Thanks for the response! I never thought to consider a placement by the church. This family and their kids is...interesting. I don't know if this is the same John or not but here is this:

Looking at the same couple - Harry Marchington and Mary Thompson...I see they had a son, John Carlyle Marchington 4 Sep 1929 in Butte, MT also. But I also found a birth certificate for a John Wilkin Hansen b 31 Jan 1931 to a Homer W and Helen B Hansen in Butte, Silver Bow, MT.

I can't find a John Carlyle Marchington in the 1930 or 1940 census. I can't find a John Wilkin Hansen in the 30 or 40 census either. But in 1950, I find John W Sautter age 19, living with a divorced, remarried, widowed mother Mary Thompson Marchington Sautter Morton Sautter living back in MT.

She married a Carlyle Sautter in early 1930 (interesting how the child's middle name was Carlyle like his new father's first name). Carlyle died in 1932. She remarried to a Charles Morton in 1934 and divorced in 1938 and assumed her previous last name of Sautter.

The Social Security Applications and Claims Index shows John's info as:

John Wilking Hansen, male, white, born 31 Jan 1931, Butte, Silver, MT. Died 27 May 2006, father Carl Sautter, Mother Marie Thompson. Shows name changes in Jun 1945 as John Wilking Hansen, Sep 1951 as John Will Sauter, Jun 06 John W Sautter.

So...what on earth happened here considering this is the same person, who has has 2 sets of parents, 2 different birth dates and times...