A curious word that has fallen out of use over the past century is foundling, an abandoned child (typically an infant) whose parents are unknown. I encountered it twice on the same census page while doing family history research recently, and it got me to thinking about how much stock we put in identity… Where does it come from? Is my identity wrapped up in my given name (I am a “III”) or the name I make for myself? I can change my name, yes, but can I truly change my identity? Suppose I were to decide to declare myself ...