A Family of Strangers.

This 1993 movie with Melissa Gilbert, Patty Duke and Wiliam Shatner 

was based on the life of Edith Carnahan Neukom and her daughter Jody.  The movie was good but not true to actual events.

A book, Jody, was written by Jody's husband in 1976 was a more accurate description of events.

Edith Carnahan was the wife of my grandmother's brother, Reno Neukom.

 The story:  

      About August, 1922, Edith Bernice Carnahan, 15 year old daughter of Sam and Flossie Carnahan (farmer from Auburn) was sexually assaulted by an older man in a barn while walking to school.

      No arrests or information is available.  A document was found stating that Edith said her biological father was "Culbertson".  A neighbor to the Carnahans was Ivan Culbertson, age 38.

      Edith was sent to a Woman's shelter in Fort Wayne and had twins on April 10, 1923.  There are few records as the shelter did not keep good records and kept most of girl's identities hidden.

      The babies were:  Robert Donald Caravan and Helen Jo Carnahan.

      Samuel and Flossie, Edith's parents, agreed to raise the boy but put the girl up for adoption.

      From what I have read, Robert (Bob, Carny) led a miserable life.  Ran away several times and both children tried committing suicide, at least once.  Helen Jo (Jody) was almost immediately adopted and ended growing to adulthood in California.  Little is know of her early life.

     Jody's adoptive parents never told her she was adopted.  She found out she was at 16 but never told her adoptive parents she knew.

     Robert ends up injured in WW2, 4-5 marriages. searches for his "sister" most of his life.

    1975,  Jody, 52 years old suffers migraines, black outs, suspected brain malady.  Doctors ask her for family history, she knows nothing of her real parents or brother.  Jody's husband (Jerry Hulse) flies to Ft. Wayne and has 8 days to find Jody's mother (Edith Carnahan) before her surgery. 

      Jerry finds Edith......she is living alone, Reno had died. Edith had two sons (Don and Dale) and is the mother of Jody but at first refuses to talk to Jerry.  She later relented and told her story.

      Most of the family's obituaries, ect. list the children of Reno and Edith as:  Dale, Don, Bob stepson, and Jody step daughter.   Edith's parents, Sam and Flossie allowed Bob to visit his mother in Auburn about once a month for a few years.

      Bob and Jody reunite.  Happy ending,

    Reno L Neukom 20, married Edith Bernice Carnahan 19, on 13 Feb 1926.   Reno dies of lockjaw at the age of 21 after building a small house for Edith and two sons, Dale and Don, in Auburn, Indiana.  Reno had lost his job because of his limited eyesight at the time he died.