PA PA - Marjorie West, 4, McKean County, 8 May 1938

[Find Brenda]

Interesting angle. Anything is possible, especially since Shirley Temple was immensely popular at the time

 

[dotr]

Interesting angle. Anything is possible, especially since Shirley Temple was immensely popular at the time

1935: A Shirley Temple Lookalike Contest

Held at the Cleveland Food Show, it drew hundreds of contestants

clevelandmagazine.com

''From across the city, families brought their daughters, hoping they looked enough like Shirley Temple. The legendary child star had just hit it big the year before, playing an orphan in Bright Eyes, and parents crowded the February Cleveland Food Show to compete in a contest that would judge which of their children most looked like her. ''

 

[Betty P]

Thanks to everyone for keeping Marjorie's case going. She was a cute little girl and I hope she's still alive.

It would be natural to think she wandered away and got lost in the vast woods, but the scent dogs following her track to the side of the highway really changes things. There have been a few of those cold case childhood abductions solved in the last few years. We like to think that in the good old days those things were rare, but child abductions by strangers was probably as common back then as now.

 

[Find Brenda]

Missing 85 years

I wish she could finally be found

 

[111coffeequeen111]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

This one could be a long shot, though I can not help wondering if this unidentified Hartford Circus fire child victim could possibly be Marjorie. The victim is described as a Caucasian female with reddish/brown hair, between 8-10 years old. Marjorie would have been ten in 1944, the year of the circus fire tragedy. It is stated that most of Georgia Tann’s child abduction victims were from Tennessee and surrounding areas, as well as some from Connecticut. She also placed most of these children with couples residing in New York City, New York, and Los Angeles. So, it has been established that Tann did in fact have connections to the East Coast. I do not believe it is beyond the realm of possibility that after having been abducted from Pennsylvania (which is relatively close to both CT and NY), Marjorie was placed with a new family from either of those states, who of course most likely had no idea she was kidnapped. The Hartford Circus seemed like the kind of really big event which would have garnered lots of publicity; especially amongst families with young children who were either local to the area, or from neighboring states.

 

[Same Old Stella]

I believe a number of years ago, they sent DNA from Marjorie's family to CODIS with no match. There have been greater strides in DNA testing since then and with the finding of Mary Agnes Moroney, who was also taken as a small child in the 1930's, it's probably time to try the more advanced DNA investigative genetic genealogy. If Marjorie lived to have children, they will probably find out what happened to her.

 

[spartanx]

I read that in 2008, before Dorthea died, a woman contacted her.. apparently this woman claimed to be Marjorie.. she told someone that she was hit by a car and that the man who hit her was planning to take her to a hospital. she woke up with no injuries... He took her back to her farm, as he and her wife had recently lost their daughter. They raised her. She would mention remembering a previous family, but they would ignore it. I think the man she told wrote a book about it...
I hope that either in this life or the next that this girl has returned to her parents...
either way
rest in peace

 

[cenazoic]

The book is Finding Marjorie West, by Harold Beck.

Here’s a review:

Book-It 'o11! Book #28

The Fifty Books Challenge , year three! (Years one and two , just in case you're curious.) This was a loan from a family member. Title: Finding Marjorie West by Harold Thomas Beck Details: Copyright 2010, Mountain Laurel Publishing Corporation Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): Children…

alivemagdolene.livejournal.com

And a comment by a relative here on WS:

PA - PA - Marjorie West, 4, McKean County, 8 May 1938

 

[Snackcakes66]

I reached out to Mr. Beck in 2009 (before the book was released) when he was still listed as editor for the Mountain Laurel Review, he never responded. I hope LE was able to interview him to determine if the story was mostly fiction. Still feel some kinda way about having this out book out there (and presumably profiting from it) but family gets no resolution. I wish Marjorie's family well, and hope someday soon they will have the answers.