Even the most ardent Marilyn Monroe fans were unaware, until she revealed her story, that she had a long-lost sister until the 1990s. See the blonde beauty up close, as if we’ve never seen her before.
Gladys Baker, a 24-year-old mother, gave birth to a lovely child in 1926. Though Gladys gave her daughter the name Norma Jean Mortensen, the young girl would soon adopt the name Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn had a difficult upbringing since, despite her affection for her mother, her guardian wasn’t always the best person to raise her. When things got hard, Gladys also chose not to disclose the girl’s biological father, which meant that her daughter ended up in a foster care.
Gladys was sequestered from the outside world for six years, and she frequently brooded over her past and her kids while she was in the mental health unit. Yes, it turned out that Marilyn wasn’t Gladys’ only child—something she was unaware of all those years ago.
Although Marilyn’s mother had brought another daughter into the world six years before to Marilyn’s birth, her birth certificate listed her as an only child. Born into Gladys’ first marriage to Jasper, she went by Berniece Baker Miracle. Jackie, an older boy, was their other child.
Regretfully, every one of Gladys’ children—even the ones she didn’t raise—had a difficult upbringing. Berniece’s father had remarried when she was quite young, and she and Jackie soon discovered that their father had very little time left over for his own kids.
Berniece spent much of it with her brother by her side, despite the distance that had built between her and her father and stepmother. Unfortunately, though, Jackie died at the age of fourteen. And Berniece felt totally alone and abandoned in the years that followed.
It should come as no surprise that both girls found solace in the knowledge that they had one other after years of hardship and tragedy. They grew close over time, and Berniece couldn’t help but feel responsible for her younger sister, who continued to live with their mother’s friend.
Regretfully, Grace Goddard’s household was unstable, so Berniece provided what assistance she could. She made calls to relatives who might be able to house Marilyn, and she even attempted to get Gladys discharged from the mental health facility in which she was still residing. But it was just not meant to be.
