Tales of Orphan Train riders told

The word “orphan” is more complicated than some might think, especially in the mid-1800s to early 1900s, when many orphans were sent from crowded eastern cities like New York to Midwest cities and towns, including Chanute. 

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Stories never before told from the Orphan Train

For the 19th-century social reformers of the Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania, the solution often lay outside Philadelphia, in the homes of benevolent strangers.

More >> Stories never before told from the Orphan Train

Happy, sad stories from orphan trains that stopped in Maquoketa

Happy, sad stories from orphan trains that stopped in Maquoketa

Orphan train artifacts are stored in wooden file cabinets as old as the stories inside.  The Jackson County Historical Society Museum in Maquoketa now has a fully organized list of children who made the long trip from the East Coast to the Midwest in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The museum is a storehouse filled with tales of orphans who were shipped off, mostly from New York, in search of better lives in the Midwest.

Orphan train experience has sisters looking for answers

Orphan train experience has sisters looking for answers

Henry Smith died in 1958 not knowing who he was or where he came from.

Orphan Trains were precursor to child foster system

Orphan Trains were precursor to child foster system

An estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned and homeless children were placed with families throughout the United States and Canada during the Orphan Train Movement from 1854 to 1929. The majority of these children lived in New York City and found themselves destitute for a number of reasons.

Alice Bernard, Louisiana's last known living Orphan Train rider, dies at 98

Alice Bernard, Louisiana's last known living Orphan Train rider, dies at 98

Alice Kearns Geoffroy Bernard, the last known living Orphan Train rider in Louisiana, died Saturday (Jan. 17) in Lafayette. She was 98.

Muscatine woman recalls journey on orphan train

Muscatine woman recalls journey on orphan train

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of children were sent on trains from the east coast to the Midwest to be placed with rural families.

A part of American history: Elaine Eadie discusses orphan train movement at Cresco Public Library adult program

A part of American history: Elaine Eadie discusses orphan train movement at Cresco Public Library adult program

A capacity crowd gathered at the Cresco Public Library program room Thursday evening to hear the story of a welfare program that transported homeless children from major cities in the Eastern United States to new homes in the Midwest a century ago.

Riders on the Orphan Train

Riders on the Orphan Train

Between 1854 and 1929 more than 250,000 orphans and unwanted children were taken out of New York City and given away at train stations across America. Some came through Eureka Springs.

Orphan train riders, offspring seek answers about heritage

Orphan train riders, offspring seek answers about heritage

Jim Phillips is trying to fill the holes in his family history.

Keeps ‘Orphan Train’ memory alive

Keeps ‘Orphan Train’ memory alive

Alice Bernard boarded a train in New York City at the age of 3, traveled all the way to New Iberia, and arrived in 1919, after being specially ordered by a Delcambre family, who had requested a girl with brown hair and brown eyes, said the 95-year-old “Orphan Train” survivor.

Orphan trains placed 200,000 homeless children during 19th Century

Orphan trains placed 200,000 homeless children during 19th Century

Imagine 30 to 50 children, ages ranging from infants to teenagers, on a train traveling with only one or two supervising adults.

History column: Orphan trains leave a legacy

History column: Orphan trains leave a legacy

The train from New York with the special Pullman car of babies from the orphanage of the Sisters of Charity arrived at the Great Northern depot this morning at 11:25. The children all wore badges having their names and number attached and were distributed by the Sisters at the depot.

Tales of heartbreak and joy on the Orphan Train

Tales of heartbreak and joy on the Orphan Train

Some of the children ended up in a sod house, others in tiny apartments above stores, and some in grandiose mansions.

Forgotten in America: Personal Tales of the Orphan Train Riders

Forgotten in America: Personal Tales of the Orphan Train Riders

The Orphan Trains came about as a result of the great immigration to America in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It was a time when families found themselves living in abject poverty and wretched conditions, and the streets were filled with homeless and neglected children who became victims of hunger, disease, or crime.

'Orphan Train' reveals origins of U.S. foster care

'Orphan Train' reveals origins of U.S. foster care

He doesn't know a thing about his grandmother's beginnings. But Olivehurst resident John Leeder is sure her life was not a happy one.

What Were Orphan Trains?

What Were Orphan Trains?

A Squidoo Lense I just came across. Check it out, looks like she put some good work into it.

The Orphan Trains 1854-1929

The Orphan Trains 1854-1929

Picture the plight of the poor immigrant, leaving poverty and oppression to come to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most cases they discovered conditions were little better for them in the new world. There were few jobs available, no labor unions, no sick leave, no insurance, and no welfare. A steady supply of willing replacements meant low wages and appalling conditions. Worse, dangerous jobs meant numerous accidents and no safety net for those who suffered disabilities. Small wonder the children of these families suffered terribly. Many found their parents unable or unwilling to care for them, and turned to the streets to sell newspapers, beg for food or steal to get by.

'Orphan Train' a grim, riveting trip

'Orphan Train' a grim, riveting trip

In the late 19th century, the Rev. Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children's Aid Society, initiated a controversial program of orphan trains, which took "surplus children" from the streets and shelters of New York to homes in the Midwest.

Families of Orphan Train riders keep history alive

Families of Orphan Train riders keep history alive

Jane Clements has a myriad of photos and information she's gleaned about her father, Orphan Train rider Robert J. Hunt.