Carol Chandler, left, of Dixon, IL, became interested when she learned that a good friend’s grandmother came west aboard an orphan train. Chandler, a member of the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society Board of Directors, quickly became fascinated with the topic. She has been doing research for almost ten years.
On Monday, September 18, 2017, at 6:00 p.m., Chandler will present “Orphan Trains” in the Program Room at Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL. A question and answer session will follow. This free program is part of the fall Lifelong Learning Series, sponsored by the Odell Public Library Friends.
Most sources estimate that 150,000 to 200,000 orphaned, impoverished, or neglected children were removed from urban slums in the Northeast and placed in foster homes, beginning in the early 1850’s and ending in 1929. These children were a mix of true orphans, those abandoned, or children given up by parents who hoped their offspring would have a better life.
Although New York received more children than any other state, many children were sent to the rural Midwest. At depots across the Country, they were often lined up to be chosen like puppies or horses.
Some children went to wonderful families, while others landed in abusive homes. Some were treated strictly as domestic or farm workers. Two orphan train riders became State Governors, and one orphan train rider became a noted outlaw, Billy the Kid.
Chandler’s program will focus on orphan train placements in Northwestern Illinois through the Children’s Aid Society, which is still active as a private, child welfare, nonprofit in New York City, NY. A young minister named Charles Loring Brace founded the CAS, because he was concerned with the plight of children fending for themselves on the streets of New York City.
Orphan trains are a part of our Country’s past, but the last surviving orphan train rider in Minnesota died in 2016 at the age of 101. According to the New England Historical Society, one in 25 Americans has a connection to an orphan train rider.
For more information or to register for this program, contact Odell Public Library at 815-772-7323. Reservations are strongly encouraged but are not required for this intriguing program.
