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Waaka, Te Kari

Waaka was born at Poroporo, the son of Te Wiremu Tamati Waaka and Whakaki Hiki. His mother died while he was a young boy and he was sent as a tamaiti whangai to his father's relatives. In 1... [more]

Walker, C.J.

Walker was born Sarah Breedlove and orphaned in 1874 when both her parents died of yellow fever. She was then raised for several years by her older brother and sister, but married for the f... [more]

Wallace, Edgar

Wallace was born to an unmarried actress and fostered by a Billingsgate Fish Market porter and his wife when he was nine days old. His foster family already had 10 children. They were poor ... [more]

Ward, Glenyse

Ward was born in Perth. When she was a year old she was forcibly removed from her birth family (see Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children ) because her mother took her... [more]

Wark, Betty

Wark grew up in succession of foster homes in northern New Zealand. In some of them she was abused racially, emotionally and sexually. She knew her birth parents (Maori mother and white ... [more]

Waters, William R.

Waters was placed at six weeks of age with a middle-aged single woman as a foster child, and was adopted by her in 1935. He was unable to afford to go to university when he finished high sc... [more]

Watton, Paul

Watton was born to Pauline Tilston, a young unmarried hairdresser, in Chester, England. She placed him for adoption when he was three months old and he was adopted in 1960 by the Watton fam... [more]

Webster, Tumoana

Webster was born in Whakatane and adopted at three weeks of age by an American anthropology professor's family living in Auckland. In 1993 the family went to the US for a sabbatical year... [more]

Weinstock, Arnold

Weinstock was born to a family of Polish-Jewish immigrants to England, the last child, the eldest of whom was 24 when he was born. His father, a tailor's cutter, died in 1929 and his mother... [more]

Weisner, Conrad (under Honorific Adoption)

It is not unusual for adults to be adopted as honorary members of a family, clan or tribe. There are two main types. One is the publicity-stunt adoption of politicians, usually western l... [more]