Identified! PA - Philadelphia - 'Boy in the Box' - 4UMPA - Feb'57 #3 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[Friday Fan]

No picture of little Joseph

It's also possible they were married or if they weren't, could have simply lied about being married. I don't believe marriage certificates or verification was a requirement for "legitimate birth", "taking the father's name" etc....

My gggf served in the US Revolution and had 24 kids, he was never married. One of his sons was serving as a state senator and got them legitimized via the following resolution:

be and they are hereby legitimated and declared capable in law to take property either by descent, or distribution in as full and ample a manner as if they had been born in lawful wedlock--any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

I know people are looking at the church angle, but marriage is also a contract. However, in the family above it was about $$$ and inheritance. Old man was 75 years old when his kid filed the bill in 1827,

By 1950, those traditional legal barriers were likely breaking down. Yes, they could have lied and probably would have only needed "proof of marriage" during the execution of a will or some other legal process.

We did not need to provide a marriage certificate in order to obtain our kids' birth certificates (1986) that indicated their births were legitimate.

 

[txsleuth70]

In PA our birth certificate’s list the mothers maiden name and the fathers name. So looking at one you would never know if parents are married or not.

Any any adoptions, formal or not, are sealed. Adoptees themselves can now order a copy, but not other relatives without the adoptee's death certificate.

 

[steff13]

In PA our birth certificate’s list the mothers maiden name and the fathers name. So looking at one you would never know if parents are married or not.

That's how it is here in Ohio too but if the mother's maiden name is listed and the child has the same last name as the mother the implication would be that the mother and father were not married. We're talking about 1953 not 2022. It would be much less likely that a married woman would not take her husband's last name then than it is today. So Zarelli could be the father's name, but it could also be the mother's maiden name because they weren't married.

 

[MissUnderstood]

These are the facts as per the presser.

1. Named as Joseph A Zarelli
2. Mother identified through genetic genealogy
3. Birth certificate has a variation of birth fathers name which was then confirmed with genetic genealogy
4. There are living half siblings. This means the birth mother and birth father have children with other partners, not each other
5. Who raised JAZ is not known. He could have been adopted, fostered, sold or raised by a birth parent or family member.
6. He was murdered
7. Location of 61st market St given

Please correct anything incorrect.

We don’t know if the mother or fathers name is Zarelli, so I’m not 100# convinced with the ancestry info being posted, that could just as easily be a relative of the birth mother if she is the Zarelli.
I’m leaning more toward JAZ being born out of wedlock and either hidden away or fostered/ adopted. I don’t think he will be mentioned in anyones family tree.

Moo

 

[Alleykins]

I was born in New Hampshire in 1975 and my parents weren't married. They made me take my mother's last name and under Father it said unknown. He also was not allowed in the hospital when I was born.

I think what was allowed on birth certificates depends on when you were born, and what state you were born in.
My parents weren't married when 3 of us were born in the 60s, and my father is on each birth certificate, and we have his last name. One of us was born in a different states. But, knowing my father, he might have lied about being married to my mom on the out of state one.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Because, as a lot of the anecdotal comments on here show, the surname of the father would not necessarily have been the surname given to Joseph on official documents. His mother's surname might have been Zarelli.

I agree, in the excerpt I posted, it doesn’t say the father’s name is Zarelli, just says, the name of the father is listed on birth certificate, both parents are now identified to authorities but only one name is given to the public, the child’s given name. This means Zarelli could be the birth mother’s name.

This is very confusing though, doesn’t the father have to give consent for his name to appear on the birth certificate if they weren’t married? If so, wouldn’t he then give his name to the child, even if he were put up for adoption?

sorry for the rambling, this isn’t as cut and dry as some make out. At least, this little boy is identified and there’s more news to come.

 

[CCJD]

7. Location of 61st market St given

rsbm

61st & Market St, circa 1942 (next available map is 1962 which looks the same).

PhilaGeoHistory Maps Viewer

www.philageohistory.org

 

[Friday Fan]

rsbm

61st & Market St, circa 1942 (next available map is 1962 which looks the same).

PhilaGeoHistory Maps Viewer

www.philageohistory.org

Yes, those homes appear to be about 100 years old.

 

[Alleykins]

I read in one of the articles they were going to release a picture of him today, but I haven't come across one yet.
All I've see is the reconstruction, I hope Newsweek isn't mistaking that as an actual photo of him.

Philadelphia police told Newsweek they will be releasing a photo of Zarelli later Thursday.

'Boy in the Box' Joseph Augustus Zarelli has living siblings 60 years later

Police have identified the "Boy in the Box," whose body was first discovered in February 1957.

www.newsweek.com

 

[steff13]

I would love to see a picture of him when he was living but I find it hard to believe that one exists. Or if someone has it they might not know the significance of it. I know I have a lot of pictures from my mother's side of the family where there are little children that nobody remembers who they are.

 

[deanguy]

I have 2 questions if I may?

1. What kind/type hat was found? Did it have an initial?
2. I noticed that during the initial investigation- a gentleman came forward stating he saw a woman and “boy” on the side of the road and the woman waved him by- Did “M” possibly have short hair back then and he confused the “boy” for M?

Thank you

 

[csa29]

fwiw, nbc philly mentioned the family who were notified have a lawyer but no comments.

 

[alucardsdream]

I would love to see a picture of him when he was living but I find it hard to believe that one exists. Or if someone has it they might not know the significance of it. I know I have a lot of pictures from my mother's side of the family where there are little children that nobody remembers who they are.

Agreed. Sadly, I think if there were any pictures of Joseph they were probably lost or destroyed years ago...if we assume he was killed by his caregiver (whether biological/foster/adoptive) they likely would have gotten rid of all traces of him. It's so sad to think about.

 

[steff13]

I have 2 questions if I may?

1. What kind/type hat was found? Did it have an initial?
2. I noticed that during the initial investigation- a gentleman came forward stating he saw a woman and “boy” on the side of the road and the woman waved him by- Did “M” possibly have short hair back then and he confused the “boy” for M?

Thank you

The description of the hat was on the original poster

 

[SolVic]

Agreed. Sadly, I think if there were any pictures of Joseph they were probably lost or destroyed years ago...if we assume he was killed by his caregiver (whether biological/foster/adoptive) they likely would have gotten rid of all traces of him. It's so sad to think about.

Or maybe it’ll just take time. Remember Carl Webb? You know, the Somerton Man? For a while, we had no photos of him when he was alive, but then they were recently discovered.

 

[bears10]

I have 2 questions if I may?

1. What kind/type hat was found? Did it have an initial?
2. I noticed that during the initial investigation- a gentleman came forward stating he saw a woman and “boy” on the side of the road and the woman waved him by- Did “M” possibly have short hair back then and he confused the “boy” for M?

Thank you

pics of the hat are at this link

Evidence

 

[wary]

I agree, in the excerpt I posted, it doesn’t say the father’s name is Zarelli, just says, the name of the father is listed on birth certificate, both parents are now identified to authorities but only one name is given to the public, the child’s given name. This means Zarelli could be the birth mother’s name.

This is very confusing though, doesn’t the father have to give consent for his name to appear on the birth certificate if they weren’t married? If so, wouldn’t he then give his name to the child, even if he were put up for adoption?

sorry for the rambling, this isn’t as cut and dry as some make out. At least, this little boy is identified and there’s more news to come.

I think we’d need to know what the Pennsylvania laws were in 1953. I know for certain that in at least one state in the ‘50s, the father did not have to consent to having his name on the birth certificate, so it definitely wasn’t a universal rule.

MOO

 

[AgnesTurnip]

I was thinking of this on my way home, but what if there was some kind of medical institution in the mix?

Philly had/has a decent array of medical colleges, as well as psychiatric facilities. And JAZ had the genetic abnormality, correct? Combined with the scars and IV marks maybe something happened as a result of medical practices getting pushed too far?

This is just pure speculation mind you. (I'm very new to this, and just figured I'd throw my thought out to see if it struck a cord.)

 

[LeBlack]

This is where my mind went with respect to law enforcement mentioning something about "inaccuracies" on Joseph's birth certficiate. I figured it might have to do with the incorrect spelling of a parent's surname.

Then is the name they gave, his (likely misspelled) birth certificate name, or his name ascertained via DNA?

 

[beckajean]

Why is everyone speculating that the father was not a Zarelli? They said during the press conference that the father was listed on the birth certificate.

because they didn’t release the names of his parents. it’s plausible that zarelli was the mother’s maiden name.