I was thinking about my father's life as a child this morning, wondering what it must have been like living as a child in the 1920's, and how difficult it must have been during his years in the Methodist Children's Home. When I got to work, I did a web search and found a site for the Methodist Children's Home in Worthington, OH. Curious whether this may be the home my father and his siblings resided in, I sent off a query, which was promptly forwarded to the people in charge of records there, and here is the reply I received:
Ms. Rude,
The files for the children were destroyed in accordance with United Methodist Children’s Home record retention procedures, as the children were all reunified with their father in 1929. However, I do have copies of the index cards from our master index for four (4) children, your father and three siblings: Roger Warren, Mary Louise, Howard Harold, and Grace Wanita. I can mail these to you if you would kindly provide your mailing address. The cards include birth dates, admission dates, discharge dates, parents’ names, and the family’s address at the time the children were placed at the home.
Sincerely,Martha Eagleton
It's the first query that has been replied to right away. I know this doesn't answer any questions, because we knew that my father and his siblings lived in a children's home, we know all of their birthdates, etc., but it's just another piece of history that I will be thrilled to receive.
If any of you would like a copy, please let me know and I will have them made and mail them to you. By the way, I think it is high time that some of the younger members of this family get involved in family history research.
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3 comments:
Very interesting! I used to work in Worthington (Harding Hospital half-way house) and noticed the children's home. Nice grounds. Impressive you got such a quick reply, Becky. When did they go to the home? I think the siblings wished they had stayed there and not gone back to live with their father and his new (very mean) wife.
The Rude siblings went to the home after the death of their birth mother. Dad said that they returned home after the father remarried. I always thought that was odd ... you would think that one parent could handle the children at home by himself. Dad always said something like, "Well, things were different when I was a boy - a father wasn't expected to raise his own children by himself".
The links provided in my other post display old pamphlets used by the home probably just to raise money and interest in the home. The dates on the documents are from 1928 and 1929. Since dad and his siblings were released from the home in 1929, I thought he might show up in some of the pictures. I don't really know what dad looked like as a boy ... there's only a few photos of him that young, so I wouldn't know him if I saw him.
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