William Henry Brown Bryant & the Orphan Train
Orphan Train was started in NY and Boston sending children across the country,
So many children were on the streets of New York and baby's left on the door of churches and orphanages that they had to do something.
So with an adult they started sending children across country by train.
Some were adopted for workers on farms, some to childless couples but what ever the reason it was working, so Indiana started putting children on trains too.
My grandfather was taken off in 1870 Jay County Indiana; sentfrom some place in Indiana.
In 1852, over 175,000 immigrants arrived in America. In 1854, the number rose to over 250,000 with the Port of New York being the main arrival point. (from link below)
CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY (CAS).
In 1854, the first organized CAS group went west. Forty children of 'workable age' were sent to Michigan. The placing was successful, thus the Free Home Placing Out began and did not stop until the late 1920s or early 1930s.
Western agents visited towns asking volunteers to form local committees to screen prospective homes for the soon-to-arrive children. ( from below link)
Ellie
Warsaw MO.
http://orphantraindepot.com/HowItAllBegan.htmlhttp://orphantraindepot.com/HowItAllBegan.html