Rome State School?

Specialties Disabilities

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I am curious if anyone has any ties, professional or personal to the Rome State School in Rome, NY, for the mentally retarded, from the 1950s to early 1070s. I think that now it is a home for the deaf, but I may be incorrect. One of my patients in LTC was a medical student there in the 1930s!!

My brothers lived there from about 1958 to 1972. They are now in upstate NY in different group homes, in their late 50s. I am trying to find info on the internet and am not getting much.

If anyone lives in Oneida County, NY and would email me the phone # for the Historical Society, I would appreciate it. So far, I haven't found it.

My grandmother was placed in Rome State School after her parents split up and all the children were separated. She was considered too old to be adopted and so the orphanage in Ogdensburg, NY sent her to the school.

I ended up getting information from the Rome DDSO after writing letters for about 2 years.

When they did finally reply, it was worth the wait.

Although, I didn't find out everything, they did shed some light on what happened to her during those years.

This was the address back in 1994:

Rome DDSO/Administrative Offices

PO Box 550

Rome, NY 13442-0550

Hope this helps!

Good luck with your search!!

I am so glad I finally found this forum. I have been searching for information on Rome State School for quite a while.

After reading these posts I have two questions. First, a couple of you said to contact you for more information, but I don't understand how to do that. I clicked on the name, but it takes me to a brief profile and no way to send an email.

Second, to TeeDeeD: Do you have any suggestions on how to get a quicker response? Since you say it took you two years of writing letters, I thought you might be able to give me some shortcuts so my questions won't take two years.

Thank you.

Hi Mary,

The best advice I can give you is - never give up. :clown: Keep writing letters, eventually you will get to someone who is willing to respond. If nothing else, they will respond so that you will stop writing letters! Good luck to you in your search!

T

Hello, My sister was a patient there.

How would I find more information about the school?

John,

Have you done a search of old newspaper articles at http://fultonhistory.com?

The site is a little cumbersome, but search in different ways, you may find something.

Good luck with your search.

Tricia

my brother was there for 10 years, he's never really been the same. kinda in his own world now.

Im looking up family history. My mother went to the Rome State School. She and her brothers were not mentally ill. My grandmother/grandfather left them alone....the state came in and took over. Im trying to find out what kind on person my mother was during her stay in the state school. Is it possible to find this out??? My mother is alive but remembers little. She did work in the office.

Hi Andy, I just found out my aunt that I never knew I had was at Rome State School in the 1940's until possibly 1990. She died in 1993 @ age 83. I wish I knew what happened to her and what was wrong with her. It makes me sad to think about it. Can I contact you to see if you knew her. Thank you Barb

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