Family History Searches
Individuals researching their family genealogy may request information on individuals and families from the list of the research levels offered below. Several types of searches are offered for the records of various New York City orphan/juvenile asylums. The New York City orphan asylums primarily took in children who were residents of New York City, but often took them in from all over New York State – some arriving in New York from other parts of the U. S. or the world as recently as a few weeks prior.
Note: If uncertain which of the levels of research to order below, please contact Mr. Kidder first to ask via the Research Request Form. If you wish to make payments in installments for Research Levels 2 or 3 below, please let Mr. Kidder know how often and how much you wish to pay as he’s very flexible.
Level 1: Family Discovery Search – $20 Flat Fee
This research is for those not certain if their ancestor is an exact match to the one that appears in the List of Children. Base Fee $20 per individual being researched. The names of each child’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, guardian, and even godparents are often listed in the original records. If a match is found, Mr. Kidder will let you know which of the research services below could be ordered to receive digital copies or transcriptions of the documents related to your ancestor. Please allow up to 1 week for completion of the “Family Discovery Search.” CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS RESEARCH SERVICE
Level 2: Detailed Family Search – $200.00 Flat Fee (1 or 2 individuals). This research is for those already certain their ancestor is a match to one in Mr. Kidder’s List of Children. Provides a thorough search of the records (of one institution) and the identification of all relevant case files and related records for 1-2 individuals. Images of original pages will be provided. The names of each child’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, guardian, and even godparents are often listed in the original records. There is no refund on the flat fee if no records are found in the original records Mr. Kidder has access to so please be certain your ancestor was processed through one of the aforementioned institutions. If unsure, please utilize Mr. Kidder’s Family Discovery Search first (Level 1 above). Mr. Kidder will (when applicable) identify additional possible avenues of research that may have pertinent information on the individual or family being researched. If Mr. Kidder finds records on your family in more than one institution he will provide a quote on what the additional records would cost. Please allow 1-2 weeks for completion of the “Detailed Family Search.” Documents will be delivered digitally. If you wish to make payments in installments, please let Mr. Kidder know how often and how much you wish to pay as he’s very flexible. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS RESEARCH SERVICE
Level 3: Detailed Family Search – $300.00 Flat Fee (3 or 4 individuals). This research is for those already certain their ancestor is a match to one in Mr. Kidder’s List of Children. Provides a thorough search of the records (of one institution) and the identification of all relevant case files and related records for three or more siblings. Images of original pages will be provided. The names of each child’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, guardian, and even godparents are often listed in the original records. There is no refund on the flat fee if no records are found in the original records Mr. Kidder has access to so please be certain your ancestor was processed through the Asylum. If unsure, please utilize Mr. Kidder’s Family Discovery Search first (Level 1 above). Mr. Kidder will (when applicable) identify additional possible avenues of research that may have pertinent information on the individual or family being researched. If Mr. Kidder finds records on your family in more than one institution he will provide a quote on what the additional records would cost. Please allow 1-2 weeks for completion of the “Detailed Family Search.” Documents will be delivered digitally. If you wish to make payments in installments, please let Mr. Kidder know how often and how much you wish to pay as he’s very flexible. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS RESEARCH SERVICE
General Genealogical Research – $25.00 per hour (minimum of two hours)
This would be separate from and in addition to the Research Levels 1-3 above. When ordering, increase the quantity entered by one for each hour you’d like to add over the minimum of two hours. Please email Mr. Kidder in advance for an estimate of how many hours he feels it would take to do your research based on the information you provide. Be advised that he will not take your money for this “General Genealogical Research” unless he truly feels that there is a decent chance he can be of assistance on your research. Mr. Kidder draws on his experience with doing genealogical research on his own family and for others for thirty years. Whether you are just beginning or need help knocking down one of those infamous genealogical brick walls, Mr. Kidder can be of assistance. Kidder has published several genealogies on various lines of his family tree and has developed a keen eye for spotting clues and solving mysteries. He even recently reunited an adoptee with her birth family. Mr. Kidder will conduct your research with the same passion as he would if it were his own family. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS RESEARCH SERVICE
Whose records may be on file?
• Children born in the U.S. or any foreign country who were residents (either recent or permanent) of New York City and its boroughs who were admitted to an orphan asylum in New York City or a country branch of a former New York City orphan asylum that later relocated in upstate New York..
Reasons children were placed in the New York Juvenile/Orphan Asylums
• Children who were apprehended by the New York City police for committing a crime and committed by a Court Magistrate.
• Children who were deemed disobedient or incorrigible by their parents, siblings, friends, or an extended family member (for temporary rehabilitation, or fully surrendered).
• Children who were truant (from school) or homeless and/or vagrants.
• Children of destitute or intemperate parents, or children who had one or both parents who were deceased (i.e. orphans or half orphans).
• Children who voluntarily admitted themselves (yes, it did happen on occasion).
• Children who were apprehended by the police for either committing a crime or being turned in by a parent or sibling for “staying out late at night,”, etc., and were then committed by a General Sessions court in a county located anywhere in New York State.
Who may request and obtain information?
• Relatives and descendants of children admitted to a New York City orphan/juvenile asylum.
• Professionals engaged by any of the preceding individuals.
Why hire Mr. Kidder to conduct the research?
Mr. Kidder has spent countless hours indexing the record books of various New York City orphan/juvenile asylums, making it extremely easy for him to quickly ascertain what books your ancestor appears in (a task that would take other researchers a great many hours to accomplish as they would have to go through nearly every ledger page by page). Mr. Kidder has been doing genealogical research on his and other families for thirty-seven years. He is considered to be one of the leading authorities on America’s Orphan Train Movement. After discovering his paternal grandmother, Emily (Reese) Kidder, was placed on an orphan train by the New York Children’s Aid Society and sent to the Midwest in 1906, he began researching the subject and his grandmother’s life. He has since authored two books related to the orphan trains, has co-written and co-produced an Emmy-winning documentary West by Orphan Train (based on his book Emily’s Story, which chronicles the life of his Grandmother), has written an award-winning article on the subject for the Wisconsin Magazine of History, and has spoken to libraries, historical and genealogical societies, and various other organizations on the subject for nearly twenty years. While researching his grandmother’s life story he discovered two of his grandmother’s brothers were placed in the New York Juvenile Asylum.
Please contact Mr. Kidder with any questions.
Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists
Specific New York Juvenile Asylum records that will be searched
Minutes–Committees:
- Indenturing, 1853-1901, 1920-1923
- Admissions, Indentures, and Discharges, 1862-1872, 1889-1893
- Applications, House of Reception, Visiting, 1854-1863
- Visiting, 1864-1871
- Visiting, Books, 1887-1897
Apprenticeship Records:
Register of Children (Alphabetical Index with Case Numbers)
- “NYJA Register No. 1,” 1858-1888
- “NYJA Register No. 2,” 1885-1923
Case Records, 1853- 1854:
Case Registers–House of Reception, 1860-1923
Register of Children Sent to the Asylum (Chronological)
- Case Numbers 11700s-18100s, 1867- 1875
Indentures/Case Notes, 1854-1888 (with Case Numbers)
Indentures/Case Notes, 1888-1906 (with Case Numbers)
Indentures/Case Notes, 1868-1879
Indentures/Case Notes, 1871-1876 (Arranged by Date and Group)
Indentures/Case Notes, 1876-1880 (Arranged by Date and Group)
N. Y. Juvenile Asylum Agents Record, 1862-1868 (with Case Numbers)
Record of Employer and Apprentice, 1869- 1870
Correspondence:
Indentures-Outgoing, 1868-1870
Admissions, Indentures, and Discharge, with Invoices – Incoming and Outgoing, 1873-1880
General, 1897-1908
Discharges:
Applications for Discharge, 1862-1894
Home Visit Records:
Visitor’s Record (Admissions/Discharges), 1898-1917
Annual Reports of the NYJA, 1852-1923:
These Annual Reports featured letters written by the children and their foster parents, but just initials for names and locations were used for the first twenty years. By carefully examining the records of the children I have been able to match the initials to full names and locations.
Newspaper Articles:
Articles related to the children placed in the East, and to companies of children sent West by the NYJA. Some articles were affixed to the pages of the old registers – others have been gleaned from libraries and online newspaper archives.
Parent Surrender Forms, 1853-1861, 1867-1870, 1873-1875, 1876-78, 1878-1880, 1888-1891:
Parent Surrender Forms were used when parents or family members relinquished control of their children to the institution. They provide the name and age of the child, the signature of a parent, family member, or guardian, and that of a witness.
Photographs:
A few photos have survived and are primarily found in the Annual Reports. Most interesting to family historians would be the West Company (groups of children sent West on orphan trains) photos that were usually on the steps of the House of Reception in New York prior to departing for the West.
Examples of pages from some of the ledgers listed above
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