Help with St. Mary's Home New Bedford, MA

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Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 7:22:56 PM5/25/19
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Hello all,
I found a 1920 census for St. Mary's Home, my cousin's wife lived there when she was a child (9 years old). I have tried to search for information but have been unsuccessful, I found a picture but nothing else. Does anyone have any info? I imagine it was a home for children whose parents couldn't care for them but was it an adoption centre, just temporary care or something like CAS?

TIA.

Cheri Mello

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May 25, 2019, 7:42:44 PM5/25/19
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What is CAS? Depending on where you live, acronyms can have so many meanings. It's always best to take your time and spell these things out to avoid confusion.

Using quotes in a search is helpful. I did "st mary's home" "new bedford" just like that:

It appears it was an orphanage.
Cheri Mello
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Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada


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Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 8:45:47 PM5/25/19
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Sorry, I thought CAS was the same in the US, it’s the Children’s Aid Society.

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Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 8:48:45 PM5/25/19
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Cheri, those search results are what I had seen before, just a couple of pictures and a bunch of Ancestry message board posts of people asking if anybody has any information.

Cheri Mello

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May 25, 2019, 8:53:09 PM5/25/19
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I think the Children's Aid Society was an east coast thing and when they got too many kids, they started shipping them out all over the U.S. on Orphan Trains. Basically child labor. I know for sure it wasn't a western U.S. thing.

Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada

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Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 8:56:24 PM5/25/19
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Here in Canada, the Children’s Aid Society is the organization that protects children from abusive situations. They sometimes remove the children from their home and place them in foster care until whatever issues the parents are having get revolved. 

Cheri Mello

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May 25, 2019, 9:02:00 PM5/25/19
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I'm not sure if Children's Aid exists anymore. If it does, it's on the east coast of America. In California, we have only the Department of Welfare and Child Services (or something like that) and it's foster care. Every state in America deals with the children somewhat differently today. In the past, they basically farmed them out as child (slave) labor. Very sad.

Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAA5D3b%3DOYJU5dSnByfjvzRSANR_nWUrJa11sPGdeXz8NdOfVtQ%40mail.gmail.com.

Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 9:05:36 PM5/25/19
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This explains why she got married so early. She was 17, her husband 22. In the 1930 census she lived with her husband, young brother in law and her father in law, her mother in law had passed away. Chances are that she needed to take care of them all, so sad!

John Raposo

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May 25, 2019, 9:18:36 PM5/25/19
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Back in that time period it was a home for orphans and for children whose parents couldn't provide for them. In the latter case parents might visit on a Sunday, etc.

In the 1970 and eighties, it was a residential treatment program for troubled children. After it closed the building was used for a pre-release program and a prison diversion program for incarcerated women with a history of substance abuse.

John

Leonor Bertoni

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May 25, 2019, 9:21:46 PM5/25/19
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Thank you both, that's what I thought. I was so hoping to have some information online so I could link to her profile.

Leonor

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Elaine Mello

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May 26, 2019, 11:07:25 PM5/26/19
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The photo on Digital Commonwealth is from the New Bedford Library, so it might be worth seeing if they have anything there that they can share with you.

Elaine

Leonor Bertoni

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May 26, 2019, 11:19:50 PM5/26/19
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Thanks Elaine. I’m in Canada so it’s a little difficult. I have so many trips to take to check information!

On Sun, May 26, 2019 at 11:07 PM Elaine Mello <emell...@gmail.com> wrote:
The photo on Digital Commonwealth is from the New Bedford Library, so it might be worth seeing if they have anything there that they can share with you.

Elaine

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