Roselia Foundling Home (from JOTS), Allegheny County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Laura Dunning. pldunnin@surfsouth.com USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. Below is a newspaper article that I had in my family files. I had a great aunt that was at the Roselia Foundling Home in 1936. The sisters at the DePaul Center are very helpful. Adoption records of Roselia Foundling (The following article was taken from the Jots from the Pbint Vol. XXIII, No. 9) "Twenty years after their foundation in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Seton Hill Sisters of Charity, with diocesan approval, partnered with Mrs. Charles Donnelly wife of prominent businessman, to initiate such a project: a foundling home. On July 16, 1891, the Sisters of Charity took possession of a small house a 3935 Forbes St. Within a month, 18 infants arrived and the sisters realized more space was required. They procured, with the assistance of Mr. Donnelley, the old Ursuline Academy building at the corner of Cliff and Manilla Streets in the Hill District [Pittsburgh]. Named Roselia in memory of Mrs. (Roselia Rafferty) Donnelly, the institution soon opened a maternity ward for shelter and prenatal care. Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, a trained obstetrical nurse, joined the staff with physicians from Mercy Hospital in attendance. Dr. Charles Stillwagon became resident physician caring for the residents including a growing number of married patients who came for their delivery. A new 4-story Roselia, building, located at 1635 Bedford Ave., was dedicated on Sept. 9, 1956" Twelve ledger books with records from 14 March 1892 to 14 August 1971 show the children who were cared for by the Sisters and the name and address of the family by whom the child was adopted or temporarily placed. The 27,000 births on record at the Office of the Secretary of the Congregation are subject to privacy laws but assistance is offered to adoptees seeing non-identifying birth and background information such as age, nationality, religion, occupation, family background and significant health history of the birth-parent. The amount and type of information available, however, varies from case to case and may even be fictitious at time it was given. All records are maintained at DePaul Center, Mt. Thor Road, Greensburg, PA. 15601. Files are cross-referenced by name of mother and child. Correspondence is also kept on file for future reference and in the hope that a letter from an adoptee may match a letter of waiver from a birth-mother. To request a search of Roselia files, a letter asking for release of non-identifying birth information should be sent to the DePaul Center and must be notarized. Include an SASE for quick response. The exact birth date and other known pertinent information should be shared to assist in the accessing of files. The article also mention old photos and medical charts which may not be accessible to the public.