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The storm tore of the roofs of the laundry, the hospital, and several additional buildings. The tornado completely destroyed the institution’s barn, the wagon shed, and the toolshed. Of the nearly 750 children and employees present at the time of the tornado, only two employees suffered minor injuries. Ohio Governor George Hoadly and Judge John Little donated respectively from their personal funds $5,152.50 and $508.75 to help offset the 7,500 dollar repair bill. On February 28, 1870, representatives from the Ohio General Assembly came to Xenia to meet with local residents, with the board members, and with the children housed in the temporary facility.
In May 1871, the board of managers authorized the construction of additional cottages to meet the demand. Any child under sixteen years of age of “deceased, indigent and permanently disabled soldiers and sailors who served during the rebellion,” were eligible for admittance to the created homes. The legislation directed that the first home be constructed at White Sulphur Springs in Delaware County, Ohio, unless the area proved to be unsuitable per the board of managers. This location was also home to Ohio’s Industrial School for Girls. Per the bill, any site selected for the initial home should be able to provide housing and care for 250 children. Finally, the legislation authorized thirteen thousand dollars for the home’s construction.
Mexican War (1846- [edit | edit source]
Between 1870 and 1901, the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home could not accept all of the children seeking assistance. Additionally, Chaplain George W. Collier is credited with being the first to suggest the idea of a home to the GAR. Originally, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home provided Ohio children who lost their father in the American Civil War with a place to live. Due to financial difficulties, a veteran and/or his spouse might leave their children at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home in the care of the State of Ohio. Between 1870 and 1901, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home could not accept all of the children seeking assistance. In the Home was thus established far in advance of similar public institutions, a Manual Training School supported by public funds for public uses.
The institution also employed a financial officer, a school principal, and a physician. Approximately thirty-four children lived in each of the twenty cottages at the orphanage. The boys lived in thirteen cottages, while the girls resided in seven of these buildings.
Additional Records[edit | edit source]
Beginning in April 1876, the home put out their own paper, titled the Home Weekly. The list of family names above represents unique last names of individuals found in these Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home records. See Ohio in the Civil War for information about Ohio Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Ohio regiments involved in the Civil War. The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.
It was renovated and is now in use as an office and conference center for Athletes in Action. Fold3 provided the free index for this collection on FamilySearch. For more information regarding the history and preservation of the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home visit their website and Facebook page. Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found.
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In 1869, Xenia residents provided the GAR with 150 acres of land to build a permanent facility. It is a matter of course that the requirements for admission should be changed with changing conditions. In 1870 no children were entitled to admission but those whose fathers were killed in action, or had since died from the wounds or disabilities of war. During the twentieth century, the State of Ohio opened the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home to orphaned children of any Ohio soldier from any military conflict. Student records include date of birth, date of admission, county of origin, and notations regarding whether records on file contain social service records, medical records, education records, and/or admission card only.
The collection consists of images to admission records of veterans to the state soldier home in Sandusky for the years 1888 to 1919. Acquired from the state archives, and historical society in Columbus. Money was collected from taxes levied during the Civil War to care for the dependents of soldiers, but the government mishandled the money. By the war's end, several families were living in county infirmities under deplorable conditions. Seeing this, soldiers still living began contacting government officials, requesting that something be done to help the families of the fallen soldiers. Eventually, the Grand Army of the Republic , a federation the veterans formed after the close of the Civil War to foster comradeship, financed the purchase of a home for veteran's orphans in the city of Xenia.
Rosters[edit
In some cases, the children had not lost their parents, but the veteran was physically, emotionally or financially unable to care for his family. By 1874, approximately six hundred children resided at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home. The large number of children caused several health outbreaks to occur during this time period, including “watery eyes” , measles, and scarlet fever.
The Home is the largest institution of its kind in the world, and has a long history of active educational work. Graduates from its schools are filling honorable positions in the civil, political, financial, military and naval departments of American life. Buckland of Fremont, Ohio, James Barnett of Cleveland, Ohio, J. Warren Keifer of Springfield, Ohio, Benjamin F. Coate of Portsmouth, Ohio, J.S. Jones of Delaware, Ohio, and M.F. The managers met in Delaware, Ohio on May 13, 1870 and determined that the land adjacent to the Industrial School for Girls was unsuitable for the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home. The home conducted church services, established a regular school curriculum as well as education in several trades, started a library, and supplied on-site medical attention. The list of trades is impressive, including tin smithing; wood carving; knitting; dress making; tailoring; farm, florist, and garden work; butchering and slaughtering; telegraphy, and blacksmithing.
The children also enjoyed such extra-curricular activities as choir, orchestra, concert band, military band, drum corps, and athletics. Beginning in April of 1876, the home put out their own paper, titled the Home Weekly. There were a number of cottages on the campus, which served as dormitories for the home residents and students. In the last days of use these buildings were not well maintained and during the period of time when the campus was unused the buildings began to deteriorate. Due to the state of disrepair these were not used when Legacy Ministries International took control of the property in 1999. A few of the cottages were renovated for use as residence halls for Athletes in Action.
Children at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home received a traditional education, as well as training in various occupations. The boys also received some military training and several of them later joined the armed forces. In 1901, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home was the largest institution of its kind in the world.
The descriptive books of each GAR post usually indicate each member's name, age, rank, birthplace, residence, occupation, and enlistment and discharge information. Records of GAR posts and of other veteran organizations may be found in various libraries and archives throughout Ohio. On February 16, 1879, a fire destroyed the administration and domestic-training buildings, structures added to the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home following 1872. The total financial loss to the State of Ohio from the fire equaled almost seventy-five thousand dollars, but the Ohio General Assembly quickly authorized funds to replace the structures. Five years later, on April 27, 1884, a tornado struck the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home.
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research. Also called the "trades building", was used as a second school building. The logo of the Association of Ex-PupilsThe Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home (Later known as the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home) and sometimes abbreviated OS&SO/OVCH, was a children's home that was located in Xenia, Ohio. It is now home to Legacy Christian Academy, Athletes in Action, and other Christian ministries. The Home employs thirty-two cottage matrons, thirty-two teachers in the regular course, fourteen foremen of industrial branches and trades and gives a home and instruction to about 950 children in average attendance.
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