Orphan Trains
The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. Two charity institutions, The Children's Aid Society (established by Charles Loring Brace) and The New York Foundling Hospital determined to help these children. The two institutions developed a program that placed homeless city children into homes throughout the country. The children were transported to their new homes on trains which were eventually labeled "orphan trains." This period of mass relocation of children in the United States is widely recognized as the beginning of documented foster care in America.
The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children. At the time the orphan train movement began, it was estimated that 30,000 vagrant children were living on the streets of New York City.
Interesting reads on Orphan Trains:
Fly Little Bird Fly by Donna Nordmark Aviles (2004) 69 pages
"Holding tight to one another, vowing never to be separated, Oliver and Edward board the Orphan Train headed west to find a new home." The year is 1906 and the boys have been told that their mother has died and they are now alone. Follow the adventures of the Nordmark brothers as they travel on America's Orphan train from the streets of New York City to the vast farmlands of the Midwest. The true story of Oliver Nordmark.
"Holding tight to one another, vowing never to be separated, Oliver and Edward board the Orphan Train headed west to find a new home." The year is 1906 and the boys have been told that their mother has died and they are now alone. Follow the adventures of the Nordmark brothers as they travel on America's Orphan train from the streets of New York City to the vast farmlands of the Midwest. The true story of Oliver Nordmark.
Beyond the Orphan Train by Donna Nordmark Aviles (2004) 120 pages
In this sequel to Fly Little Bird Fly, Oliver and Edward Nordmark are young boys who are sent west in 1906 to Kansas. After being sent to different farms, the brothers lose track of one another. In 1913, fifteen-year-old Oliver decides to hop a freight train and strike out on his own in hopes of finding his lost brother. Follow Oliver's true story of adventure and discovery.
In this sequel to Fly Little Bird Fly, Oliver and Edward Nordmark are young boys who are sent west in 1906 to Kansas. After being sent to different farms, the brothers lose track of one another. In 1913, fifteen-year-old Oliver decides to hop a freight train and strike out on his own in hopes of finding his lost brother. Follow Oliver's true story of adventure and discovery.
Orphan Train Riders by Tom Riley 188 pages
A brief history of the Orphan Train Era (1854-1929) with entrance records from the American Female Guardian Society's Home for the Friendless in New York.
A brief history of the Orphan Train Era (1854-1929) with entrance records from the American Female Guardian Society's Home for the Friendless in New York.
Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story by Andrea Warren (1996) 80 pages
The book has alternating chapters on the history of the orphan trains and the true story of one of the riders, Lee Nailling - who rode in 1926 to Texas.
The book has alternating chapters on the history of the orphan trains and the true story of one of the riders, Lee Nailling - who rode in 1926 to Texas.
The Orphan Trains: Placing Out in America by Marilyn Irvin Holt (1994) 248 pages
Freelance writer Holt carefully analyzes the system of the orphan trains, initially instituted by the New York Children's Aid Society in 1853, tracking its imitators as well as the reasons for its creation and demise. She captures the children's perspective with the judicious use of oral histories, institutional records, and newspaper accounts.
Plains Bound: Fragile Cargo by Charlotte M. Endorf and illustrated by Sarah M. Endorf (2005) 87 pages
In a series of interviews with Orphan Train riders and their descendants, Charlotte Endorf shares their touching stories. Most of the riders included in this book were sent to Nebraska from New York.
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