madamx
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did you ever submit this. It really sounds like it would be Dorothy.
PA PA - Philadelphia, WhtFem 40-60, UP17721, upper denture w/D Spizzirri, frontal lobotomy, May'72
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did you ever submit this. It really sounds like it would be Dorothy.
madamx
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did you ever submit this. It really sounds like it would be Dorothy.
I just noticed it said the mother’s birth place was Pennsylvania. Makes me wonder if her mom was still alive living close to where she was found murdered. Maybe she lived with her mother? She did have house keys on her. Just a thought.
fred&edna
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I was going to but didn't as another poster reported that they already did so. I think it's post #14.
ETA: I just sent an email to the Philadelphia Co ME's office.
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branmuffin
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Just reading through the posts. I think Dorothy and Daurtha are two different names. I found an obit for a Daurtha Youngblood who was born in Texas in 1924. So it's an unusual name, may be just those two. Plus, people just change spellings of names, too, based on what they hear.
I found the 1940 census for Margaret Spizzari born around 1927 who lived in the home at 1 Walnut St in Binghamton that listed different people who were 'lodgers'. If this child was developmentally challenged I find it very disturbing that she was in a home with two young adult men who were the children of the head of the household along with 3 other young males. What a recipe for disaster if that poor girl was so vulnerable. I also found the other orphanage at 3 Chestnut St in Binghamton where all the kids lived for a while.
Link: Katherine Kelly in the 1940 Census | Ancestry®
I wonder what many of the scars on our UID's body were related to, many, many small scars on her hands and knees but she also had a scar above the pubic bone that sounds like a Caesarean scar. I wonder if during the PM they found whether of not she's given birth. If she was intellectually handicapped it wouldn't be the first time some woman or girl in a psych hospital or home was sexually assaulted.
I agree with someone who said further upthread that her clothing didn't sound like what a transient or homeless person would wear; everything matched and was colour coordinated and her shoes sounded kind of dressy.
Reading through My Heritage I initially thought Margarine (Margaret) was a twin because there was another girl called Marjorie Anne Merrill born Feb 1 1927 to Frank and Anna as her parents but it seems it is an alternate name given to her when someone applied for a social security number in 1948 perhaps when she turned 21. It just seems strange she has a completely separate name. Does a person who in intellectually challenged have to apply for a SS number if they are in a state run home? I found a Marjorie Anne Merrill on Ancestry who died in 1997 but I didn't look further because I would have to pay.
It's all so confusing. The kids in a home then an orphanage and a mental health facility. It seems the oldest Margerine/Margaret/Marjorie must have been severely affected to remain in a care facility from the time she was a small baby. Whereas the other kids were probably given up to become wards of the state because their parents may have been financially strapped. Or even taken away by the state. Who knows? Pretty sad anyway, considering the young boy just seems to disappear without any death certificate. It may not be relevant at all because there were an awful lot of kids in that home that couldn't all have been orphans or challenged, including siblings. It was the beginning of the Depression.
I wish there was more information regarding the PM and images of her clothing.
I found the 1940 census for Margaret Spizzari born around 1927 who lived in the home at 1 Walnut St in Binghamton that listed different people who were 'lodgers'. If this child was developmentally challenged I find it very disturbing that she was in a home with two young adult men who were the children of the head of the household along with 3 other young males. What a recipe for disaster if that poor girl was so vulnerable. I also found the other orphanage at 3 Chestnut St in Binghamton where all the kids lived for a while.
Link: Katherine Kelly in the 1940 Census | Ancestry®
I wonder what many of the scars on our UID's body were related to, many, many small scars on her hands and knees but she also had a scar above the pubic bone that sounds like a Caesarean scar. I wonder if during the PM they found whether of not she's given birth. If she was intellectually handicapped it wouldn't be the first time some woman or girl in a psych hospital or home was sexually assaulted.
I agree with someone who said further upthread that her clothing didn't sound like what a transient or homeless person would wear; everything matched and was colour coordinated and her shoes sounded kind of dressy.
Reading through My Heritage I initially thought Margarine (Margaret) was a twin because there was another girl called Marjorie Anne Merrill born Feb 1 1927 to Frank and Anna as her parents but it seems it is an alternate name given to her when someone applied for a social security number in 1948 perhaps when she turned 21. It just seems strange she has a completely separate name. Does a person who in intellectually challenged have to apply for a SS number if they are in a state run home? I found a Marjorie Anne Merrill on Ancestry who died in 1997 but I didn't look further because I would have to pay.
It's all so confusing. The kids in a home then an orphanage and a mental health facility. It seems the oldest Margerine/Margaret/Marjorie must have been severely affected to remain in a care facility from the time she was a small baby. Whereas the other kids were probably given up to become wards of the state because their parents may have been financially strapped. Or even taken away by the state. Who knows? Pretty sad anyway, considering the young boy just seems to disappear without any death certificate. It may not be relevant at all because there were an awful lot of kids in that home that couldn't all have been orphans or challenged, including siblings. It was the beginning of the Depression.
I wish there was more information regarding the PM and images of her clothing.
victoriarobinson642
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This would be a great case for genetic genealogy.
branmuffin
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I haven't been back to this thread for a while so refreshed my memory. What a depressing case. All those kids living in homes, mentally challenged or not. They were so vulnerable.
I went on another search for someone called D Spizzirri today. I brought up a couple of other possibilities. One of them was a woman called Rose Spizzirri nee Iandoli (1912-2000) born in New Jersey. In My Heritage she is listed as having two children R***** Spizzirri and one other child. Usually on My Heritage if an individual has more than one child they name one and the others are done as a link. There is no link for the second child. It's possible that the second child was still born or died shortly after birth. But it could be that the child was sent to an asylum because of mental impairment. Sounds cold but not that unusual back in those days especially during the Depression.
That documentary was very distressing seeing the sheer numbers of cognitively challenged individuals just warehoused and forgotten by family and the state. Truly horrendous. No-one really had the capacity to care for children so severely mentally impaired during that time, I guess, but the suffering and lack of care is unimaginable.
In an earlier post I referred to the abdominal scar on the UID as perhaps a Caesarean scar. Now I think it's possible she may have been sterilized as well. And all those tiny little scars on her hands and lower legs sound like some kind of punishment bordering on torture.
But like we've mentioned before, her clothes and shoes didn't sound like someone who was so mentally deficient she would have been incapable of coordinating her clothes. It's possible to function after having a lobotomy, especially if their issue was more mental illness rather than cognitive impairment.
A bit Off Topic but back in the late 70s I worked for the Ministry of Health in Toronto. Once a coworker and I had to go dig up some old files that had been sent to archive. While we were there we unearthed these old documents that related to some provincial hospitals for the criminally insane and mentally challenged. Those aren't the terms they used though. They were called mental defectives or idiots. As a matter of fact the Orillia Psychiatric Hospital when it was first opened was called the Orillia Asylum for Idiots. It's hard to wrap your head around the casual cruelty of how these patients were categorized, especially when the word asylum refers to offering safety and protection. What was even worse when we started looking through these files is that some of the people who ended up there weren't mentally ill or cognitively challenged, they appeared to have behavioral problems. There was one girl who had been committed to the hospital by her parents as a teenager because, as they said in a letter she brought shame upon the family because she was promiscuous. She was offered 'moral therapy' whatever the hell that was. She was institutionalized until she was twenty nine! Thirteen years of her life in an 'asylum'. Unreal.
I agree that this woman would be a wonderful candidate for genetic genealogy.
I went on another search for someone called D Spizzirri today. I brought up a couple of other possibilities. One of them was a woman called Rose Spizzirri nee Iandoli (1912-2000) born in New Jersey. In My Heritage she is listed as having two children R***** Spizzirri and one other child. Usually on My Heritage if an individual has more than one child they name one and the others are done as a link. There is no link for the second child. It's possible that the second child was still born or died shortly after birth. But it could be that the child was sent to an asylum because of mental impairment. Sounds cold but not that unusual back in those days especially during the Depression.
That documentary was very distressing seeing the sheer numbers of cognitively challenged individuals just warehoused and forgotten by family and the state. Truly horrendous. No-one really had the capacity to care for children so severely mentally impaired during that time, I guess, but the suffering and lack of care is unimaginable.
In an earlier post I referred to the abdominal scar on the UID as perhaps a Caesarean scar. Now I think it's possible she may have been sterilized as well. And all those tiny little scars on her hands and lower legs sound like some kind of punishment bordering on torture.
But like we've mentioned before, her clothes and shoes didn't sound like someone who was so mentally deficient she would have been incapable of coordinating her clothes. It's possible to function after having a lobotomy, especially if their issue was more mental illness rather than cognitive impairment.
A bit Off Topic but back in the late 70s I worked for the Ministry of Health in Toronto. Once a coworker and I had to go dig up some old files that had been sent to archive. While we were there we unearthed these old documents that related to some provincial hospitals for the criminally insane and mentally challenged. Those aren't the terms they used though. They were called mental defectives or idiots. As a matter of fact the Orillia Psychiatric Hospital when it was first opened was called the Orillia Asylum for Idiots. It's hard to wrap your head around the casual cruelty of how these patients were categorized, especially when the word asylum refers to offering safety and protection. What was even worse when we started looking through these files is that some of the people who ended up there weren't mentally ill or cognitively challenged, they appeared to have behavioral problems. There was one girl who had been committed to the hospital by her parents as a teenager because, as they said in a letter she brought shame upon the family because she was promiscuous. She was offered 'moral therapy' whatever the hell that was. She was institutionalized until she was twenty nine! Thirteen years of her life in an 'asylum'. Unreal.
I agree that this woman would be a wonderful candidate for genetic genealogy.
victoriarobinson642
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I thought that the scars on her legs could be a result of a bacterial or viral infection, I know that group settings heighten those.
StarrChance
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Did a bit more searching today, a few rabbit holes.
Looks like a lot of the family lived in New York. The father Frank died in 1968 (before this JD was found)
Stepmother obit 1997
Can’t find Elizabeth Stephenson, there was a marriage license request in 1921, however I’m not sure they did marry as there is a marriage certificate between Frank and Anna and it states first marriage for Frank.
Frank and Elizabeth lost a 2 year old child in 1924 from a fire, poor child Orlando was playing with matches.
Could not find any records for the 2 year old Frank in the 1930 census (St Mary orphanage) however I did read that a number of children were adopted out.
From the records it looks like some family could be around for DNA?
Looks like a lot of the family lived in New York. The father Frank died in 1968 (before this JD was found)
Stepmother obit 1997
Can’t find Elizabeth Stephenson, there was a marriage license request in 1921, however I’m not sure they did marry as there is a marriage certificate between Frank and Anna and it states first marriage for Frank.
Frank and Elizabeth lost a 2 year old child in 1924 from a fire, poor child Orlando was playing with matches.
Could not find any records for the 2 year old Frank in the 1930 census (St Mary orphanage) however I did read that a number of children were adopted out.
From the records it looks like some family could be around for DNA?
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StarrChance
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I also read that orphanage would restrain inmates, possibly could scar.
fred&edna
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So glad to see new posts on this thread! I haven't gone back through my Ancestry notes but I did feel strongly that Dorothy/Daurtha Spizziri was a great possible match. And, I agree @StarrChance I remember feeling there were some family members still living to possibly assist in a genetic genealogy attempt. I just hope LE overseeing the case is interested and they have available funds to make an effort towards this. The woman seems to have had a tough upbringing and life.... she really does deserve to rest with her given name.
StarrChance
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Yes I think so too. Looked at Daurtha (just the name) in Ancestry and a few i found called themselves Dorothy.
Just aside spelling found Spizzirri. Spizziri
For Elizabeth Stephenson also found Elizabeth Stevenson
Both found in official records that match
StarrChance
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Do we know if DNA is available, where is she buried?
I would contribute to testing lol
I would contribute to testing lol
branmuffin
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That is true. I could see all kinds of infections patients in poorly run facilities could get. The scars could also be the result of repetitive behavior like skin picking, excoriation disorder, that can result in numerous scars and/or infections.
StarrChance
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Frank obit
Adderall
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Very good point. Some people do that naturally, others do it because their medication makes them restless. Maybe it's a mix of a few theories, where scabs from other injuries were picked open.
StarrChance
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I have been trying to think of reasons the children were in a home in 1930, quite a few scenarios, death of mother, illness, unemployment , abandonment. That Anna was 21 when she married Frank in 1929 and the children were in the St Mary orphan in 1930 is interesting, perhaps they didn't have the resources to take them in.
Found a record for a Elizabeth Spizziri (that could possibly tie in) a 1930 census in New York.
Just thinking out loud if her husband left her it could make sense she would become a housekeeper?
Name: Elizabeth Spizziri
Birth Year: abt 1905
Gender: Female
Race: White
Age in 1930: 25
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Housekeeper
Home in 1930: Windsor, Broome, New York, USA
Map of Home:
Dwelling Number: 123
Family Number: 134
Age at First Marriage: 15
Attended School: No
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Able to Speak English: Yes
Occupation: Servant
Industry: Private family
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker
Employment: Yes
Household Members Age Relationship
Charles E Myres 48 Head
Elizabeth Spizziri 25 Housekeeper
John Spizziri 0 Son
Neighbours:
Found a record for a Elizabeth Spizziri (that could possibly tie in) a 1930 census in New York.
Just thinking out loud if her husband left her it could make sense she would become a housekeeper?
Name: Elizabeth Spizziri
Birth Year: abt 1905
Gender: Female
Race: White
Age in 1930: 25
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Housekeeper
Home in 1930: Windsor, Broome, New York, USA
Map of Home:
Dwelling Number: 123
Family Number: 134
Age at First Marriage: 15
Attended School: No
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Able to Speak English: Yes
Occupation: Servant
Industry: Private family
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker
Employment: Yes
Household Members Age Relationship
Charles E Myres 48 Head
Elizabeth Spizziri 25 Housekeeper
John Spizziri 0 Son
Neighbours:
If the UID has a cesarean scar, I wonder if the lobotomy was performed because she had intellectual disabilities but became sexually active and got pregnant. Maybe her sexual maturity was considered a problem for the facility where she lived and the lobotomy was done to 'solve the problem'. Not much help in IDing her, but it came to mind when I heard she had lobotomy scars as well as a pelvic scar.
Bit of hope
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I couldn't find the name Dorothy in the Spizzirri family-line, but it exists in the Stephenson family-line. Maybe Elizabeth had a daughter out of wedlock (Dorothy), reason for the marriage. What about the marriage licence request for Elizabeth and Frank Spizzirri? I wonder if they ever married and if this is the same Frank who was the father of Mary and Margarine. Anna's step-daughters according to her obit. If the mother isn't Anna, could she be Elizabeth? What could have happened; they divorced somewhere around 1930 and the children had to go to an orphanage....I'm confused Dorothy is not mentioned in neither of the obits, neither is Frank jr.