Hello,

Not only is there no birth record for my grandmother in MA in 1889 (or in CT) but there should have been a 2nd birth certificate written out at the time of her adoption in 1892. None exist.

I've told my grandmother's story many times over the years, so I'll just summarize. John and Mary (CLARK) DEXTER lived in Killingly, CT, for their married life. They had one daughter out of 3 who survived, and she became Mrs. Clara YOUNG of Killingly. Around 1885 John and Mary moved up to Melrose, MA, and around 1890 ? took in a baby girl. She was "hidden away" when important company came to call. Her birth-name was reportedly Daisy WATROUS and the DEXTER's changed her name to Mary Anna Clark DEXTER in 1892; she had just turned 3. She only lived with the DEXTER's until she was 10. In the spring of 1899, Mrs. Dexter died, and my grandmother was taken to an orphanage in Downtown Boston. Mr. Dexter had already sold the house and had moved to a Boarding House in Boston. He got sick and went to the Tewksbury State Hospital in 1904 and died there in 1905.

Maybe when she was 13, she went to live at "The Temporary Home for Women and Children" also in Downtown Boston. Or, it could have been in 1904 when her Adoptive father went to the Hospital. She remained there until she was 19 or 20.

Back to Mrs. YOUNG in CT, she had also lost a very young daughter, and only had one surviving son, Earle. But, one census mentioned she had had a 3rd pregnancy. .. Because of all the .stories. and bits & pieces of information, my .educated guess. is that Clara had a pregnancy outside of her marriage during the summer of 1888. And, I think her parents took the baby girl up to their home in Melrose.

Regarding the 2 birth-records which should exist, one of my .guesses. is that, because of the .family scandal, Mr. Dexter went to the courthouse and made the birth-records -- disappear !

In addition, because 100 years had passed, I was able to have the Adoption File opened. There was no birth-record there, either, and there .were. a bunch of lies ! And, it was written that my grandmother had been a Ward of the State as an infant. The Statehouse has no record of that either.

Betty (near Lowell, MA)


(on Lists and Boards for 10 yrs.; now an Admin for 9 Lists and 3 Boards)