Several years ago I contacted the Franciscan Sisters in Peekskill, New York to inquire about my grandfather's records. My grandfather, Harry Nunn, and six of his eight siblings were admitted into St. Joseph's Home in June 1900. I had worked eight years to break through this family's brick wall. I had no idea where the records would be, but I was on a mission.
To my surprise a lovely nun came to the phone and when asked where I could get my grandfather's records, she replied in a soft tone, "I have them." You could have knocked me over with a feather!! This lovely person worked with the home's archives and appreciated genealogy. She copied my grandfather's intake and outtake documents as well as those of each of his siblings. The day the postman delivered that manila envelope I was in "heaven."
Over the years I've posted several blogs about St. Joseph's home, and it is the most visited blog of any I have written. I still receive requests from family historians on how to get their family records from St. Joseph's Home. Since it has been quite a few years since I received my grandfather's records, I decided to find out what the latest procedure was. The last I knew, since the nun who help me had passed away, no one else had stepped forward to respond to these requests.
I sent an email to the Field Library in Peekskill, and was delighted to learn that the reference librarian who I'd met all those years ago, is still there and has worked with the Franciscan Sisters to make records available. The Sisters have given permission to add their contact information on the library's website. It is listed under Local History.
The contact is: Sister Laura and any information about St. Joseph’s Home can be obtained by emailing Sister Laura at slmfmsc@mail.com. Please include St. Joseph Home Request in the Subject line.
For anyone reading this post hoping to get St. Joseph's records - as of May 2022 the Sisters are not releasing anything. Your mileage may vary, and I hope it does, but for me it was a brick wall.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone reading this in 2026, the Sisters are not responding to any voicemails and the one Sister I did get on the phone was very rude. Prayers that another kind Sister would help those of us who are working so hard to solve our family trees. Or that they would release records that are more than 75 years old and allow them to be scanned and the digital files could be loaded to a local historical societies'data base. Then they wouldn't have to be "bothered" any more.
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