Fulghum coat of arms
Our Family History

Record

Gale Fulghum Birth Certificate (1923)

Document Header

CITY OF KANSAS CITY MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Notification of Birth Registration

This is to advise you that there is preserved under File No. 916 in the Department of Health of Kansas City, Missouri, a

Record of Birth

Field Value
Of Infant Lloyd
Sex Male
Born on Feb 19, 1923
At General Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.
Name of father (blank, no name entered)
Name of mother Clara Lloyd (marked "MAIDEN NAME")
Birth attended by Dr. W. L. Gist

Signatories

Role Name
Asst. Reg. M. M. Crowe
Director of Health Calvin L. Cooper

Significance

This document is the original birth registration for Gale Fulghum (1923-2007). It reveals:

  1. Gale was not born "Aura Gale Orrill." He was registered as "Infant Lloyd," with no first name. The name "Aura Gale Orrill" that appears on WikiTree and in family lore was applied later, presumably when Clinton "Jack" Orrill and/or Sybil Dora Holt took custody.

  2. His biological mother was Clara Lloyd, not Sybil Dora Holt. The field explicitly says "MAIDEN NAME," meaning Lloyd was Clara's birth surname.

  3. No father was listed. The "Name of father" line is blank.

  4. He was born at General Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. This was the city's public hospital, consistent with a birth to an unmarried or low-income mother.

  5. This confirms Gary Fulghum's oral testimony (March 2026) that Gale told him Sybil was not his biological mother, and that Gale possessed an envelope revealing his biological mother's identity.

  6. This explains the failed Missouri Birth Index search (2026-03-21): the search was for surname "Orrill," but the birth was registered under "Lloyd."

Source

Photograph of original document, obtained by Gary Vaughan Fulghum, March 2026. Document is a certified notification from the Kansas City Department of Health, bearing an official seal.

Open Research Lines

  • Who was Clara Lloyd? RESOLVED 2026-03-23: Clara Francis Loyd (1903-1984), youngest daughter of Reeves Edward Loyd and Annie Ashby Haines, Kansas City. Married Earl Mead Cowden 39 days after this birth. See Clara_Lloyd.
  • How and when did Clinton Orrill and/or Sybil Holt obtain custody?
  • Was an amended birth certificate ever filed under "Aura Gale Orrill" or "Gale Fulghum"? RESOLVED 2026-03-24: Amended birth certificate filed Jan 28, 1946 under "Aura Gale Fulghum" with Fred Forrest Fulghum as father and Dora Sybil Holt as mother (State File AL 10906). See Gale_Fulghum_Adoptive_Birth_Certificate_1946. No intermediate "Orrill" amendment has been found.
  • Who was the biological father? Earl Mead Cowden (Clara's husband, married 39 days later) or Clinton Orrill or someone else?
  • Are there adoption records? PARTIALLY RESOLVED 2026-03-24: Patricia Becker (Missouri District Court) found no adoption records under Lloyd or Orrill names. Recommended searching under Fulghum/Holt names, as the 1946 amended birth certificate was filed under those names.