Train - Orphan

: While the Children's Aid Society was the largest, other groups like the New York Foundling Hospital and the New York Juvenile Asylum also participated. The Journey and "Selection"

: The book intertwines the story of Vivian, a 91-year-old former "Orphan Train rider," with Molly, a contemporary foster teen.

: You can visit the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas, which serves as a museum and research center for descendants. The Past is Prologue: The Orphan Train Movement Orphan Train

: In 1853, Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society . He believed that taking children out of "vile" urban environments and placing them with hardworking farm families would give them a better chance at becoming moral, productive citizens.

: Upon arrival, children were often lined up on a platform or in a town hall for prospective parents to inspect. This process was sometimes dehumanizing, with adults checking children’s teeth or muscles as if evaluating livestock. Placement Realities : : While the Children's Aid Society was the

: In the mid-19th century, cities like New York and Boston faced a crisis of "street children"—tens of thousands of homeless youth living in poverty, often turning to crime or facing starvation.

: Children were sent in batches by rail to predetermined stops in the Midwest. The Past is Prologue: The Orphan Train Movement

The was a massive social experiment in the United States that relocated an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children from crowded Eastern cities to rural homes in the Midwest and West. Lasting from 1854 to 1929, it is widely considered the precursor to the modern American foster care system. Core History & Origins