David Stevenson’s birth family search ended after 65 years, after DNA and genealogical research identified his birth mother, Petra. The Peterborough man had lived with unanswered questions since he was found just a few days old in the hallway of a block of flats in Golders Green, London, in 1960.
He told: "It was amazing to find my birth family". He also said: "Growing up, I knew I was a foundling. My adopted parents had shared that with me. But it wasn't until I had children of my own that I started to think about where I had come from".
Julie Stevenson and David Stevenson
David Stevenson’s wife, Julie Stevenson, said the search gained momentum after she found a police report in his records and located the woman, PC Tegwin Curl, who dealt with him. Julie Stevenson said: "The police officer said she had never forgotten rescuing David. It was one of the most poignant events in her career."
David Stevenson later met PC Tegwin Curl, who gave him information about the day he was found. He first connected with the Long Lost Family team during a visit to the Foundling Museum in 2015, and the programme later identified his birth mother through DNA and genealogical research.
Petra in the Netherlands
The search uncovered details about Petra’s life before David was born. She was born in the Netherlands in 1940, raised in a Catholic family, and travelled to France and later England to work as an au pair when she was 19.
Julie Stevenson said it was unclear whether Petra knew she was pregnant when she arrived in London. She said Petra carried David to full term and appeared to have been supported by those around her throughout the pregnancy. David said: "It was like finding a needle in a haystack".
Foundling Museum in 2015
David’s adoption records contained very little information about his birth parents, which is why the police report and later DNA work mattered so much to the search. The Daily Mail ran a story in 1960 about the baby left in the hallway, then revisited it in 2009 in another attempt to find new leads.
David said: "The programme had a breakthrough in identifying who my birth mother was, through DNA and genealogical research, which is amazing". For anyone trying to trace a similar family history, the record trail can be thin at the start, and the practical route forward often comes down to preserving every document, every name, and every link that can be checked against DNA.
