Gigi, Brightside in West Springfield is the place you are looking for. I do not know where the records for the time you are looking for but I'm sure the current agency could tell you. My father in law was born in 1903 and when his mother died leaving several children to the father to care for the younger ones went to Brightside. Judy >From: gprice@stny.rr.com >Reply-To: MAHAMPDE-L@rootsweb.com >To: MAHAMPDE-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [MAHAMPDEN] orphanage in/near Springfield in 1904? >Date: 11 Sep 2004 08:54:26 -0600 > >This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > >Surnames: LaRocque, Bernier, Jackson, Meehan, Heidel, Heise >Classification: Query > >Message Board URL: > >http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/VFB.2ACI/4147 > >Message Board Post: > >My father's mother died when he was 4 and his brother 8. His father, >unable to care for them put them in an Orphanage in or near Springfield. I >visited one near Holyoke but they had no records of my Dad or his brother. >I know that the Catholic Church had something to do with this orphanage -- >as Dad frequently spoke of the Nuns who took care of him and taught him. >His family was French Canadian. > >Does anyone know of any orphanages around that time and how I might access >their records? Does anyone know how I might go about finding out about >orphanages at the time? > >Thanks, >Gigi LaRocque-Price >