My father and his 2 older brothers were raised at the Bethany Home for Friendless Children from 1922 on.... There is some information on-line at
http://richmondthenandnow.com/Newspaper-Articles/Bethany-Hom.... However, the stories I heard from my dad and his brothers were ones of neglect, cruelty, and physical and sexual abuse. The oldest of the boys ran away from the home shortly after his 13th birthday in 1930. I went to the library in Richmond, Virginia and discovered the 1930 census that listed my father and brothers at the home....as well as the other children and workers of that time.