How can you find the parents of an early 20th C. orphan or possible orphan?

Question

Trying to help a friend locate information on her family.  

She has a grand-parent (Alice Wright Brown)  who was living in the household of Charles and Margaret Durnin in 1915 in New Jersey by the time she was three years old.   Neither my friend nor I can find a birth record, a record of Alice's marriage to her grandfather George G Brown (some time in the 1940s) or anything that might help identify who Alice's parents might have been.  The NJ 1915 Census does say Alice was born Jan of 1912, but that's the most information we have.

 To add to the problem, Alice died in 1954 when my friend's father was five--at that time my friend's grandfather and his new wife basically 'erased' all mention of Alice.  So my friend isn't even sure where her grandmother's grave is located.  The most likely places would be NY (Flushing) or NJ.  

Does anyone have any suggestions about where to look for more leads, especially birth information? Are there particular sources for orphans of this time? Alice was listed as a 'boarder' in the Durnin household on the 1920 and 1930 census, but is it possible she was either their foster child or adopted into their family, and if either, where would I go to find more information?    

All help welcome!  thanks!

Comments

In the 1910 census, Charles and Margaret are in Jersey City. The later census say Alice's parents born in Ireland. She's not listed as a relative of the Durnins so maybe godparents?

In the 1910 census for Jersey City there are 19 Wright's born in Ireland. Track each and look for Alice?

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Delia Waight

Name:	Delia Waight [Delia Rights]  [Delia Wright]
Age in 1910:	20
Birth Year:	abt 1890
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 9, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Kensington Avenue
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1891
Relation to Head of House:	Servant
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Housework
Industry:	Private Family
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Out of Work:	Y
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Archibald M Henry 46 Caroline L Henry 41 Ella M Henry 22 Archibald W Henry 19 Allison R Henry 12 Susan R Henry 73 Arthur R Keeler 20 Isabelle Murphy 27 Delia Waight 20

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 9, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_892; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0180; FHL microfilm: 1374905

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

 

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Name:	George Wright
Age in 1910:	75
Birth Year:	abt 1835
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 8, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Oak Street
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Immigration Year:	1901
Relation to Head of House:	Father
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Naturalization Status:	Naturalized
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age John Wright 50 Mary Wright 48 Annie Wright 20 Frank Wright 18 James Wright 48 George Wright 75

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 8, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_891; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0160; FHL microfilm: 1374904

 

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Name:	Annie Wright [Ann McCausland]
Age in 1910:	72
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 7, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Fulton Avenue
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1870
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	John G Wright
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	21
Number of Children Born:	7
Number of Children Living:	4
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age John G Wright 60 Annie Wright 72 Thomas Mcburney 35 Mary S Wright 26

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 7, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_890; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0145; FHL microfilm: 1374903

 

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Name:	Catherine Wright
Age in 1910:	70
Birth Year:	abt 1840
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 7, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Armstrong Ave
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1860
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Number of Children Born:	4
Number of Children Living:	2
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Catherine Wright 70 Edward Wright 35 Florence Wright 30

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 7, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_890; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0144; FHL microfilm: 1374903

 

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Name:	William Wright
Age in 1910:	50
Birth Year:	abt 1860
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 11, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Beacon Avenue
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Immigration Year:	1873
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Bessie Wright
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Driver
Industry:	Bakers Wagon
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Naturalization Status:	N
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	7
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	15
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age William Wright 50 Bessie Wright 39 Elizabeth M Wright 3 Eugene Wright 0

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 11, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_892; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0213; FHL microfilm: 1374905

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

 

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Name:	Annie Wright
Age in 1910:	50
Birth Year:	abt 1860
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 1, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Greene Street
House Number:	39
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1865
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Number of Children Born:	2
Number of Children Living:	2
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Annie Wright 50 Henry Wright 21 Thomas Wright 19

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 1, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_888; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1374901

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

 

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Name:	Bridget Wright
Age in 1910:	33
Birth Year:	abt 1877
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 8, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Virginia Avenue
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1890
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	W Irving Wright
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	12
Number of Children Born:	3
Number of Children Living:	3
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age W Irving Wright 50 Bridget Wright 33 Mary Wright 10 Alice Wright 2 Anna Wright 0

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 8, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_891; Page: 22B; Enumeration District: 0164; FHL microfilm: 1374904

 

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Name:	Frederick Wright
Age in 1910:	31
Birth Year:	abt 1879
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Mercer Street
House Number:	184
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Immigration Year:	1902
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Margaret Wright
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Ball Maker
Industry:	Ball Factory
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Naturalization Status:	Alien
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	6
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Frederick Wright 31 Margaret Wright 33 Anna Wright 3 Alice Wright 2

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_890; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 0120; FHL microfilm: 1374903

 

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Name:	Mary E Wright
Age in 1910:	24
Birth Year:	abt 1886
Birthplace:	Ireland
Home in 1910:	Jersey City Ward 9, Hudson, New Jersey
Street:	Kensington Avenue
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Immigration Year:	1901
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:	Ireland
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Waitress
Industry:	Private Family
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Out of Work:	Y
Number of weeks out of work:	3
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mary E Wright 24 Millie Geiger 21 Ernest Verhulsdink 34

Source Citation

Year: 1910; Census Place: Jersey City Ward 9, Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: T624_892; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0180; FHL microfilm: 1374905

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Thank you!

Answer 1

this might help, if it is the correct one

familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P9C-99H?i=289&cc=1388247

Comments

the 1940 census states her as daughter of Margaret Durnin (maybe adopted)

familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99M-3QZR?i=5&cc=2000219

but the odd thing there is that Alice is mentioned as married but the husband is not there.

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Well, also odd, because her name did not change--she was "Alice Wright" even in the 1915 NJ census at the age of three.  But I notice she's marked as the person giving the information.  And her birth year has changed from 1912 to 1914.  Not sure what that's about either.

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The birth year could have been either, or 1913 for example.  Sometimes they were asked their age at the time of the census then the birth year was estimated.  They often show a year either way :)

Answer 2

Any living relatives who can take a DNA test?  Often adoptions were not recorded back then.  Sometimes neighbors took in orphans of people they knew.  Another place to look is the church the Durnins belonged to, often churches placed needy children.  

https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Jersey_Vital_Records#Adoption_Records  this is specific to NJ scroll down to see section on adoption

Comments

Thank you--I'll see if I can find what church they belonged to!   I tried looking for the Durnins on the 1900 census in the hope there would be a Wright family nearby (the assumption being they knew each other....)  but no luck on that.

Answer 3

In most governmental jurisdictions the Surrogates Court of the County in which the adoption/guardianship award occurred maintains the records of proceedings.  If adoption was within recent times, check state and county laws regarding how one can access such records.  Most require the inquirer to prove a family relationship to adoptee followed by filing an appeal to the Surrogates Court for access to such records.

Otherwise, "Foster Care" cases are normally handled by the Family Court in the County of interest (Family Courts are a fairly recent invention).

In the 1800's foster care as we know it (a/k/a farming-out then) was handled very informally by County Poor Houses/Alms Houses or by Town or City Boards.

Comments

Thanks, Daniel!  In this case it was neither recent nor the 1800s, but early 20th century (1910's.)  We did find a later census that showed Alice as the Durnin's daughter.  In that particular case Alice is marked as the person responding to the census taker, so while she may not have legally been their daughter, obviously she felt like she was.  Just another wrinkle to follow up on. :)