Ancestry Magazine

The advent of the steam engine made transporting goods much faster, but the nature of the trains’ goods may surprise you. Some traveled westward carrying as their primary—and most precious—cargo, children. Nearly 200,000 of them.

Orphan trains, as they were called, carried homeless, abandoned, or otherwise destitute children to new families out West, becoming the nation’s first documented system of foster care. Two organizations were at the heart of the program—the Children’s Aid Society and the New York Foundling Hospital—although there were other institutions involved as well. When the program started in 1854, there were an estimated 30,000 children living on the streets and orphanages in New York City alone. On 20 September of that year, 46 of them boarded the first orphan train. Destination: Dowagiac, Michigan.

Not all the orphan train passengers were parentless—if parents were hospitalized or out of a job and money, they could send their kids away with hopes of a brighter future. Through the course of decades, children boarded trains in New York City, and the trains traveled from town to town until the last child was placed with a family. At each stop, the children would line up at churches, on railway platforms, or on street corners while crowds of potential parents inspected would-be sons and daughters. Some inspections were uncomfortably thorough. Fortunately, children were given the right to refuse a prospective parent if they didn’t feel it was a good fit.

More than 150 years since the first orphan train left its station, the National Orphan Train Complex is searching for the stories of orphan train riders in order to create exhibitions to raise awareness of this extraordinary endeavor. In addition to featuring a few of the stories collected thus far, the Complex’s website also contains a rider registry and research section, news, events, and educational material.

www.orphantraindepot.com