Man born to Port Hood woman searching for father
Man born in Colchester County to Port Hood woman searching for father
PORT HOOD — A 58-yearold American man who was born in Colchester County is searching for his biological father and running out of leads.
David Paul Hufford knows his biological mother — Jean MacMillan from Port Hood — gave birth to him on April 22, 1963 and that he was delivered by Dr. Ross MacInnis. She stayed in the Shubenacadie or Truro area from April to June of 1963 and might have connected with a Kennedy family around this time.
Dave Hufford's birth certificate was registered in Truro, with an address listed for Shubenacadie.
It is plausible Hufford was conceived in his mother's Cape Breton community during celebrations at the end of the fishing season in July 1962. It was typical for fishermen, or “42-10's” (those working 10 weeks straight and unemployed the rest of the year), to stay in the community. Jean MacMullin left for her job in Toronto shortly after and later returned to Truro to have the baby, which was later put up for adoption.
Hufford spent years trying to find his biological family through costly and time-consuming letters and telephone correspondence, until 2003.
“One day, my mom handed me a piece of paper and says ‘you're going to need this someday if you decide to retire. This is your adoption information,'” said Hufford. “Lo and behold, there was my mother's name.”
Jean was the daughter of Dan Bill MacMillan and Sarah MacMillan. After a series of phone calls, Hufford managed to locate and visit his mother's family in 2004. They had no clue about Dave, who was actually the second of two secret children. Jean MacMullin also had two other children whom she kept.
At some point, Jean returned to Port Hood with Dave and connected with an older woman who was raising her first child. The woman offered to also raise Dave, but Jean opted for adoption. The then-25-year-old did not have financial means and believed adoption would afford him a better life.
Hufford was placed with a United States couple through Catholic Charities after a social worker had pointed him out in a pamphlet photo. Jean MacMullin returned to her job in Toronto.
Now, as Hufford gets older, he realizes his father, if he is alive, is growing even older.
“So, chances of me finding him are starting to dwindle,” Hufford said. “We're kind of out of options on how to find him anymore because nobody knows.”
According to Hufford's adoption file, his mother described his biological father as being five-foot-eight, slim built, fair-haired, in good health and a moderate drinker. No direct contact was made with the father and she was unsure of his whereabouts following the termination of their relationship.
Hufford, a funeral director in Tiffin, Ohio, thought Nova Scotia was “lovely” during his 2004 visit, and later bonded with his brother who similarly enjoyed mechanics and working on semi-trucks. He would love to come back (and enjoy some Alexander Keith's beer), he said, but for now COVID restrictions prevent him from resuming his search in Nova Scotia.
It took Hufford 20 years to locate his mother's family before high-speed internet became readily available. After his adoptive sister found a family name in her search, Hufford's wife Tina was able to locate her family in Halifax within 30 minutes online.
Now, the couple hopes sharing their story will help find his father and they are asking anyone with clues to reach out.
“It's like finding a needle in a haystack trying to find his biological dad,” said Tina Hufford. “We just thought maybe if we put it out there, somebody might remember: ‘Hey, I was with her,' you know? ‘Maybe this is my son.' Or, we may never know.”