The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 39

from The MM Pag by Betty Oebnam 2002 The Mini Page Publishing Company inc. Orphan Trains Offered Hope fM Especially foids and theirmilies Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate JT I I 2002 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc. I By BETTY DEBNAM from The MW Page by Betty Debnam 2002 The Mini Page Pubfcshvig Company he. sm First Foster Care rphan Trains In the mid-1800s there were about 10,000 homeless children living on the streets of New York City. They survived by stealing, begging for food or joining gangs for protection.

They Hoping for the best Orphan Train children had to have a lot of courage. Most were leaving behind at least one parent, and many were separated from their brothers and sisters as well. The Children's Aid Society believed the children would be better off if their new lives were completely separated from their old ones. Children were not allowed to communicate with their living parent or other family members. Most children never knew what happened to their parents.

Most parents never knew if their children ended up happy. Orphan Train children were city kids who had no idea how to live in the country. It was often hard to adjust Here a boy learns to work in the fields of Kansas. L. i mini il niiiii him ii I The Orphan Train project The Orphan Trains began about 10 years before the Civil War and lasted for about 75 years.

In that time about 150,000 children from 4 to 13 years old were placed in rural homes. The first state to accept a group of these poor city children was Michigan. By the end of the Orphan Trains, 47 states were involved. In the 1870s, the Sisters of Charity St. Vincent de Paul up a similar project.

They sent needy children to Catholic homes throughout the Midwest and South. Their children were adopted by Catholic families. Some of the Orphan Train children were not adopted. They were the first official foster children. Grown-up "orphans" Experts believe there are at least Orphan Train children still living.

Many searched for much of their adult lives for their families. Some brothers and sisters were finally reunited when they were in their 70s. Most Orphan Train children learned how important it is to be loved. They grew up to become loving, caring parents of their own children. to see: www.orphantrainriders.com I Vir 7 A i 4- "i 'I were hungry and cold and did not have enough clothes.

They slept wherever they could. There was no government help no welfare or food ill 'I J. i 1 'I Clara (center) and her two brothers, Howard (left) and James, all found good homes through the Orphan Train project. One girl's story When Clara was about 7 years old, her parents and a sister were killed when they tried to cross a river in New York state. She and her two brothers, 5-year-old James and 3-year-old Howard, were sent to an orphanage in New York City.

Soon after, all three children were sent on the Orphan Train to different families in Kansas. Each child ended up with a different, loving family. Clara and her brothers were lucky. They all were taken in by caring people. The siblings were able to keep in touch with one another Site throughout their lives.

Clara was adopted by a minister's family. Her new mother was a schoolteacher. When she grew up, Clara married and moved to Texas. She recently celebrated her 100th birthday. of set 200 The Look and Next stamps or homeless shelters.

There were no foster homes. Most orphanages accepted children only when a family member could pay for their support. There was a Foundling Hospital, but it cared for children only from birth until they were 3 or 4 years old. The orphans Most of the children chosen to travel on the Orphan Trains had at least one living parent. But if one parent had died, the surviving parent often could not support and care for the children.

Many mothers died in garment factory fires or in childbirth. The Civil War took many fathers. The flu of 1918 killed thousands. If the mother died, the father might be at work all day with no one to care for the children. If the father died, there were few jobs for women.

Mothers could not support their children. Starting a new life Most of the children stayed on the Orphan Trains for about three days. They slept in their seats or stretched out on the floor under the seats. About 125 kids were on each train, with a few Children's Aid agents traveling with them. Ill i zs ic:) Vif mm 3 ftf Children who were chosen for the Orphan Trains were told the night before they were going.

They were given a bath and allowed to pick out one or two changes of secondhand clothing. These children in New York City wait for the train that will take them to what they hope will be a better life in the country. Trying to help In 1853 a minister, the Rev. Charles Brace, and other caring people founded the Children's Aid Society. They wanted to do more than give poor children food and shelter.

They set up schools to teach the children a trade and the difference between right and wrong. But there were too many children to help that way. The Children's Aid Society began sending these homeless city children to families in the rural Midwest, hoping they would find better lives. The trains taking them away from New York City's poverty became known as the Trains WHIP 3 ir 1 1 () Mini Page thanks Mary Ellen Johnson, founder, Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, for help with this issue. A new life Most Orphan Train children found good homes with loving families.

But experts estimate that about one-quarter of the kids ended up with families who were mean or who used the children as unpaid servants. Most kids found good homes in the end. If a child were being mistreated, Children's Aid agents usually found him or her a new home. Even the children who ended up with bad families were probably better off than on the streets of the city. They had food and shelter.

They were kept away from a life of crime. through your newspaper for stories pictures about children. week The Mini Page is about Minnesota from A to Z. -i The Mini Page is created and edited by Betty Debnam Associate Editors Anne Chamberlain Lucy Lien Staff Artist Wendy Daley Many poor children worked in factories. Others were forced onto the streets.

In addition to the great number of immigrants with no jobs, the Civil War, poor health and accidents all added to the poverty..