| |
|
ST.
FRANCIS
ORPHANS'
HOME
|
|
The St.
Francis Orphans' Home was in operation in Nevada, Missouri from 1896 until
1952. The facility then became St. Francis Academy, a boarding and
high school for girls. In 1982 the Academy was relocated to
Independence, Missouri where it continues operation.
There are
not many records other than the names of children prior to the 1915 fire
(see below).
After 1915, there are usually some school records and sometimes other
information about the children. The orphanage is enumerated in the
U.S. Federal Census, and the children are listed.
You can
contact the Sisters of St. Francis regarding possible records on an
orphan. It is suggested that you send a written request to the
following address and enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope and
contribution to help cover copying charges for records that may be
found. (If a large number of pages are copied and sent to you, please
reimburse the Academy for the expense.)
Sisters of St. Francis
2100 North Nolan Road
Independence, MO 64050
It is
recommended that your request be in writing because it is easier to go
to the archives and look for information without being rushed on a phone
call.
Below are
the history of the orphans' home and newspaper stories about the home
and children from the local newspaper.
|
|
ST. FRANCIS ORPHANS’ HOME
St. Francis Orphan’s Home, where about one hundred children are given
comforts of a home and receive every care and attention that an ideal
mother could give, is conducted by the Sisters of St. Francis of
Perpetual Adoration. On December 12, 1892, a band of five sisters,
namely Sister M. John Hau as superior, Sister M. Bernandine Fah, Sister
M. Bonaventure Rosenberg, Sister M. Xavier Blatter and Sister M. Basilia
King, arrived at Conception, Mo., where they entered the Benedictine
Convent to study the English language. They had been sent from
Grimmerstein Convent, Walzenhauser, Appenzell county, Switzerland, with
a mission to care for homeless children.
During the following year the building which they now occupy, together
with twenty acres of land, was purchased by the sisters from Rt. Rev.
Ignatius Conrad. The sisters arrived in Nevada September 3, 1893, and
on September 15 opened a day school. In November, of the same year,
Sisters M. Creszentia Gruniger, M. Angela Baumgartner and M. Ignatius
Buhman arrived from Switzerland to take up their duties at the
orphanage. The sisters experienced many hardships during the first few
years of their residence here, but through the splendid business
qualifications of Sister M. John, and the hearty co-operation and
untiring energy of the sisters of her community, the institution made
progress. The only source of revenue came from the tuition of their
pupils, and the soil which they tilled.
The first orphans were received January 26, 1896, and then it was that
the noble work to which they had dedicated their lives had its real
commencement. St. Francis Orphans’ Home was incorporated under the laws
of Missouri, at Jefferson City, October 16, 1900. After the
incorporation papers were received the institution became what is termed
a mother house with the privilege of admitting novices into their
ranks. The election for the purpose of choosing one to guide the
destinies of the institution and its inmates was held July 10, 1901, and
Sister M. John was unanimously voted the Mother Superior, and each
succeeding year she has been accorded the same honor. Mother John was
born in Lentkirch, Wuttenburg, Germany, April 6, 1863, and entered the
convent in April, 1881, becoming a sister during the month of October
1882. Her life has been one devoted to the welfare of humanity and the
honor and glory of her Master. During her administration of St. Francis
Orphans’ Home, fourteen novices have become brides of the cloister that
they might assist in caring for the children of the poor. Since their
residence here two sisters have been called to their eternal
reward—Sister M. Basilia and Sister M. Elizabeth. Among the many
children that have been received at the home not one death has occurred.
The sisters have purchased land from time to time, until now St. Francis
Heights comprises about 200 acres. A few years ago it was seen that the
original building was fast becoming inadequate to meet the demands made
upon it owing to the number of children it was called upon to shelter
and on March 17, 1910, a twenty-five room addition was started which is
now nearing completion. Within the walls of St. Francis Home, sweet
charity pure and unalloyed is practiced by the noble daughters of St.
Francis and through their zeal one of Nevada’s most laudable
institutions is conducted.
Johnson,
J. B. (1911) History of Vernon County Missouri. p.476-477.
|
|
West Ashland Street, Home to Many
By
Carolyn Gray Thornton
Today we are beginning a short series about the St. Francis Orphans’
Home, which was in the buildings which are now Heartland Hospital. A
tribute to the institution written by Elmer J. Battraw who was a
resident there from 1929 to 1936 was discovered in the Chamber of
Commerce office and donated to the Bushwhacker Museum. In Bartraw’s
94-page narrative of his time there we found a history of the buildings
called, “The Halls of Heartland Hospital,” written by Lorrie J.
Mallard. We will start the series with a summary of her moving story.
The background will help us appreciate the boy’s story more fully.
The original building on the location of the present Heartland Hospital
was built in 1889 by the Christian Church for a university. That lasted
only one year. In 1890 it was sold to the Benedictine Abbey of Subiaco,
Ark., for a boys’ school. Then in 1892 the Franciscan nuns bought the
building, without seeing it, for $10,000. Father Basil and Brother
Stephen from the Arkansas Abbey cared for the property until the nuns
arrived, after having spent 10 months learning English. The sisters
arrived in Nevada on Sept. 3, 1893, and on the 15th of that
month opened a day school.
In January of 1896 a widowed railroad worker named Hogan asked Mother
John to give his four small children a home. That changed the service
as more and more children were added. For more than 50 years the St.
Francis Orphanage continued to care for children who needed a home. It
was incorporated as St. Francis Orphans’ Home on Oct. 16, 1900. It also
became a Mother House with the privilege of admitting novices into the
convent. Twenty-six-year-old Sister M. John Hau was voted the Mother
Superior and retained that responsibility until her death in 1948.
On the night of Sept. 25, 1915, a fire destroyed a new wing and the old
college building. There are conflicting stories about how the fire
started but the Sisters discounted them. Sister Gertrude heard the
sound of the fire, awakened Sister Clara and then had Sister Frances get
the girls out of the building while she ran back upstairs to rescue the
boys. She had them line up two-by-two, an older boy with a younger one,
and take their bundle of clothes that was at the foot of each bed ready
for Sunday service, and walk hand-in-hand down four flights of stairs.
Every child and staff person was saved.
The closest city fireplug was five blocks away and they relied on the
Missouri Pacific pumping plant on the Marmaton River for fire
protection.
That night, before the pressure on the pumps could be raised the
building was gone. The streams of water could not be thrown more than
six feet.
The community responded to the needs of the Sisters and the children by
donating supplies, space, clothing, money and physical help. The
Mitchell Hotel fed the 68 children for breakfast and supper on Sunday
and at noon the children went to private homes.
A house owned by Dr. J. F. Robinson that had been built as a dormitory
for the proposed university was donated and by Monday night the children
were housed there and cooking and dining facilities were ready.
In 1940 the Sisters were encouraged to accept more girls to encourage
vocations in the sisterhood, and at the end of the winter term in 1952
the grade school discontinued and the institution became St. Francis
Academy, a boarding and high school for girls. 61 were enrolled for the
1967-’68 year.
In 1982 the nuns relocated on Noland Road in Independence and Heartland
Hospital opened its doors in October of that year, still serving the
needs of children.
The
Nevada Daily Mail,
Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri. July 15, 2005
|
|
MY
TRUE HOME FOREVER
By
Carolyn Gray Thornton
In 1929 Elmer J. Battraw and his brother Bill were brought to Nevada to
live at the St. Francis Convent and Orphanage. In 1992 in honor of the
centennial of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist being in
the United States, Elmer Battraw wrote a 92-page historical perspective
and autobiography of a little boy’s life, 7- to 14-years-old at the St.
Francis Orphanage. The title of his manuscript is “My True Home
Forever.”
The title gives a very strong hint of the respect and love that Elmer
had for the institution and the care he received while there. His
brother left the orphanage two years before Elmer did, but upon reading
his brother’s story added comments of his own.
The narrative, with the brother’s remarks is now preserved in the
Bushwhacker Museum after having been found in the Nevada Chamber of
Commerce office in a box of papers.
We attempted to find out if either Elmer or Bill were still alive so
that we might interview them to tell “the rest of the story.” However
we were saddened to find Elmer’s obituary on the Internet. It did not
list any siblings among his survivors. However it did inform us that he
married, had three children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild
at the time of his death on April 1, 2004. He had been a radio operator
supervisor for the U.S. Border Patrol for 40 years before retiring in
1984. His adult life was lived in Imperial, Calif.
His moving, amusing and informative narrative begins with a quotation by
Feodar Dostoyevsky: “There is nothing higher and stronger and more
wholesome and useful for life in later years than some good memories,
especially a memory connected with childhood, with home. If a man
carries many such memories with him into life, he is safe to the end of
his days, and if we have only one good memory left in our hearts, even
that may sometime be the means of saving us.”
Elmer follows this quotation with his remark: “If this be true of only
one memory, what can be said of thousands upon thousands of wonderful
happy ones? For those who would like, you are invited to borrow from
mine as told in these writings to attain that good end.”
He began his narrative on Monday, Feb. 8, 1993, saying that at long last
he will make a beginning on his memories of St. Francis at Nevada. He
thought it was fitting that that day was the feast of St. Jerome
Emiliani, the patrol of orphans. He explains that he was not literally
an orphan as his mother was alive, but his home life was such that he
said he did not have homesickness or feeling of loss when he came to St.
Francis.
His obituary mentions that after the war when he was a radio operator,
he joined a monastery in Ponca City, Okla., but only stayed there about
a year before leaving to care for his mother and stepfather. This would
indicate that his relationship with his family remained important even
though he spent these years at St. Francis.
In the next segment of this series we will tell more about the daily
life of the children who lived there. But for now we want to emphasize
that throughout the whole narrative tow things are very evident. First
he was very happy at St. Francis and loved being there. Second, he
became immersed in Catholic doctrine and practices and his faith was a
strong influence on him even as a young boy.
Next week we will become better acquainted with Elmer.
The
Nevada Daily Mail,
Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri. July 22, 2005
|
|
Elmer J. Battraw, St. Francis Orphanage Resident from 1929-1936
By
Carolyn Gray Thornton
Elmer Battraw came to the St. Francis Orphanage when he was 7-years-old
and left after he graduated from the eighth grade when he was 14. These
years left him with happy memories and a good solid education. In
appreciation for the loving care he received at St. Francis, he wrote “a
historical perspective and autobiography of a little boy’s life” titled
“My True Home Forever.” We covered some of the contents in a previous
article. Today we will cover more of Elmer’s personal story.
It is obvious that Elmer was greatly influenced by the religious
atmosphere of the home and tells in detail the activities around
different holy days and holidays. He became an altar boy at the age of
7 and was one chosen to go with the priest on monthly visits to the
State Hospital and to a Catholic Church at Schell City.
The children at the home were required to be silent in their
dormitories, at mealtime, and when moving from one activity to another
in their lines of two by two. But they devised methods of communicating
that did not require speech. He and his best friend, Alphonsus Bain,
contrived a way to say the Rosary each night after going to bed. They
decided before going to bed who would take the lead and who would
follow. They tied one end of a long string to the big toe of one of
them, ran the string along the beds that separated the two boys and tied
the other end to the toe of the second boy. The leader would begin
saying the Rosary to himself and would pull on the string to signal to
his friend that it was time for his response. Then when that was
finished the second boy pulled on the string again for the leader to
resume.
Elmer said they worked this system for several nights before they gave
up because one or the other would fall asleep before they were finished.
Elmer spoke fondly of the games they played with very little equipment
or supplies. The boys and girls were separated in their playgrounds and
in most of their activities so his record tells little about the girls’
days.
However the boys had their time spaced with religious observances,
school, work and play. They had various placed they could play in
addition to the playground. They would be taken to the woods, to an
area called Fairyland, and to a pasture. They went barefooted
throughout the summer except for Sunday, and Elmer tells of their joy in
stepping in cow piles in the pasture to feel the manure squeeze between
their toes. He also said that a daily nighttime routine was for each
child to wash his feet before going to bed! In the summer, usually on
Saturday mornings, they would walk to Radio Springs Park to go swimming,
but sometimes they also swam in a nearby creek in a spot that was
deeper. He tells of drinking from a spring and the creek when on
outings such as berry picking or gathering nuts.
The sisters were on a very tight budget so their food was simple. He
mentions sweet potatoes often and some soup made with tapioca. (He said
he could never eat anything with tapioca in it the rest of his life.)
The life was healthy as he said he had very few illnesses in his seven
years there. One was severe poison ivy doubled with mumps, another was
pneumonia. He didn’t recall any of his friends being sick often either.
When he was 14 he received a call that his mother and stepfather had
sent him a bus ticket to California, so he hurriedly gathered some
possessions and left with mixed feelings because he loved being at St.
Francis.
Although he went to California his obituary says that he graduated from
Joplin High School so he must have returned to Missouri. He served in
World War II and became a radio operator supervisor for the U.S. Border
Patrol in California, where he died, April 1, 2004.
The
Nevada Daily Mail,
Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri. July 29, 2005
|
|
Please contact us if you have photos that can be displayed on this page.
|
|
|
