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.

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY WINNER!

Recently, out of the blue, I received a phone call from a grandmother in Bethesda Maryland, Thalia Funt, who is a native of central Kansas and had read about my book tour visit to Solomon Elementary School in the Solomon Valley Tribune.

Mrs. Funt’s granddaughter, Maya Berman, is an eleven-year-old who is homeschooled, along with her younger sister Shayna. Maya was a participant in this year’s National History Day Competition in Montgomery County Maryland. Her ten minute documentary on the Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929 won FIRST PLACE in the Jr. Documentary Category. The documentary, which Mrs. Funt sent me a copy of, is extremely well done and accurate – I was quite impressed! No wonder it took FIRST PLACE!

Maya wrote to me and shared that her own great grandmother had possibly ridden an orphan train in the late 1800’s. Born in 1883, the only known information is that she was an orphan, living with an adoptive family in Kansas. Research revealed that there were no orphanages in Kansas at that time so it is very possible that she arrived in Kansas on an Orphan Train; perhaps sent by the Sisters of Charity or the Children’s Aid Society.

Many thanks to Maya, and to her grandmother Thalia, for sharing - not only Maya’s award winning documentary - but also a little of their own family history. It is through the preservation of individual stories that the history of the Orphan Train Movement will survive!

RIDING THE BABY TRAINS

After a successful two week book tour to Kansas and taking time to honor the memory of my Uncle Jim, it’s time to get back to the original intent of this Orphan Train History Blog.

I am so appreciative of your patience, blog followers, but I am now Back On Track and ready to pick up the story where I left off……way back on March 6th believe it or not!!!

RIDING THE NY FOUNDLING BABY TRAINS

Sister Mary Irene Fitzgibbon of the Sisters of Charity opened the New York Foundling Hospital on October 11, 1869 which was, appropriately, the Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The sisters had intended to take three months to get the hospital ready to shelter the many abandoned infants that previously had been left on church doorsteps, in ash barrels, on trash heaps and other out-of-the-way places. But on their first night in the building, located at 17 East 12th Street, an infant was left on the steps and the Foundling Hospital was officially OPEN. By January 1, 1870, the original date that the sisters had planned to open their doors, 123 babies were already in residence.

By 1876 the Founding home had relocated to larger quarters; first to 3 North Washington Square, and then, in 1873, to 175 East 68th Street. With an unprecedented number of infants and small children coming under their care, the sisters came to realize that additional solutions were necessary to provide homes for so many children.

Following in the steps of Reverend Brace and the Children’s Aid Society, the Sisters of Charity sent their first train west in 1876. The disbursement of the children through the NY Foundling trains, known as Baby Trains or Mercy Trains, was run differently than the Orphan Trains. Since theirs was a Catholic institution, the nuns were especially concerned that the babies be placed in Catholic homes and raised in the Catholic faith. Instead of sending notices to local newspapers, therefore, the sisters sent letters to the priests of the Catholic parishes in the towns along the railroad. These letters expressed the need for families in rural areas to open their homes to one of the many abandoned babies living in the Founding Home. Priests would read the letter to the congregation during Mass and interested families could then complete a form requesting exactly the type of child that they would like. If a family had three sons, for example, and wanted a daughter, they might ask for a “two year old girl with blonde curly hair and green eyes,” or whatever they thought would be a good fit in their family. The requests would then be sent back to the Foundling Home where the sisters would considerately look over each child (there were thousands at any given time) to carefully select a child that would be a perfect match for the waiting family.

Chosen children would then be “tagged”, that is to say, their name and the receiving family’s name would be sewn into the hem of their dress, and a notice would be sent to the family informing them of the date and time to expect the train’s arrival with their new child.

Once the child had been received, the family was required to complete a “Receipt of Child” form which acknowledged receipt of the orphan as well as promising the Sisters of Charity that the child would be raised in the Catholic faith, sent to school, and given all the advantages of a naturally born child.

Interestingly, many of the babies who rode the Baby Trains were actually adopted by the receiving families whereas many of the children who rode the Orphan Trains were not adopted but lived, rather, in a foster care arrangement until they became of age to go out on their own. Why would this be the case? Imagine you have completed your request form for a baby from the NY Foundling Home and your Parish priest has mailed it off to NY for the selection to take place. What do you suppose you would be doing on your farm between that time and the time the child arrived? Getting ready, of course. You would no doubt be sewing clothes, knitting blankets, having your husband build a crib or bed for the child…all sorts of things. You were probably already “bragging” about your new little daughter to neighbors, friends and fellow parishioners. By the time the child arrived on the train, you were surely all ready to welcome her into your home and your heart. She was already yours! Once in your home, you would naturally want to protect this new relationship with legal status since children could be removed by the sending agencies for any number of reasons.

Families taking children from the Children’s Aid Society Orphan Trains, however, were not anticipating and preparing for a specific child. They were, instead, more likely coming into town to see the New York orphans, consider the options, and perhaps bring a child home to help with the labors of farm life. They may have gone into town thinking that they would be bringing home a boy to help work the fields only to find that most of the children that day were girls. A fourteen-year-old girl to help with the housework might end up joining the family instead.

My friend, and fellow author, Renee Wendinger is the daughter of an orphan train rider. Sophia Kaminsky (pictured above at age 4) was relinquished to the NY Foundling Home at 5 ½ months of age and traveled on one of the Baby Trains in June of 1917 to Minnesota when she was just two years old. You can read more about Sophia as well as the orphan trains in Renee’s book, Extra! Extra! The Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York which is available through her website at http://www.theorphantrain.com/.

Delaware's NATIONAL HISTORY DAY Winner!

I recently had the pleasure of spending time with a delightful young lady, Camille Fontenelle, of Newark, Delaware who competed this year in Delaware’s NATIONAL HISTORY DAY and was chosen to represent Delaware at the National Competition in June. Her topic was The Orphan Train Movement and she graciously consented to an interview for my Blog.


1. Each year, the National History Day Project chooses a category which students must make sure their topics fit into. What was this year’s category and what lead you to choose the ORPHAN TRAIN MOVEMENT?

This year’s category was INNOVATION IN HISTORY – IMPACT AND CHANGE. I chose the Orphan Train Movement because I was trying to find something that was about people and what they did to impact and change history. I had read the book RODZINA by Karen Cushman and it was so interesting and in the back of the book she had all this information about the Orphan Trains. So I was thinking, “This could be Impact and Change!” Then I got the PBS movie about the Orphan Trains to see if this was going to fit and it did so I just totally went with it.

2. I’ve seen student projects that are informational three fold displays but you chose instead to do a Dramatic Presentation. Why was that?

Well, I had done it before and I liked acting. I could have done an exhibit but I really don’t like doing exhibits – I don’t consider myself a very artistic person when it comes to putting portfolios together, so I preferred to do something I knew I was good at, so I did a dramatic presentation.

3. What type of research was involved?

I started with the documentary, then I tried to see just what was the CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY and I found their website and then I looked at the Historical Societies. Illinois has a whole list of orphan train stories and records and newspaper articles. I tried to see what was online and contacted people from there. I contacted the Historical Societies of NJ, NY, KS and NE and I also sent a letter to the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, KS and received information from that.

4. Tell me about your experiences competing so far this year in the National History Day Project.

We had two people from my school compete in the Dramatic Presentation category this year – me and my friend – so we assembled and we got ready and kind of hyperventilated a little and then cheered each other on and went for it to see what would happen.

5. So were students there from all over Delaware?

Yes, there were people from Wilmington Christian, Pike Creek, Newark High…quite a bit of schools were represented there.

6. And so now you go on to Nationals! Where will that be held?

Yes! That is scheduled for four days in June – the 13th-17th at the University of Maryland in College Park.

7. So you’ll be competing in the Dramatic Presentation category against students from around the country who also won in their states? How many students do you think you’ll be competing against?

Yes, there will probably be over 100 students since each state can send two students and students from Guam compete too.

8. Is there a chance that there might be other students doing the same topic – The Orphan Trains?

There might be but I doubt it since the Orphan Trains is kind of an obscure topic. Sometimes the more obscure topics don’t get as much recognition, probably because the judges don’t have as much information on the topic and it’s harder for them to judge you.

9. How much time do you have to give your presentation…is there a certain time allotment?

Yes, it can’t be more than 10 minutes!

That’s not much time, Camille, to get all the information and all the feelings and repercussions of the Orphan Train Movement across to the judges, but I love your approach and I can see that you’ve worked really hard to accomplish just that with your presentation. I wish you the BEST OF LUCK – 250,000 children (orphan train riders) will be rooting for you in June!

DAY #6 - Great Kids, Great Questions.....and no guns!

One of the fun things for me when visiting different regions of the U.S. is noticing the quirky little things that the locals don't think twice about but which stick out to me like a big sore thumb and make me think, whoa...what's up with that? Take this sign, for instance. This is on the front door of every school in Salina, Kansas. It is also a sign on every bank here - and I've been to about 7 of them cashing checks for book orders. So today, as a smiling old guy is holding the door to the bank open for me (nice to know chivalry is alive and well in the Midwest), I couldn't help myself. I grabbed the door and pointed to the sign saying, "You know, I'm here from Delaware and I've never seen a sign like this on a bank. Is there a problem with guns around here or something?" With a deep chuckle he said, "Oh no ma'am, no problem with guns, we just don't want you carrying them around!" Okay...... I'll remember that. Note to self....guns okay in Kansas, no problem. Just don't carry one around, especially in the bank or the school - works for me!

So, then I couldn't help but picture the guy who gets up one morning and decides he's going to go rob a bank. He grabs his handgun, shoves it in his pocket and drives to the local branch of the Sunflower Bank. When he arrives, he nervously looks around, checking for any cop cars, then decides when the time is right and tips his cap down over his eyebrows and heads for the door. Just as he reaches for the handle, he sees the sign and stops. "Oh geez," he says to himself. "I can't bring my gun in here, better go and leave it in the car!"

REALLY?????

But then I got to thinking...I've been watching the news every night and I haven't seen a report of an armed bank robbery yet so maybe the criminals here in Kansas are just as nice and friendly as everyone else and maybe the signs do work, who knows??? But only in the Midwest - no way would that work in the Northeast!

The kids today were great! I had four presentations at three schools to 3rd and 5th graders and the questions at the end of each talk were the best part. It's always fun to see what kids will ask after sitting and listening to the story of the orphan trains and Oliver's adventures. Things like, "What did the kids eat on the train?" (the noses always scrunch up when I answer, 'mustard sandwiches') and "What if they had to go to the bathroom on the train?" Let's face it, these are the things that kids think about and worry about. It's a lot of fun :)

No talks tonight....although there are 6 on the schedule tomorrow - from 8 am to about 8 pm. Whew! Good thing the voice is holding out. Until day 7.......

WELCOME ABOARD!

Many, many thanks to Joany Erickson of "Yaya's World" http://yayashome.blogspot.com/ for her enthusiasm about my books and her clever way of bringing some attention to my newly started Blog.

WELCOME to all those who are now following ORPHAN TRAIN HISTORY from Joany's blog and GOOD LUCK on the contest to win a set of my books!

I hope you enjoy reading my posts and that you will learn about part of our country's history that has, for too long, been in the shadows.

And now..... the teacher/presenter in me can't help but give you a homework assignment! After reading the posts here on my blog (best to start at the beginning to understand the entire story), go out and find one person who has never heard of the Orphan Trains and tell them all you know about the era! Feel free to report back about the amazed reactions you encounter upon "teaching" a friend or relative about this missing 75 year social experiment!

SISTER MARY IRENE FITZGIBBON

Around the same time that Reverend Brace was beginning his work on behalf of the homeless children in New York City, another person of faith, Sister Mary Irene Fitzgibbon of the Sisters of Charity, felt God’s calling as well. With beginning capital of just five dollars, Sister Irene sought help from charitable women and raised enough money to rent a small house located at 17 E. 12th Street where, on October 11, 1869 she began preparations for opening what would be called the New York Foundling Hospital. The mission would be to save the thousands of infants and very young children who were being left to perish in alley ways and trash heaps around the city. Appropriately enough, October 11th is the Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Sister Irene, along with the other Sisters of Charity, intended to take three months to get the home ready to open, but on the very first night an infant was left on the front steps and without ceremony, the Foundling Home was in operation. By January 1, 1870, when the Sisters had originally intended to open their doors, they had 123 babies in residence.

Placing a white cradle in the foyer of the Home, while leaving the front door unlocked, word was sent out that a desperate mother could enter the Home and leave her child in the cradle with no questions asked. All the Sisters asked was that when leaving, the mother ring the bell by the front door so that the Sisters would know that there was a new little one to be gathered up and brought upstairs with the other babies.

Prior to the opening of the Foundling Home, abandoned infants found alive on the streets were taken by police to Blackwell’s Island (a prison and workhouse) where they were cared for by aging prisoners. Few survived infancy.

In the following six years, the NY Foundling home relocated twice to larger buildings to accommodate more children. By 1876 it became apparent that another solution was needed to solve the problem of homeless infants….Mercy Trains, or Baby Trains as they were sometime called, would be the answer….

BIG NEWS for the history of the ORPHAN TRAINS!

The NEW YORK TIMES this morning has a story in THE ARTS section that is sure to set the orphan train world abuzz! The Historical Society is going to open a Children's Museum that will focus on the stories of children - including the children who rode the ORPHAN TRAINS from NYC to parts West! This is amazing news for all of us who desperately want to see this forgotton piece of history brought back to life for generations to come! Read more here:

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/122521.html