No records exist of Delia and Honora's experiences during their time in the asylum, but reportedly, Delia became a prostitute while their older sister Nellie (who was not committed to the orphanage) was committed to an insane asylum. In November 1862, less than two years after her father had left them, Honora Kelley was placed as an indentured servant in the home of Mrs. Ann C. Toppan of Lowell, Massachusetts. Though never formally adopted by the Toppans, Honora took on the surname of her benefactors and eventually became known as Toppan. The original Toppan family already had a daughter, Elizabeth, with whom Honora was on good terms.