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Subject: Re: Info on possible orphanage? Manhattan 1900?
Date: 9 Feb 2005 14:22:41 -0700
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For those wishing to track down Roman Catholic orphanages, consider research in the annual directories catalogued as :
Official Catholic Directory. vol. 1-__; 1886-<2000>. New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 18__-19__. __ vols. Quarterly, 1___-__; annual, 1___-__. Title varies: 1887-1889, Hoffman's Catholic Directory; 1__-__, Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List--Quarterly; 1___-__, The Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List, Containing Complete Reports of All Dioceses in the United States, Canada and Newfoundland, Great Britain and Ireland...; 1903-__, Official Catholic Directory; . . .
The New York Public Library had catalogued this series as "Catholic Directory and Almanac" and shelved it in its Annex---which I believe is no longer in use.
The section for each Archdiocese and diocese would list institutions under Catholic auspices as well as the sisterhoods and brotherhoods and the abbreviations they used.
The earliest edition of the Official Catholic Directory I own is for 1964. On page 921 is a list of abbreviations used by Religious Orders of Women. Three such orders used the abbreviation S.M.---Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Mercy of Tullamore, and Misericordia Sisters.
As far as the Dominican Sisters, I know they had a convent in Sparkill (Rockland County) NY called Saint Agnes' Convent. Its work as an orphanage is described on page 270 of a book I published in 1982 : "Adoption Agencies, Orphanages and Maternity Homes : An Historical Directory."
The book is mostly for institutions of the 1920s to 1970s. There is no index in the book. What is needed is a digitized, searchable format for the book---so one could search for an address. The book is out-of-print, even rare. From time to time, Amazon.com values used copies at an average price of $200.00. A few months ago, I gave permission to a relative of mine to scan the book into word processing format and to make CD-ROM copies available at an affordable price. Still waiting.
Reg Niles
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