Letter Relaying News of a Child's Death at the Children's Aid Society of Cleveland and Vicinity's Industrial School and Home

Cleveland, Ohio, 1880. Very good. Letter folds and minor toning. Envelope worn and dust soiled.. An emotional and affecting handwritten letter relaying news of the death of a young boy due to "consumption of the bowels" to "Bro" from "Sarah". She describes how, despite the child's apparent suffering, he "slept well most nights, and rested in my arms through the day, perfectly content if I was only near him. He became very much emaciated, so [I] have carried him on a pillow for the last two weeks. Towards the last his appetite failed him but still he wanted to go to the [communal] table when the bell rang..." Sarah evidently knew the late child's family, as she states, "But no one can know what a comfort he has been to me since his dear papa went". The child died peacefully. Letter written in ink on the letterhead of the Children's Aid Society of Cleveland and Vicinity's Industrial School and Home. Measures approx. 9" by 6". With original postmarked and hand addressed envelope. The Children’s Aid Society, established in 1857 and incorporated on 22 Sept. 1865, was the second children's aid society in the U.S. Like its predecessor, the New York Children’s Aid Society, it emphasized placing dependent children in foster homes, but like the Cleveland Orphanages, it also sheltered them. It initially organized to support the Cleveland Industrial School. In 1876, when the city closed the Cleveland Industrial School, the Children's Aid Society modified its focus to house the children who formerly resided at the school, using the school’s facility at 10427 Detroit Rd.
In 1876, Rev. William Sampson served as superintendent and chaplain for over 19 years, travelling thousands of miles, placing children and visiting them to confirm the quality of their care. Between July 7, 1876, and December 31, 1893, the society received and cared for 2,109 children.