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From: "Marilyn Washington" <>
Subject: Re: [PaCambri] Re: Orphans records in Cambria County
Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 14:51:03 -0400
References: <4.2.0.58.20050430172427.027658a0@popd.ix.netcom.com> <004901c54e56$1b43cf70$6cf0cd97@P3550>


Some others have been trying to find out what happened to Orphans in
that time period. If the mother was destitute, she might have gone to the
Poor House at Ebensburg. They took in families and children were sometimes
adopted from there. They have a cemetery there which is on this list,
under Cambria Township. You could look in the Census for a list of "
inmates" at the Poor House. I do not know if there are any other preserved
records. I have never seen them in the storage, but that is not conclusive.
Most "adoptions" were not formal ones at the time, but they were
sometimes reported in the papers. No secrecy then. Often articles on
parent's death would list the names of the children and who "adopted" them,
usually family members. Legal adoptions were sometimes in the papers too.
There are references to an Orphan's Home at Loretto, but I have been
unable to trace them. This would presumalbly be the Sisters of Mercy now at
Mt. Aloysisus. They ran a school for small boys and girls there at one time.
The Sisters of St. Joseph from Baden ran an orphanage for infants in
Ebensburg. This would more likely be foundlings than a family situation.
If the children were born in Cambria County between 1893 and 1906,
the births and deaths would be recorded in the Courthouse. The State took
over birth registerations in 1906, and there are not state or county records
before 1893 [in Cambria County that I know of.] People born in that
period got birth certificates from the County and there are 13 books of
"Delayed Birth Certificates" for people born during that time. Each town or
township had a Registrar who recorded births and then sent them into the
county when the sheet was full. You had to go to the Registrar, so many
"foreigners" who did not speak English did not do so. To the ones from
Eastern Europe, recording a birth just meant more taxes and drafting the
sons for the Czar's wars. If they were Catholics, you might find the
baptisms. In Patton it would be St. Mary's Church, still in operation. I
have received some from there. Before 1893 it would likely be St. Boniface
or St. Bernard's, with the records now held at St. Bernard's in Hastings.
The other possibilities would be St. Lawrence[records at St. Mary's] or St.
Benedict's in Carrolltown, depending if they live outside Patton.
The diocesan oprphanages at Cresson were not in operation till later,
perhaps the 1920. There must be some records from there, as I have seen
writeups of reunions of the orphans.
The County Orphanage was at the site of the present Ebensburg State
School, but I do not know when it opened. I do not think it was open so
soon.
Some one recently mentioned a Christian Orphanage in Johnstown that I
had not known about.
You might go back in the Archives to find a correspondence about these
topics from the last two or three months or so.
I am from Hastings, next to Patton. What were the names of the
family? How did the father die? Date? If it was some sort of accident it
might be in the paper. The Patton papers are presently not available, but
the Hastings papers from 1902 are microfilmed and I might find it for you.
It makes a difference who the family were because the papers did not print
much about what they termed "foreigners" usually meaning the Eastern
European imigrants. For some reason, Germans were not foreigners.
Orphans' Court Records are often indexed with the Wills and other
Probate. For some reason, women could not be legal guardians of their
children for financial matters. It had nothing to do with the physical
custody of the children. There were two classes of minors, birth to age 14
and 14 to 21, the legal age. I do not know why the difference. My
grandfather was legal guardian for his brother's children and gave them
their money at age 21. This is recorded in a Probate file. In 1903, I do
not think there was a special Orphan's court. That came with a larger
population and more judges.
I hope this helps.
Marilyn



----- Original Message -----
From: "Donna Heller Zinn" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 10:00 AM
Subject: [PaCambri] Re: Orphans records in Cambria County


> Good Mornin' Amanda and Fellow Listers:
>
> I am presuming that the father had also died? You may wish to take a look
> at records kept in the court house called Orphan Court Dockets. These
> records were not just for orphaned children but for all kind of
> miscellaneous legal records. One of the subjects that would be recorded
in
> these records though, would have been guardianship assignments for minor
> children in the situation of a death of a parent. Now be aware that these
> "guardians" did not neccessarily always "take care" of or "take in" the
> children but were assigned to take care of their legal welfare. But this
> would be a place to start.
>
> Best Wishes..
> Donna Heller Zinn of Newville, Cumberland Co., PA.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "PA Research" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 7:28 PM
> Subject: [PaCambri] Orphans records in Cambria County
>
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm new to the list and to researching in Cambria County.
> > Hope someone can help me or point me in the right
> > direction.
> >
> > My great grandmother died in 1903 in Patton, and
> > left behind 6 minor children. I've learned that at least
> > two of the youngest children were soon adopted but
> > do not know about the older children (including my
> > grandmother who died before I was born). Is there
> > any hope of finding out what happened to them?
> >
> > Does anyone know if there was an orphanage in,
> > or near, Patton in 1903-04? If not, where would
> > orphans be sent, and would either place have
> > records that would have been preserved?
> >
> > Were any records kept by a Cambria County
> > court during this time period which would shed
> > light on what happened to my grandmother and
> > her siblings? If so, were the records microfilmed
> > or is there some place to which I could write?
> >
> > Any help would be so greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thank you,
> > Amanda
>
>
>
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