Items from the Superintendent of the Soldiers Orphans' Schools,

Reports 1881 to 1885

Notes

1. The numbers are cumulative totals except for the number of boys in the institute (at the end of the year).
2. The Received number is the sum of the numbers Admitted and those Transferred to. it is also the numbers Transferred from, Discharged on age, Discharged on order, Died, plus the number of boys remaining.
3. Those discharged by age had reached the age of 16. Those discharged by order were usually on request from their mothers.

Sixteeners

1881

• Charles Bolden at William Simpsons Son's, prints, Philadelphia
• Horace Cline
• William Coleman, with Dr. J. W. Warren, Felton, Delaware
• William Forbes, American Telegraph Company, Philadelphia
• Samuel Grier, at Educational Home, Philadelphia
• Alexander Hall
• William Kreamer, Meade Farm, Dakota
• Frank Lewis, at Educational Home, Philadelphia
• William A. Smith
• Albert Tricker, at J. B. Shanon & Sons, hardware, Philadelphia

1882

• John Bates
• Charles Benckert
• George McClellan Gold, farmer, Lincoln County, Dakota
• Gustarvus Greenhalgh, dry goods, Germantown, Philadelphia
• Edward Helmick, clerk, Washington D.C.
• Henry S. Hoopes
• William W. Kendig, clerk, Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company
• Jacob Schleagle, stationer, Philadelphia
• Henry W. Schreiner
• Robert Sterling

1883

• Crawford, William H., Philadelphia
• Evans, Samuel at J. B. Ellison's cloth house, Philadelphia
• Farrell, William at King & Otis, bankers, Philadelphia
• Forbes, John, printer, Philadelphia
• Nolan, James H.
• Tricker, Robert J., with Pennsylvania Trust Company, Philadelphia

1884

• Bates, James, with Wm. Mercer's Sons, stationers, Philadelphia
• Callahan, John J., with Langfield, Turner & Co., pocket-book manufacturers, Philadelphia
• Campbell, John W., with George Boyd & Son, grocers, Philadelphia
• Deihl, Harry, at Lincoln Institute
• Drinkhouse, William, with S. Reed, jeweler, Philadelphia
• Hauptle, Theodore, with Porter & Coates, publisher, Philadelphia
• Hoops, Francis, with Helm & McIlheny, gas-meter manufacturers, Phila.
• Jacobs, Percy, with T. B. Peterson, book publisher, Philadelphia
• Nelly, Frank, with E. F. Caboda & Co., shippers, Philadelphia
• Rowlins, William J. with Captain Baker, Philadelphia
• Sterling, Charles, with Dallam & Norris, conveyancers, Philadelphia

1885

• Atwell, William J.
• Gold, Frank, working on a farm
• Kirst, William, with Broadbent & Co., photographers, Philadelphia
• O'Donnell, William, working on a farm

Report of the Principals on the Lincoln Institute

1881 - Anna C. Tunis, secretary Since my last report our institution has been working finely, and the health of the boys has been excellent. The same trouble, however, which has been keenly felt by all similar institutions, and has heretofore caused their overthrow, with regard to dealing with consideration and sympathy, with boys (especially bad ones) over sixteen, has lately manifested itself among us; but we hope, with God's help, to be able to overcome all obstacles, and retain our individuality as heretofore.
The Meade Farm, in Lincoln county, Dakota, has proved a great success, and given employment to ten of our older boys, where they will have a better opportunity to succeed in life than they could possibly have had by remaining East.

1882 - Anna C. Tunis, secretary During the last year the health of our pupils has been excellent, no serious case of sickness having occurred.
As we found our family was becoming very large, and so many boys over sixteen years of age desired to remain with us, who were unwilling to submit to the rules necessary for the proper governing of all institutions, we decided to make a change in our plans, and to retain in our Eleventh street house those boys over sixteen years of age, and to remove all the others to the building on Forth-ninth street. Ths plan, we find, works much better.
We have completed our arrangements to send send all the boys who graduate with credit, and desire to go, out west, placing them in responsible families, and where they have a much better chance for future advancement than they could possibly have in our eastern cities. Nethertheless we are glad to report that the majority of our graduates are doing well.

1883 - Anna C. Tunis, secretary Since my last annual report everything has progressed to our entire satisfaction in this institution. The boys have been blessed with very good health, and seem very happy at their several occupations. Their employers also seem pleased with them, and we have reason to be thankful for the results of our exertions.

1884 - Grace L. R. Gross, secretary The Board of Managers of the Lincoln Institution are pleased to render a satisfactory annual report of the fifty boys under their supervision in the home. The boys have been and are in good health and have progressed favorably in their studies and at their various occupations, giving satisfaction to their teachers and employers. Most of the boys are ambitious, and are desirous of doing well.

1885 - Grace L. R. Gross, secretary In presenting the final annual report of the Lincoln Institution of the Soldiers' orphans under charge of the Board, I desire to state that the boys have conducted themselves satisfactorily during the last year, and have progressed favorably in their studies and their various places of employment. The general health has been good.

References

See Thomas Symons Patent table S.3 for an extended deed history of the Ivycroft estate.

and Thomas Symons Patent table S.5 for the Lincoln Institute site details.

See Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institute for more general information on the Indian Schools.

1. See references #3 and #6
2. Chester County deed Q9-315 (date:1883-01-3).
3. Philadelphia Times, April 13, 1884. For a shortened version of the article in another newspaper report see here.
4. Montgomery County deed 294-460
5. Chester County deed T10-116 (1890-07-26).
6. Newspaper report - Lincoln Institute 21st annual meeting
7. See 1900 census and ah-nen-la-de-ni's (aka Daniel Le France) autobiography extract. The complete autobiograph can be found at full autobiography
8. Chester County deed S12-40 (1903-06-24).
9. See Mrs. Cox's obituary
10. See Newspaper report - Lincoln Institution's Work, dated 4 February 1907
11. Chester County deed M15-269 (1919-06-13).
12. See newspaper report Charity will Resume its Original Purpose
13. Chester County deed K16-598 (1924-07-11) and Montgomery County deed 926-444
14. Chester County deed T25-270 (1954-01-15).

Acknowledgements

Roger Thorne provided support and significant documents from his collection. Meg Weiderseim performed newspaper searches.

Document History

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