Lucille Chalifoux and her husband,
Ray, were struggling with unemployment and the threat of eviction, seemingly leaving them with no other option. However, the reality might have been different from what the public perceived. Eventually, the children had the chance to share their own stories.
Children for Sale
On August 5, 1948, an advertisement was published in the Vidette-Messenger in Valparaiso, Indiana, featuring a distressed mother with her back turned, her head in her hands. Her four young children sat on the steps behind her, next to a sign that read: “4 children for sale. Inquire within.” This ad soon appeared in newspapers across the U.S., from New York and Pennsylvania to Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas, and several other states.The children were Lana, aged 6, Rae, aged 5, four-year-old Milton, and two-year-old Sue Ellen. Lucille was pregnant with her fifth child, who would also be given away. Many of the children had little memory of their birth mother or the photo being taken. Some would meet Lucille later in life and discover that her decision might not have been out of necessity. Each child has a unique and compelling, albeit tumultuous, story to share, except for Lana, who died of cancer in 1998.
Getting to Know the Children for Sale
Although they never reconnected with Lana, Rae, and Milton were able to spend time together throughout their lives. There is no clear evidence of the children being bought or adopted, but Rae and Milton were taken in by John and Ruth Zoeteman in DeMotte, Indiana. According to Rae, Lucille sold her for $2 to have bingo money because the man she was involved with didn’t want her children.
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