The Capital's children: the story of the Washington City Orphan Asylum, 1815-1860

Abstract

In October 1815, several Washington high society women - including Dolley Madison, Marcia Van Ness, and Margaret Bayard Smith - established the District's first orphan asylum, most commonly called the Washington City Orphan Asylum. During the first forty-five years of its existence, this orphanage housed, clothed, fed, and educated needy children from the city of Washington and surrounding areas. The institution developed an intimate and dependent relationship with the city in which it resided as well as with the United States federal government. This relationship spoke to nineteenth century philosophy towards welfare aid for children. The policies the asylum instituted in choosing which children to accept into their orphanage, how to care for them, and how to secure financing provide perspective into the social mores and habits for the rest of Washington and American society, as do the familial situations of the children that entered the orphanage.