catholic schools for girls orphans chicago 1930

But a few homes for children, called orphan asylums, were established as early as 1800. The two methods of child custody continued into the twentieth century. And the second, poorhouse commitment placed children in daily contact with adult rogues and vagabonds in disgraceful, repressive, and miserable surroundings. The first gave some children good homes but to many more a veritable child serfdom indenture without Supervision left the child’s welfare entirely subject to chance. Two kinds of child custody were used - indenture to families and commitment to the poorhouse. “Man’s inhumanity to man” was never more shockingly demonstrated than in the care provided for homeless children by the public authorities before privately controlled orphanages were established. And the earlier arrangements for sheltering orphaned children were no longer adequate. It is reasonable to assume that most of the destitute children in the earlier community found shelter in a similar manner.īut Chicago was no longer a small village in 1849, when cholera struck for the second time. When the first home of the Chicago Orphan Asylum opened its doors in 1849, the John Kinzie’s had seven children of their own and had taken into their home as many more orphaned nieces, nephews, and cousins. One hundred years later, in 1949, the Chicago Botsford’s have completed a century of continuous family service on the orphanage boards. The Botsford’s retained their connection with the new asylum while the Kinzie’s, after a number of years of service as director and directress, resigned.

Botsford was vice-president a few years later. Kinzie was first directress of the women’s board and Mrs. Both couples were charter members on the board of the Chicago Orphan Asylum in 1849. The John Kinzie’s were among the founders of the first Episcopal Church in Chicago and the young Botsford’s helped found the Methodist church. A little bridle path took us along what is now Rush Street.” Kinzie later wrote of that winter: “Our only recreation was an occasional ride on horseback through the woods on the north side of the river. A handful of buildings, and Fort Dearborn, composed the settlement in 1831. Mark Beaubien’s whitewashed home, at the Point farther to the south, was two storied and had bright blue wooden shutters at the windows. To the north, was the log Indian Agency House there was no building on the south bank of the river, where the land was a low, wet prairie stretching back from Lake Michigan. PIONEER CHICAGOANS FOUNDED CHICAGO ORPHAN ASYLUMīefore 1832, the village of Chicago consisted of a small group of families who helped each other in adversity orphaned children always found a refuge next door.

Catholic schools for girls orphans chicago 1930