Source: Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, Family Court Division. Released to applicant (lineal descendant of adoptee) on March 2026 per Missouri statute 453.121.
Document type: Nonidentifying information from sealed adoption record.
Order signed by: Mark A. Styles, Jr., Administrative Judge, Division 12.
Court Summary of Petitioners
Mr. Fred Forrest Fulghum, 48 years old, was born in New Paris, Ohio. He is of French descent. Mr. and Mrs. Fulghum were married in Wichita, Kansas in 1927 and came to live in Independence, Missouri, in 1929. Mr. Fulghum has 1 son who is grown. Mr. Fulghum is Superintendent of the Gas Service Company in Independence, Missouri at a salary of $180.00 a month. He owns his home at 1222 North Liberty in Independence.
The child the Fulghums are seeking to adopt has been entirely dependent upon them and he has supported and cared him willingly and gladly and with no assistance from the child's natural parents since his marriage to Mrs. Fulghum.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Fulghum are members of the Presbyterian Church and the child has been brought up in that faith.
Mrs. Fulghum (Dora Sybil Holt), 42 years old, of Irish parentage, was born in Wilmot, Kansas. She was married previously and had 2 children of that marriage but they both died. Mr. and Mrs. Fulghum have no children of their own. This child, whom they are petitioning to adopt, was in Mrs. Fulghum's care at the time of their marriage and was 4 years old at that time. Mr. Fulghum knew of the child and was perfectly satisfied with the responsibility he was assuming.
As Mrs. Fulghum had lost both of her children, the doctor had advised her not to have any more and, since he had thought they were not financially able to take a child for adoption, they had secured this child from a mother whom a cousin recommended to them. They have not seen the mother since the boy was six months old [NOTE: The petition itself, signed by Fred and Sybil, says "2 weeks of age," not six months. The court investigator's summary is less reliable than the petition on this point.] and, as they are in better financial condition, they are petitioning to adopt this child whom they have raised.
Petition (from clearer scan)
PETITION FOR PERMISSION TO ADOPT A CHILD
Now comes Fred F. Fulghum and Sybil Holt Fulghum his wife, and petition the Court for permission to adopt as their child Infant, male child born on the 19th day of February, 1923, and residing in Jackson County, Missouri.
Petitioners say that they live at Independence, Missouri, that they are of good moral character; that they have a comfortable home and an income in excess of $150.00 a month; that they have had entire care and custody of said infant since he was 2 weeks of age; that, during his life, they have educated, supported, and given him proper moral and religious training; that said child has been known during this time at school and among his associates as Aura Gale Fulghum and that petitioners are now petitioning that his name be changed to Aura Gale Fulghum.
Petitioners say that the mother of said child is [REDACTED per nonidentifying information statute], that she is the sole parent; that she has not been seen since this child was 2 weeks of age and has not been heard of since the child was one year old; that petitioners verily believe she has departed this life.
Petitioners request that a Guardian ad Litem be appointed herein.
WHEREFORE, Petitioners pray the Court to enter a decree, ordering that from the date thereof, said child shall to all legal intents and purposes be the child of the petitioners and that said child's name be changed to Aura Gale Fulghum.
[Signed] Fred F. Fulghum [Signed] Sybil Holt Fulghum Petitioners
Analysis
Date of petition
Fred was described as 48 years old (born Sep 1895, so turned 48 in Sep 1943). Sybil was described as 42 years old (born Jul 1900, so turned 42 in Jul 1942 and 43 in Jul 1943). The petition was most likely filed between late 1942 and mid-1943. The amended birth certificate was not filed until January 28, 1946 (State File AL 10906), suggesting the process took 2-3 years to complete.
Timeline: 2 weeks, not 6 months
The petition (signed by Fred and Sybil) states they had "entire care and custody of said infant since he was 2 weeks of age" and the mother "has not been seen since this child was 2 weeks of age." The court investigator's summary says "they have not seen the mother since the boy was six months old." The petition is the more authoritative source (signed under oath by the petitioners). Gale was born February 19, 1923; at two weeks old, the transfer date would be approximately early March 1923, just days before Clara married Earl Mead Cowden on March 30, 1923. The timing is striking: Clara gave up the baby and married within weeks.
The mother was "not heard of since the child was one year old" (~February 1924), meaning there was some indirect contact (a letter? a message through the cousin?) after the handoff but before Gale's first birthday. After that, silence.
"She is the sole parent"
The petition states the mother "is the sole parent." No father was identified or claimed. This is consistent with the blank father field on the original birth certificate and supports the conclusion that Edward Awalt's paternity was unknown to or unacknowledged by Clara.
The "cousin" intermediary
The court investigator's summary states they "secured this child from a mother whom a cousin recommended to them." This is the first documentary evidence of how Gale came into the Orrill/Holt household. A cousin (of Sybil? of Clinton?) knew Clara Lloyd and served as the connection. Identifying this cousin could explain the entire chain of custody.
Two dead children
Sybil is described as having had "2 children of that marriage but they both died." Only one child from the Orrill marriage is currently documented: Leo Eugene Orrill (9-15 Mar 1922, lived 6 days). A second child who died has not been identified. This child would have been born between the Orrill marriage (Nov 1920) and Leo's birth (Mar 1922), or between Leo's death (Mar 1922) and the adoption. Given that Leo was born Mar 1922 and Gale was in Sybil's care by ~Mar 1923, the second child could have been born and died between those dates.
However, the alternate reading is that the "2 children" may refer to Leo and a miscarriage or stillbirth that went unrecorded. Or the court summary may have counted inaccurately; the summary was written by a court investigator based on interviews, not from vital records.
Biological mother believed dead
The petitioners told the court they believed the biological mother had "departed this life." Clara Francis Loyd (identified from the birth certificate) actually lived until 1984. The Fulghums had not seen her since Gale was 2 weeks old and had not heard from her since he was 1 year old, a gap of ~19 years by the time of the petition. Their belief was understandable but incorrect.
Mother's name redacted
The petition reads "the mother of said child is [blank]" with the name redacted. The court order specifies release of "nonidentifying information" per statute 453.121, which requires redaction of the biological parent's name. We already know the mother was Clara Francis Loyd from the original birth certificate.
Fred's "1 son who is grown"
This refers to Robert Edgar "Bob" Fulghum (b. 1924), Fred's biological son with Margaret Parsons. Bob would have been ~18-19 at the time of the petition.
Religion
The Fulghums are described as Presbyterian. Gale and Doris Fulghum later became lifelong members of First United Methodist Church, Independence, indicating a change in denomination by adulthood.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court of Jackson County, MO, Case AD-12551 | Adoption record (primary) | Released Mar 2026 per statute 453.121 |