Quintland Research Paper

In 1943 the quintuplets left the only home they ever knew of “Quintland.” This year after a nine year battle their parents Oliva and Elzrie Dionne recovered custody of the quintuplets. On December 28, 1943 Dr. Allan Dafoe officially signed an agreement releasing himself as one of the quintuplet’s guardians. In the girls nine years at “Quintland” their parents had become infrequent visitors and were made unwelcome at the facility. In an interview in 1995 Cecile Dionne inquired that her mother, Elzire Dionne was, “afraid we loved the nurse more than her.” They didn’t know who their mother or father were they had become complete strangers in their years at “Quintland.” The quintuplets also had nine other siblings all by single births who they

barely knew. Newspapers recorded this event as a miracle reunion but the quintuplets later described their new home as "the saddest home we ever knew.” Their parents treated the quintuplets differently from the rest of the children they had to do more chores and serve their family meals. Their mother was unloving and physically beat her children. In their 1996 novel Family Secrets the quintuplets described their father as “he smiled only in the presence of strangers and for the camera.” They also claimed for the first time in the same novel that their father sexually harassed them when they were in the car alone. When the quintuplets asked the school chaplain for help the only advice he offered them was to "wear a thick coat when we went for car rides." Over the years the quintuplet’s publicity had decreased but every year on their birthday North America recounted their miracle birth and lives.