Fred, Gabriel & John Aveline, Orphans of Royal Native American Lineage St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum Home to Native American Princes By Diana Vice & Karen Brand Vice and Brand are Historians with the General de Lafayette Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution in Lafayette, Indiana. My friend and co- DAR Historian, Karen Brand, and I have been researching orphans who had once lived at the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Asylum in Lafayette, Indiana.   The orphanage was founded in 1876 by the local Catholic Church and ran until 1938 when it closed. Our goal is to capture as many personal stories as we can.   [For previous orphan stories, you can read about this writer’s grandfather , Roy Hanthorn , and Con Kennedy , known as the Carnival King.] Karen recently came across an interesting story about three brothers who had lived there at the turn of the 20 th century who were famous for their genealogical heritage. In fact, they were considered to be of royal Native ...

Did you know an orphan from Lafayette, Indiana, gained national and international fame for creating a multi-million-dollar carnival empire in the early 20th century? The humble beginnings of Con T. Kennedy, “the Carnival King” and his rags-to-riches rise to fame is an inspirational, true story about a boy who overcame many obstacles in life. He ran away from a Lafayette  orphanage at twelve years old, headed west, and "grew up with the country."    This story will evoke a roller coaster of emotions. It’s long, but worth the investment of your time.  Orphan Never Felt the Loving Arms of a Loving Mother St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum (Photo courtesy of Preserve Historic Lafayette) The story begins with Cornelius T. Kennedy, an orphan about whom little is known regarding his family background.  Cornelius was born in 1870 to parents of  Irish descent.  The 1870 census records show Cornelius residing in Jackson, Ohio, with his parents, Thomas and Hanora Kenn...