Orphanages in 19th Century Hartford

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By: Nathan, Sam, Joe, Ben

Which orphanage was Ada Brown’s daughter sent to?

  • Hartford Orphan Asylum
  • The Hartford Orphan Asylum was founded in 1830. The Asylum opened in 1831 to care for orphaned boys. The Hartford Orphan Asylum merged with the Female Beneficent Society of Hartford in 1865. They are now called the Village for Families & Children.

Where are they located in Hartford? 

  • 1680 Albany Ave., Hartford, Connecticut

Where did the funding come from/who managed the orphanages? 

  • When funding orphanages, most of the money came from religious benefactors from wealthier families. Many higher-class Christian families donated money to charitable organizations while middle-class Christian women managed them. It was typical for families with the financial means to donate money to charities in order to fulfill religious duties, but other avenues were also explored. For example, the Hartford Orphan Asylum held fundraising events to supplement their budget and pastors called for benefactors during sermons. These privatized institutions were relatively unregulated by the state because funding was primarily through anonymous donations. 
  • In addition to this private funding, there were several instances of municipal donations to specific orphanages. In 1844, Hartford contributed municipal funds to the Hartford Orphan Asylum in recognition of the good work the organization was doing for the children in the city. Middlesex County also used municipal funds in their orphanage system and the 15 towns that comprised the county contributed financially to ensure the organization kept running. Other than these varied incidents, orphanage organizations were primarily financed by anonymous, private, Christian benefactors.

What was life like in an orphanage? 

Orphan Life (not specifically Hartford Asylum)

  • A past resident of Highland Heights wrote this story. He used it as part of his brother’s eulogy when he recently passed. It was a tribute to the hero he saw in his brother.

O ”The room seemed very large and full of metal frame beds. We made our way to an empty bed and I was instructed to get undressed and put on the pajamas that she handed me, then get into bed. She would not let me keep my underwear on, however, and insisted that I strip completely in front of her before donning the PJs. I was then told not to get out of bed, for any reason, until the lights were turned on in the morning. We were not asked if we needed to go to the bathroom and I was much too scared of that nun to tell her I had some serious business to do. I watched to see where she put my brother to bed. The nun then walked away down a long hallway. I waited for as long as I could, to be sure everyone was asleep. I was so scared but knew my brother would know just what to do. I got out of bed and quietly made my way over to my brother’s bed where I woke him up and told him about my problem. He had spotted a bathroom on our way in and he would take me there and keep a lookout.”

  • During the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the majority of the children at St Francis Orphan Asylum were not orphans. At least one of their parents was still alive. The orphanage, also known as Highland Heights, was established as a result of their family’s circumstances. Visiting on Sundays helped the children to renew and affirm their love for their parents or parents, even if they didn’t fully comprehend the circumstances that had brought them to this situation.
  • The Highland Heights complex was divided into two wings, as stated in the History section, with the girls in one and the boys in the other. And the first-grade playground had an invisible dividing line, and it was a recipe for disaster if boys and girls were seen socializing too openly with the opposite gender. As one became older, there were more activities made available that allowed a limited amount of interaction between genders. However, monitoring was very strict and acceptable distances were expected and maintained at all times.
  • The nuns in charge of each section, Baby Boys, Upstairs Boys, and Victory Boys, had a numbering scheme to identify each of the boys on the boys’ side of Highland Heights. Former residents are baffled as to why numbers were always used instead of names. Oddly enough, when one moved up to an older division, the number ID changed, so one would have to get used to being called by a different number.

Bibliography

  • “A Century of Caring for Homeless Children.” The Hartford Daily Courant, 1933.  

Kinsman, Susan E. “When Orphanages Were the Solution.” The Hartford Courant, 1994.

Stannard, Charles. “For 70 Years, Building Housed Orphans.” The Hartford Courant, 2001.

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