Man reunites with biological mother after 60 years thanks to a Facebook group

Adoption is a transformative journey, offering children love, stability, and the chance to be part of a family. Yet, for some adoptees, the longing to uncover their biological roots persists, often fueled by the hope of reuniting with their birth parents. While many embark on this search with optimism, the journey can be fraught with uncertainty and heartbreaking realities for those unable to find their origins. For Timothy Welch, however, the search led to a joyous reunion. After more than 58 years, Welch found his birth mother, June Mary Phelps, with the help of a Facebook group, as reported by the BBC.

Welch’s adoption story began when he was just six weeks old. His biological mother, then an 18-year-old, made the difficult decision to place him for adoption. His adoptive parents, Bill and Eunicé, embraced him wholeheartedly after struggling with infertility. “My adoptive parents always said to me, ‘You were special—you came to us in a different way,’” Welch shared. Unable to conceive naturally, the couple adopted him when they were 36 years old.

Welch described a happy upbringing with Bill and Eunicé, who provided him with a loving home. It wasn’t until their passing that Welch began to consider tracing his biological family—a decision that would eventually bring him back to the very beginning of his life’s story.

"As an adoptive child, you always think about researching your birth family, but whether or not you act on it is another matter. A lot of it goes back to identity as a person over the years. I wondered who I was and [about] certain personality traits that were different from my adoptive family. When adoptive parents died, it makes you feel differently about the world and yourself," Welch shared.

In January 2022, his search began after he browsed through some old family photos. Among them was a picture of his birthplace, Yateley Haven, Hampshire, UK, which led Welch to discover a Facebook group for families, mothers, and children born there.

"I requested to join the group, and the moderator, Penny Green, replied and asked me about my story. As an enthusiastic amateur historian, she was very interested and offered to help me trace my birth parents," he revealed to the outlet. Notably, Green, a former charity worker, explained that unmarried mothers often forcibly applied to Haven and gave their babies up for adoption. "The theory back then was that they were doing all these unmarried mums a favor because it was not the done thing to be an unmarried mother," she said.

Interestingly, Green's mother was also sent there when she became pregnant. However, unlike many, her mother refused to give up her daughter, changed her name, and pretended to be a widow whose husband was killed in a car crash. Welch also believed his mother was forced to give him up for adoption because she was too young to care for a child. Going with Green's suggestion, Welch applied to the General Register Office for a copy of his original birth certificate, which contained information about his biological mother.

Somehow, Welch contacted Phelps's current husband, Michael Mortimer, who, along with Welch's brothers, Chris and Greg, arranged their meet-up in London. Finally, the day arrived as Welch reunited with his biological mother after nearly six decades. "It was the first time I was able to see myself in my mother's eyes. It was emotional, but at the same time, it felt natural. We spoke about a variety of things, but the part I enjoyed the most was just looking at her and taking in the person that she is," Welch said. 

Upon meeting Phelps, he discovered intricate details about his mother's life. "My mother was 17 when she became pregnant and just 18 when she gave birth to me. She had another baby boy a year or so earlier when she was 16, who was put up for adoption, and she has not seen him since. My father's name was Hedayat Mamagan Zardy, an Iranian Muslim. They had a fleeting romance and loved dancing on nights out in Oxford," Welch revealed. He further explained that June married in 1966 and had two more sons.