She only had one torn up dress.(source 3 no author,source 2 by Etta Angell Wheeler). Did you know at this time there was only laws that protected animals from being abused but there was barely anything to protect children? Because of this the authorities would not get involved in Mary Ellen's case. So Etta Angell Wheeler went to the ASPCA for help in this case. Etta got evidence of the case.She did that by going to neighbors to see if they saw or heard anything. She also hid behind walls to hear what was going on inside the house. Then she took it to head of the ASPCA Mr. Berg. He got the authorities involved. Then Mary Ellen Wilson was rescued on April 9th, 1874. (source 2 Etta Angell wheeler) Did you know when she was rescued the police took her to a candy shop? …show more content…
Then her abusive mom had to go to court. The judge ordered Mary to speak in court.“My father and mother are both dead. I don’t know how old I am. I have no recollection of a time when I did not live with the Connollys. She used to whip me with a twisted whip—a raw hide. The whip always left a black and blue mark on my body. I have now the black and blue marks on my head which were made by mamma, and also a cut on the left side of my forehead which was made by a pair of scissors. She struck me with the scissors and cut me.”I get whipped…. I do not know for what I was whipped—mamma never said anything to me when she whipped me. I do not want to go back to live with mamma, because she beats me so. I have no recollection ever being on the street in my life.” After the court was over Mary Connolly was sentenced to 1 year of hard labor. At first Mary Ellen was put into an institution but then she was put with her biological mother.(source 2
By: Gabe Kain
Did you know that Mary Ellen Wilson was the first child to be rescued from an abusive home? Because of this her case started all sorts of child cruelty prevention programs like the ASPCC (American Society of Prevention to Cruelty of Children) and many more like it. The ASPCC was originally from the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Mary Ellen Wilson was the first child saved from an abusive family.
Did you know that Mary's Ellen's birth parents didn’t actually abuse her? She was actually adopted into the abusive Connolly family. She got adopted around age 5-6 and she was rescued at the age of 9 on April 9th, 1874. During this time that she lived with this family she never even got to leave the house and never went to school. When she got rescued she was put in an institution then she got back with her biological mom. She was married by 24 to a widower and had daughters Etta and Florence. She also became a foster mother to a girl named Eurice. (source 3 no author).
Mary Ellen was abused horribly.The day right before she was rescued she was stabbed with scissors! She got whipped very often it was pretty much every day at minimum. She was left alone all day and never came out of the apartment. The family was very poor. She only had one torn up dress.(source 3 no author,source 2 by Etta Angell Wheeler). Did you know at this time there was only laws that protected animals from being abused but there was barely anything to protect children? Because of this the authorities would not get involved in Mary Ellen's case. So Etta Angell Wheeler went to the ASPCA for help in this case. Etta got evidence of the case.She did that by going to neighbors to see if they saw or heard anything. She also hid behind walls to hear what was going on inside the house. Then she took it to head of the ASPCA Mr. Berg. He got the authorities involved. Then Mary Ellen Wilson was rescued on April 9th, 1874. (source 2 Etta Angell wheeler) Did you know when she was rescued the police took her to a candy shop? …show more content…
Then her abusive mom had to go to court. The judge ordered Mary to speak in court.“My father and mother are both dead. I don’t know how old I am. I have no recollection of a time when I did not live with the Connollys. She used to whip me with a twisted whip—a raw hide. The whip always left a black and blue mark on my body. I have now the black and blue marks on my head which were made by mamma, and also a cut on the left side of my forehead which was made by a pair of scissors. She struck me with the scissors and cut me.”I get whipped…. I do not know for what I was whipped—mamma never said anything to me when she whipped me. I do not want to go back to live with mamma, because she beats me so. I have no recollection ever being on the street in my life.” After the court was over Mary Connolly was sentenced to 1 year of hard labor. At first Mary Ellen was put into an institution but then she was put with her biological mother.(source 2