The Orphan Trains

The Orphan Trains — page 1 — 4 1 After Mama died from tuberculosis in 1909 Papa tried to take care of me But he got hurt while working on the docks in New York City later that year Soon after he lost his job and didn’t have any money to buy food or pay rent on our room Papa took me to a Children’s Aid Society orphanage in 1910 He told me he would come back to get me when he got well and had a job James Sinclair Orphan

The Orphan Trains — page 2 — 5 again I hated going there I wasn’t an orphan I had Papa He made me go though The day Papa took me to the orphanage I was scared It was a huge redbrick building with so many windows I was afraid I would get lost in there I hung on to Papa’s hand and begged him not to leave me But he said he couldn’t take care of me right now I tried to be brave at the orphanage I knew that many children had to live on the streets At least at the orphanage I had someone to take care of me After I had been there about six months a man named Mr Adams talked to some of us A goal of the orphan trains was to get children out of crowded orphanages and place them with families who could raise them

The Orphan Trains — page 3 — 6 Seventy-Five Years During a 75-year period orphan trains carried about 120,000 children from New York to new homes The orphan trains were a program of the Children’s Aid Society The trains traveled to more than 45 states although most of them went to the Midwest and the West Changes in society gradually resulted in more children being placed locally The last train traveled to Texas in 1929 boys He said he had good news for us We were going on a train trip to a better place In Kansas each of us would live with an adult couple who would take care of us I told Mr Adams I didn’t want to go Papa wouldn’t know where I was when he came to get me Mr Adams pulled me aside and put his arm around

The Orphan Trains — page 4 — my shoulders He told me Papa had died from the injuries he suffered when he got hurt at the docks I really was an orphan That night we took baths and got haircuts Early the next morning Miss Lane brought me new clothes knickers a suit coat a dress shirt a tie and a pair of shiny black boots Miss Lane helped take care of the kids at the orphanage She said she would be going on the train with us Miss Lane gave me a small satchel Inside were a change of clothes and a Bible I had nothing else to put in it The next morning we went to the train station On the first day and night we traveled from New York to Chicago Illinois We slept in our seats At Union Station the next morning we got on another train that was headed to Kansas I was told it was in the Midwest During the ride I saw things I had never seen before cornfields red apple orchards piles of yellow pumpkins and lots of cows Not all of the trip was 7

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