MY VISIT TO THE DIMENNA CHILDREN'S HISTORY MUSEUM!



On Friday August 17th I had the pleasure of traveling to New York City to visit the New York Historical Society and especially the new DIMENNA CHILDREN'S HISTORY MUSEUM!!

I had anticipated this visit since the museum's opening in November of 2011.  The Children's Museum is a museum FOR children on the history OF children and includes a multi-exhibited area where children can learn about the boys and girls who rode the Orphan Trains.  There were many hands on learning opportunities.  My favorite was a large map of the United States.  Children could choose a state, rotate the handle, and read a short story of an individual orphan train rider who traveled to that state.  There was also an exhibit board that displayed actual letters that orphan train riders wrote to The Children's Aid Society keeping them abreast of how things were going for that child in the West.  I have several of these very same letters that Oliver (my grandfather) and his brother Edward wrote in the early 1900's.  If you are in, or travel to the NYC area, be sure and stop by 170 Central Park West to see this unique museum!  BRING KIDS!!!


Also during my visit, I stopped by the museum's library and discovered that a contact to Lukas Weinstein at the Children's Aid Society, will afford me the opportunity to research the CAS records for additional information on my grandfather and his brother and perhaps even a picture!  No known picture of Edward Nordmark exists so perhaps there is one tucked away in his CAS file.  I will be trying to find out......


And finally, I stopped by the Gift Shop where I found my friend Rene Wendinger's Book on sale.  I spoke with the staff of the Gift Shop and was given a contact to see if my two books might be added to the shop's offering on this subject. 

The weather was perfect, Central Park was lovely, and the bus ride was uneventful....a GREAT DAY to say the least!  

BLOG INTERVIEW @ LAYERED PAGES

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Check out my blog interview with LAYERED PAGES acknowledging PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES, A True Story From The Great Depression and the indiBRAG MEDALLION AWARD!

Thanks Stephanie for the invitation to interview on LAYERED PAGES!

A WONDERFUL NEW MUSICAL!! Check it out!

FOR ALL THOSE IN THE MIDWEST........

A wonderful new musical, Orphan Train, is coming to Iowa this summer. My friend RENEE WENDINGER, author of EXTRA! EXTRA! THE ORPHAN TRAINS AND NEWSBOYS OF NEW YORK, has worked with the director of this show for the past two years, and finally it is a reality. Hopefully the troupe, with much needed sponsorship, can bring this play into more states in the very near future.

Fending for oneself as a child is a rough endeavor. Rev. Charles Loring Brace, and the Children's Aid Society, had a vision to send children away from the over populated New York City streets, to find family homes. Especially with frontier families in the West in hopes of achieving a healthier, happier life away from big-city poverty and neglect. Brace’s foresight resulted in the “placing out” of nearly a quarter of a million orphaned, neglected, and homeless street kids by train across America, in what has become known as the Orphan Trains. The transfer was the first emigration plan and the largest mass migration of children in American history. The hope for these children facing a limited number of real life options, and a multitude of challenges during the 1850s through 1930 was simply--- to be chosen!!!!

This summer, an exciting and moving new musical telling their story is coming to Iowa.

Orphan Train (book by L.E. McCullough, lyrics by Michael Barry Greer, music by Doug Katsaros) will make its Midwestern premiere Aug. 3-12, 2012 at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, 200 N. Main St., Fairfield, Iowa, for seven performances, presented by Way Off Broadway http://wobroadway.com.

Orphan Train is directed by legendary New York choreographer and director Patricia Birch. Ms. Birch has created the musical staging for original Broadway and off-Broadway shows including Grease, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Me Nobody Knows, A Little Night Music, Candide,Over Here, The Happy End, Pacific Overtures, They're Playing Our Song, and many, many more. She is a five-time Tony nominee and winner of Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Barrymore, Billboard, and MTV awards, as well as a Directors Guild nomination and the prestigious Fred Astaire Award for her choreography and direction of music-driven projects ranging from Sondheim to the Rolling Stones.  Set design by Richard Finkelstein

Journey back in time to the turn of the century with the Orphan Train; witness the heartfelt stories of six young orphans who were forced out of New York and relocated by rail to Iowa in this new and sensational musical, based on a true story. Discover a candid and heartwarming family show that embraces dedication, rescue, friendship, abuse, love, separation, and more.

Tickets ($12-$38) may be ordered online at http://www.fairfieldacc.com, by calling the box office at (641) 472-2000 or emailing info@fairfieldacc.com.

Performance Times:

· Friday, Aug. 3 - 7:30 p.m.

· Saturday, Aug. 4 - 7:30 p.m.

· Sunday, Aug. 5 - 2:00 p.m.

· Thursday, Aug. 9 - 7:30 p.m.

· Friday, Aug. 10 - 7:30 p.m.

· Saturday, Aug. 11 - 7:30 p.m.

· Sunday, Aug. 12 - 2:00 p.m.

Having the capability to pay it forward to the next generation, this new musical is a call to address the problems of present day American youth whose childhood is scarred by poverty, homelessness, gangs and addiction. Like Brace, the orphan train team has a broader vision in taking the play into America’s Heartland where orphan trains legacy remains a meaningful part of the cultural landscape, and can serve as a rallying point for renewed social engagement.

As a joint professional and community based approach to presenting historic theater with contemporary relevance, this play is a perfect fund-raising vehicle for organizations; especially ones involving kids where proceeds can help our children attain success and education. The production is a perfect scenario for putting the cast on a train and retracing the route of the original orphan trains through an organized Orphan Train Heartland Tour.

With some support and muscle, the performance of the Orphan Train can make a difference in children’s lives, and leave behind something for people to think about. For more information on how you can make a difference in children facing an uncertain future, and arm them with courage and youthful innocence, sponsorship in bringing Orphan Train across America is exceptionally needed.

Please contact the Orphan Train Heartland Tour to be of assistance c/o Lawrence McCullough at lemccullough@mac.com.

IndieBRAG AWARD!

PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES, my third book all about Oliver's children growing up during The Great Depression, has been chosen as a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree!  Book Readers Appreciation Group honors deserving independently published books and works to promote greater recognition for these "Must Reads!"  Thank you IndieBRAG!!

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!

How shameful to log onto my BLOG and see that my last entry was May 7th! Unfortunately, life can sometimes get in the way of the things we really want to be doing and that is the case for me I am afraid. But, with the pieces of my life falling - finally - somewhat into place, I am again focusing on the thing that I love to do most.....spread the word of the Orphan Train Movement to just about anyone who will listen!

I completed the 2010-2011 school year with a wonderful SKYPE AN AUTHOR presentation to the students of John B. Dey Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia and am working to add more SKYPE visits to my school calendar for the new school year. In fact, I just received an email from a teacher on Long Island who will be using my books in her classroom this Fall and is interested in a SKYPE visit once they have finished reading. SKYPE is an amazing way for schools to 1. bring an author into the classroom and 2. save lots of money, which schools have very little of anyway. If you are a Teacher, a Media Specialist, or have children in 3rd-6th grade, spread the word about this great resource and help me bring the history of our OT Riders back into our school curriculum!

School visits as well as presentations through the DE HUMANITIES FORUM are also on my agenda and on October 6th I will be signing books at the SENIOR/BABY BOOMER EXPO at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Towson MD from 3-5 pm. In Novemeber I will be visiting and speaking with the residents of Normandy Estates Retirement Community in Blue Bell, PA. This is another great venue since seniors are almost always interested in history - especially a piece of history they never knew existed.

And my final update for now..... The long awaited opening of the DiMenna Children's History Museum in New York City is nearly here - NOVEMBER 11th! I will keep you posted :)

So, I hope I havent lost too many of you to my long absence.....please stay tuned for what I hope will finally be regular postings.

---- Donna Nordmark Aviles

ADOPTED...INDENTURED...What's the Difference?

Webster's dictionary defines INDENTURE as "A contract binding one person to work for another." The definition of ADOPTION is "To take into one's family through legal means and raise as one's own child."


When we talk about the Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929, these two concepts can sometimes become intertwined or even misused. The NY Foundling Home primarily used the Indenture Form when placing their infants and young children with new families throughout the country. While not intending for the Indenture Form to "bind the baby to work for the family", it was indeed a legal document thus giving the Foundling Home the ability to remove a child from their new home should the placement be deemed unsuitable.


This "NOTICE OF ARRIVAL" as it was called, required the receiving husband and wife to sign a "RECEIPT OF CHILD" agreeing to raise them in the Catholic faith, send them to school, and give them all the advantages that would be given a biological child. They were also required to report back to the Sisters of Charity, when requested, with an update of the child's health and well being along with any change of address. They were not, however, legally adopting the child. Receiving parents were given a three year window to decide upon legal adoption however oftentimes this was not enforced.


When we go back and read the definitions again, it is easy to see how these two concepts - indenture and adoption - can be confused when referred to during this time period. The term "indenture" carried with it the negative connotations of slavery which came to an end with the 13th Amendment on Dec. 6, 1965. With the NY Foundling Home opening its doors on October 11, 1869 and sending their first Baby Train to the Midwest in 1876, this negativity was still fresh in people's minds and therefore was not a term that was desirable when speaking of their newly arrived baby. Consequently, the word adoption was sometimes used loosely to describe the new family member's arrival when in fact there was no such legal agreement in terms of "adoption" as we know it today. Today, with adoption, a child is legally a parent's natural child. The primary differences with Indenture is that the child was not able to inherit - a very important right as a family member - and the Foundling Home had the ability to remove the child if it so chose.


The Children's Aid Society, under the direction of Rev. Charles Loring Brace, used neither the Indenture nor Adoption process. Brace believed in both sides - the child and the family -having the option of ending the arrangement. This, he envisioned, would occur under the supervision of the CAS during its yearly visit. Receiving parents were, however, given a card outlining the expectations of caring for a child received from the train, and newspaper announcements spoke clearly of the expectations of caring for a child as a member of one's family....food, clothing, schooling, Sunday school, etc.... but there was no legal Indenture or Adoption form. This sometimes led to the unforeseen circumstance of a child being moved around at will by the receiving family and even the older child taking off on his/her own.


A family receiving a child through the CAS of course had the option of legally adopting the child, once the formal adoption laws were put in place in their state. Kansas, by way of example, did not enact its first adoption laws until 1964 - ten years after the start of the Orphan Train Movement.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!

Many thanks to my blog followers for hanging in with me through a "silent time" of no posts. I have been incredibly busy in both my private and public life and things do not seem to be calming down any time soon!!!

In January I had two days of visits to the Avon Grove Charter School in Avondale, PA where students did a fabulous job illustrating the chapters of my books, writing summaries and poems, and even composing songs! A big THANK YOU to teacher Sandy Speakman who planned the two days of events, juggling everything around numerous snow days and delays! I've posted some pictures for you to see their work.