Susquehanna Valley Home, Broome County, New York
and
Marilyn J. Breakey
© 2007
[Author’s note: Whether an institution is known as an orphan’s asylum, orphanage, or home for children, those living in the institution have suffered the same fate: they have been separated from their biological family for a period of time]
The Susquehanna Valley Home of Broome County, New York was founded in 1869 in Binghamton, NY[1] to provide children a safe haven from being “herded together with adults in what was then known as the ‘almshouse’ “ (Ulster County Information Services, 2004)
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Source: Bob Barber, Assistant to the Broome County Historian. (Personal correspondence to author, 16 May 2003,) in reply to my request for information regarding the children’ names found in the “Pauper’s List – Delaware County, NY. Mr. Barber’s responded: I was not able to find the Breakey children you listed in your E-mail. However, I did find 4 other Breakey children from the same family listed for 1885.
Residing in the Susquehanna Valley Home per dates cited:
Age: 9 years old on 17 December 1884
Date of Admission: 24 October 1885
Town: Binghamton
County: Broome
Color: White
Physical Condition: good
Moral condition: blank
Character while in the home: blank
Names of Parents or guardians: Mother – South Block, Whitney St., Binghamton; Father-decamped
Date of discharge: 2 February 1886
By whom received: Mrs. Henry, Dr. Lester
Notation under date of discharge: afterward boy returned to mother, residence – Binghamton.
Number ID in records: 839
Age: 4 years on March 1885
Date of Admission: 27 October 1885; 13 February 1886; 26 November 1887; 7 July 1888
Town: Binghamton
County: Broome
Color: White
Physical condition: good
Moral condition: blank
Character while in the home: blank
Names of parents or guardians: ditto marks to indicate same as above
Date of discharge: November 1885; 24 April 1886; 22 may 1888; 8 March 1890
By whom received: Father for dates of May 1888 & March 1890
Residence: 3 Mary St., Binghamton
General remarks: Order Sup’t Payne
Number ID in records: 840
Age: 7 years on May 2 1887
Date of admission: 18 November 1885; 28 Nov 1887; 7 July 1888
Town: County Broome
Color: blank
Physical condition: blank
Moral condition: blank
Character while in the home: blank
Names of parents or guardians: see number ID # 839
Date of discharge: 24 April 1884; 22 may 1888; 8 March 1890
By whom received: father for dates of 1888 & 1890
Residence: 3 Mary St. Binghamton.
General Remarks: Order of Sup’t Payne
Age: 10 years on February 1888
Date of admission: 21 Jan 1888
Town: County charge
County: Broome
Physical condition: blank
Moral condition: blank
Character while at the home: blank
Names of parents or guardians: parents living – father abandoned the family
Date of discharge: 3 April 1888
By whom received: Mother
Residence: 3 Mary St., City
General Remarks: Order in for food
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Source: Pauper’s List – Delaware County, New York[2],[3]
Name: Henry Brakey (sic):
Town: Hancock
Year: 1902
Placement: not indicated
Length of Stay: 5 weeks 4 days
Town: Hancock
Year: 1895, 1898, 1899, 1900,1902
Children’s Home
Length of stay: not indicated
Town: Hancock
Year: 1895. 1898
Children’s Home
Length of stay: no indicated
Town: Hancock
Year: 1895, 1898
Children’s Home
Length of stay: not indicated
Town: Hancock
Year: 1900
Children’s Home
Length of stay: not indicated
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[Author’s note: Although there is no reference to the final disposition of these Breakey children, for anyone interested, or not aware of the plight of orphans in the mid-to late 1800s, I would highly recommend the following resource:]
“Journey of the Forgotten Children.” Poorhouse Project. Ulster Country Information Services. 2004. The online article is found via www.co.ulster.ny.us/poorhouse/children.html. Within this article I would further recommend the links to the Susquehanna Valley Home and the Orphan Trail Riders.
[1] “The Story Behind …”. Poorhouse Project: Journey of the Forgotten Children. Ulster County Information Services, 2004.
[2] “Pauper’s List – Delaware County, New York.” Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site held in trust by Joyce Riedinger. 1996-2003. [See www.ecnyhistory.org/joyce/paupers.html]
[3] Delaware County is adjacent to Broome County