Roselia Foundling Home (from JOTS), Allegheny County, PA



Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Laura Dunning.

pldunnin@surfsouth.com



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Below is a newspaper article that I had in my family files. I had a great

aunt that was at the Roselia Foundling Home in 1936.  The sisters at the

DePaul Center are very helpful.





                    Adoption records of Roselia Foundling



(The following article was taken from the Jots from the Pbint Vol. XXIII,

No. 9)



"Twenty years after their foundation in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Seton

Hill Sisters of Charity, with diocesan approval, partnered with Mrs. Charles

Donnelly wife of prominent businessman, to initiate such a project: a

foundling home. On July 16, 1891, the Sisters of Charity took possession of

a small house a 3935 Forbes St. Within a month, 18 infants arrived and the

sisters realized more space was required. They procured, with the assistance

of Mr. Donnelley, the old Ursuline Academy building at the corner of Cliff

and Manilla Streets in the Hill District [Pittsburgh].



Named Roselia in memory of Mrs. (Roselia Rafferty) Donnelly,

the institution soon opened a maternity ward for shelter and prenatal care.

Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, a trained obstetrical nurse, joined the staff with

physicians from Mercy Hospital in attendance. Dr. Charles Stillwagon became

resident physician caring for the residents including a growing number of

married patients who came for their delivery. A new 4-story Roselia,

building, located at 1635 Bedford Ave., was dedicated on Sept. 9, 1956"

Twelve ledger books with records from 14 March 1892 to 14 August 1971 show

the children who were cared for by the Sisters and the name and address of

the family by whom the child was adopted or temporarily placed. The 27,000

births on record at the Office of the Secretary of the Congregation are

subject to privacy laws but assistance is offered to adoptees seeing

non-identifying birth and background information such as age, nationality,

religion, occupation, family background and significant health history of

the birth-parent. The amount and type of information available, however,

varies from case to case and may even be fictitious at time it was given.



All records are maintained at DePaul Center, Mt. Thor Road, Greensburg, PA.

15601. Files are cross-referenced by name of mother and child.



Correspondence is also kept on file for future reference and in the hope

that a letter from an adoptee may match a letter of waiver from a

birth-mother.



To request a search of Roselia files, a letter asking for release of

non-identifying birth information should be sent to the DePaul Center and

must be notarized. Include an SASE for quick response. The exact birth date

and other known pertinent information should be shared to assist in the

accessing of files. The article also mention old photos and medical charts

which may not be accessible to the public.