Mary Ellen Wilson (1864-1956) was a victim of child abuse in New York, NY. Her case led to the formation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to children which some say is the first child protect agency in the world.

Mary Ellen was only 2 months old when her father was killed. Her mother left Mary Ellen with a carer but soon disappeared from the baby’s life. The carer then handed Mary Ellen to the NY Dept of Public Charities and Corrections.

Thomas and Mary McCormack took on the foster care of Mary Ellen.

It was a religious woman Etta Wheeler who became desperate when visiting Mary Ellen one day and noting the evidence of extreme abuse. Wheeler approached Henry Bergh, a local businessman who founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals in 1866. Bergh assisted with hiring a lawyer and 10-year-old Mary Ellen gave evidence to the NY Supreme Court.

It took several tries before Mary Ellen was successfully placed with Etta Wheeler’s extended family after the girl had been made a ward of the court.

Mary Ellen went on to marry a widower with 3 children. The couple also had 2 children of their own and adopted an orphan. She died at the age of 92.

Bergh, with others, founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1874.