52. Wards Of The Court At The Moorman Orphan's Home, 1913

  On August 27, 1913 Allen Hiatt, Superintendent (1909-1916) of the James Moorman Orphan's Home, filed a quarterly claim with the Randolph County Auditor for $624.55. There were 25 children that had been sent to the Home by the Juvenile Court, and the County Commissioners had agreed to pay .35 cents per day for the care of each child. A few had just arrived, but most had been there for the full 92 day quarter. Children that had been sent to the Home by the court could only be removed  with the approval of the court or by reaching age 16. An example of this, is the case shown below where Imogene Codling could have left at 16 but for whatever reason stayed until she was nearly 21 as she probably had no family nor anyplace to go. The information below is as it came from the admissions book plus anything that I find from court documents such as reports from the Probation Officer to the Judge, the Probation Officer being the first person to make contact with the child.  In 1913 the Circuit Judge and also the Juvenile Court Judge was the Hon. James S. Engle and the Probation Officer was J.M. 'Buck ' Fletcher.
  I'll list the 25 children and what information I've found from the Home records beginning with Ms. Codling. The number before each name shows the order in which they were admitted. #1 being Aker, Cleota, Feb. 29, 1889.


#212- Codling;  Imogene,  Born 10-21-1893, Admission 2-19-1908. Left Home 9-24-1914. Called Home 7-17-1936 to get birth date.

#264- Driver, Sadie L.:  Born 2-2-1898, Admission 8-11-1913, Taken  5-26-1914 by her mother Dolly McCallister.  Probation Officer report 8-11-1913; I was called to Farmland to investigate a girl by the name of Sadie L. Driver who was charged with issuing a fraudulent check and after investigation she was brought to court and ordered taken to the Orphan's Home where she now is.

#250- Brenner, Cleo:  Born 1-11-1902, Admission 11-23-1910, Taken  5-11-1915 by Mr. and Mrs. John Bailey, Portland Ind.

#220- Kirklin, Dollie:  Born 3-16-1901, Admission 7-22-1908, Taken 10-8-1922 by Fidellis Hill.

#232- Spencer, Florence:  Born 7-12-1905, Admission 4-10-1909, Taken 11-12-1922. Two sisters called here Aug. 30, 1929.

#258- Brewer, Mabel:  Born 11-30-1902, Admission 9-12-1912, Taken 10-1-1918 by State Agent. (This generally means medical treatment or behavior problems)

#xxx- Sharits, Nelle: No record of admission. Quarterly claim paper shows she was only at the Home 4 days.

#234- Harmon, Hazel:  Born 1-5-1898, Admission 6-5-1909, Taken 7-13-1916 by Harry Drake.

#254- Magner, Nora Irene:  Born 11-8-1904, Admission 7-15-11, Taken 8-15-1913. Now Mrs. C.E.   Nagel, Bourden, Indiana, 4-27-1938.

#259- Brewer, Minnie:  Born 5-21-1905, Admission 9-12-1912, Taken 3-27-1919 by State Agent.

#265- Merryweather, Lucile:  Born 5-5-1910, Admission 8-11-1913, Taken 1-26-1914 by State           Agent.

#261- Brewer, Naomi;  Born 11-30-1907, Admission 9-12-1912, Taken 8-8-1922, Placed in home  of William Heart, Redkey, Indiana.

#248- Ward, James Robert:  Born 12-6-1901, Admission 10-1-1910, Ran away from Home 9-23-1916.

#231- Spencer, John Severe:  Born 8-17-1902, Admission 4-10-1909, Taken 5-12-1915 by Homer Heath, Portland, Indiana.

#xxx- Smith, Lester: No information shown other than the claim form showing that Lester Smith was at the Home in the 3rd quarter of 1913 for 92 days.

#256- Miller, Roy:  Born 2-4-1902, Admission 8-24-1912, Taken 7-20-1914 by State Agent.

#235- Harmon, Edward G.:  Born 1-23-1903, Admission 6-5-1909, Taken 3-25-1919 by State Agent.

#243- Parker, Ureal:  Born 10-23-1903, Admission 3-30-1910, Taken 8-24-1914 by State Agent.

#237- Edwards, Ephrawm M.:  Born  3-9-1905, Admission 9-25-1909, Present address Winchester, Indiana R R, 11-6-1942.

#260- Brewer, Clarence:  Born 11-7-1906, Admission 9-12-1912, Transferred To Feeble Minded Home, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 7-22-1920.

#255- Magner, Oliver E.:  Born 6-5-1907, Admission 7-15-1911, Taken out 7-22-1920, Address 4-27-1938, 348 State Line Road, Union City, Indiana.

#262- Wilson, Charles:  Born 1908, Admission 4-14-1913, Taken 5-23-1914 by father Harry Wilson, Union City, Indiana.

#263- Wilson, Merid:  Born 1911, Admission 4-14-1913, Taken 5-23-1914 by father Harry Wilson, Union City, Indiana.

#226- Williams, Herbert C.:  Born 2-14-1902, Admission 10-8-1908, Taken 7-3-1913 by State Agent Mr. Leonard.

#267- Davis, Maud-  Born 11-18-1903, Admission 12-1-1913, Taken 12-7-1918 by Henry Sheffer.  Probation Officer report; I was called to the home of Epha Davis on South Wall Street as a complaint had been sent in that she was not a fit person to have charge and raise two small girls. After careful investigation I filed charges in court and took the children, Maud and Viva to the James Moorman Orphans Home.

#268- Davis, Viva-  Born 8-18-0=1905, Admission 12-1-1913, Taken 2-19-1916. Now Mrs. Kenneth Manley, 3-23-1927.

  In the Moorman will, it was originally stipulated that the Home was to provide for any orphaned child that lived in Randolph County until they reached 14 years of age. Indiana later passed a law raising the age to 16 for tax funded orphanages which the Moorman Home honored even though the Home was self supporting. Children not born in Randolph County were to be a resident of the County for two years before they could become an inmate of the Home.