Ladies' Deborah and Child's Protectory was a 19th-century

day care center Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

and orphanage located at 204 East Broadway. The institution cared for the children, ages two to six years, of indigent parents who worked during the day. The youths were fed and returned to their parents in the evening. Abandoned children were also taken in. A certificate of incorporation was filed at the clerk's office of

New York County Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on March 5, 1878. The facility opened on the morning of March 24, 1878, when fifty-nine small children were received inside. Ladies' Deborah and Child's Protectory was established by Mrs. P.J. Joachimsen.
A New Charitable Institution
',

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, March 25, 1878, pg. 8. She was president of the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In January 1880 the New York City Board of Apportionment distributed $1,289.43 from the

excise file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

fund to assist in the support of children at the institution, which was then being called Ladies' Deborah Nursery and Child's Protectory. In March 1883 the Deborah Nursery was located at 95 East Broadway, with a branch at 101 East Broadway and a girls' branch at 423 East 83rd Street.

Elbridge T. Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

, president of the New York Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children, listed the buildings of the three sites as worthy of attention by the building department, in regard to repairs.

Child abuse and poor management

Israel Schwartz, a thirteen-year-old

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

boy, accused superintendent Herman Engel, of the nursery, of assaulting him with a cane, in May 1893. Engel was held for examination and fined $300. Schwartz complaint was one of many which were reported around this time. In November 1896 the facility was ordered to promptly make reforms by the New York City Board of Health. At this instance the nursery was afflicted by the prevalence of

ophthalmia Ophthalmia (also called ophthalmitis) is inflammation of the eye. It results in congestion of the eyeball, often eye-watering, redness and swelling, itching and burning, and a general feeling of irritation under the eyelids. Ophthalmia can have d ...

. In March 1896 eighty cases of the disease were reported among the children at Ladies' Deborah Nursery and Child's Protectorate. Infected children were quarantined but twenty-two of them were released back to the main building, despite continuing to suffer from various forms of eye diseases. The institution was then located at Eagle Avenue and 161st Street in Manhattan.

Charity background and aftermath

The Ladies' Deborah Relief Association was active at least four years before the opening of the child's protectory. On July 29, 1874 the organization held a benefit for the sick and poor at Bellevue Garden near 80th Street (Manhattan). In June 1897 the Eagle Avenue site, on the

West Side (Manhattan) The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the Hudson River and faces the U.S. state of New Jersey. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the East Side. The major neighborhoods on t ...

, was sold during a foreclosure. The lot measured 150 feet by 125 feet and possessed a three-story and a four-story building, both composed of brick. $18,687 was due on judgment.
Auction Sales This Week
', New York Times, June 27, 1897, pg. 4.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ladies' Deborah And Child's Protectory 1878 establishments in New York (state) History of New York City Social welfare charities based in the United States Social care in the United States Jewish organizations Orphanages in New York (state) Jews and Judaism in Manhattan Jewish orphanages