Perhaps it’s the mother in me, but the story of the orphan trains has always captivated and dug into my innermost sympathies. Images of dirty-faced, solemn-eyed children huddling together in the streets without parents to care for them would tug at anyone’s heartstrings.
Back in the 1850s, when New York was being flooded with immigrants, cheap
housing became scarce. Poverty raged, and parents, either due to illness, death, or lack of jobs, compelled their children to fend for themselves on the streets. These desperate children sold matches, rags, or newspapers to survive. As one would think inevitable, they fell victim to gangs and crimes. Overwhelmed police would capture the vagrant children and lock them up in jail with adults.
The Reverence Charles Brace, himself from an affluent family, took pity on the children and founded the Children’s Aid Society in 1853. He raised money for schools, lodging, and education. Yet even with all this, the illiteracy and truancy was rampant, and the reverend’s solution was to get them out of the deplorable living conditions in New York and give them a new start by finding them fresh homes in the west, with good Christian families who would love and care for them.
Using funds donated by wealthy New Yorkers, the children were given new clothes and sturdy shoes, then put onto trains. With no formal social welfare system in place, parents signed agreements allowing the children to be taken to new homes, but with the caveat that they could return if the adoption didn’t work out.
Some children were pre-placed into homes and went directly to their new families upon arriving to the appropriate town.
For the others, however, handbills announced their impending arrival. The public gathered in front of makeshift stages to check the children out. Reverend Brace’s intention was to place them in the country where they could work in farm families.
And this is what inspired my book, WYOMING WILDFLOWER. Here’s the scene where my hero, Lance Harmon, finally gets chosen:
The wind howled and whistled outside Omaha’s Old Opera House, but the men and women crowded inside had long ago forgotten the snow-driven cold. Children occupied their full attention, orphan children newly arrived on the train from New York.
Already, under the scrutinizing eyes of the adults, they’d paraded through the aisles before standing in a semicircle on the stage, and already most of them had been picked.
Only Lance remained. Unchosen. Alone.
Humiliation seared him. He stared straight ahead. So what if no one wanted him? So what if no one cared enough to take him in for a little while? He was fifteen, the oldest of the orphans here. Only two more years and he’d be on his own.
So what?
He’d survived nearly five years at the Children’s Aid Society. Nearly five years without Ma, of selling matches and newspapers and helping the Reverend Brace take care of the younger boys.
He could survive a couple more.
The western agent in charge would simply take him to the next scheduled stop. And there, as now, he’d stand perfectly still while everyone gawked at him in his stupid orphan uniform and tried to decide whether or not to take him.
Alone. He would survive.
Lance dragged his gaze to a burly-chested man waiting expectantly before him. Snow dusted the shoulders of his thick sheepskin coat and collected on the brim of his big hat. He moved closer, emanating an obscure vapor of cool, fresh air.
After a long moment, the man reached out and poked Lance’s biceps, then tilted his chin upward as if to inspect his coloring.
“A little scrawny,” he murmured. Offended, Lance stiffened and pulled away. The man smiled. “But nothing honest work and square meals won’t cure. You got a good appetite?”
Lance didn’t tell him he couldn’t get his fill at the orphanage, that there always seemed to be someone younger and hungrier than himself at the table. He tried to ignore the glimmer of hope flickering within him.
The man stroked his pencil-thin mustache. Lance, growing uneasy from the silence, shifted from one foot to the other.
“So you’re looking for a home, eh?” the man asked finally.
Lance swallowed his pride. “Yes, sir.”
“And I’m looking for a son.” His features softened, and he nodded in approval. He extended his hand. “Name’s Mancuso. Vince Mancuso.”
The Children’s Aid Society had many success stories of children placed in loving homes, notably Andrew Burke and John Brady who once lived on the streets, but were adopted out and grew up to become governors of North Dakota and of Alaska. Other stories weren’t so happy and speak of abuse or rejection by adoptive parents, children used only as cheap labor who eventually just ran away.
All in all, the Reverend Brace’s vision endured until 1929. By then, 250,000 children had been placed on those trains and chugged down the tracks toward new homes. After 75 years, his efforts were the forerunner of modern foster care.
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WYOMING WILDFLOWER is one of my earlier releases that I have given significant edits to fit the sweet romance genre. This book has once again come alive for me in a new market, and yet still depicts the grittiness of the Old West as well as plenty of romance between a hero and a heroine who couldn’t be more different.
The Reverence Brace is to be commended for his vision and passion to help orphaned children. If you could raise the money and resources, what passion or vision do YOU have that you could use those resources for?
You could win an ebook copy of WYOMING WILDFLOWER!
Pam has written 30 romances, most of them historical westerns, but she's proud of her contemporary sweet romances featuring the Blackstone Ranch series published by Tule Publishing, too! Stay up on the latest at www.pamcrooks.com
I give to the food insure and unhoused in my community.
denise
Good morning, Denise. It’s hard to imagine there are people (including children) that live with food insecurity every day. It boggles my mind when I have more food than I can eat (or even store sometimes.) We need programs where people can get this most basic benefit. My husband has worked at our local food bank since he retired, and it’s an eye-popping operation. Huge. So good for you for donating to feed and house the needy. It is very much needed.
I volunteer at our local rescue mission with my husband once a month, but my passion is Operation Underground Railroad! I support that whenever I have the chance!
Wow, Ami! How very honorable of you! I can think of few things more scary or daunting than being trafficked and controlled by someone who has such evil intents. Keep up that passion!! They need you.
My passion has been a local children’s home for many years now. Most of the younger children are gone now but they are helping the older children who are aging out to get continued education and learn job skills.
That is a wonderful passion, Rhonda. Our children are this country’s future, and we must continue the work for generations to come. Everyone deserves the chance these homes give these children.
I would lobby to change the nursing home system where patients are often forced to share tiny rooms and routinely drugged to keep them quiet and satisfied. Anyone who treated children like this in the daycare system would be charged with child abuse. I think it’s a shame we treat our elderly with so little respect.
Oh, Janice! That is so true. Some nursing homes are awful. I went to one years ago, and the smell . . . my goodness.
Back in the day, children would take their parents in to care for them and live in multi-generational households. I know that’s not always a solution for some families for a variety of reasons, but I’ve also read and seen where the elderly actually live longer because they are thriving on love.
That’s a good one, Janice.
I wish there were more homes & resources for those children who are aging out of foster care. They need some place where they can live & learn skills to equip them for the real world so they can get jobs instead of just being tossed out into a big, scary world with no clue as to how they will live & survive on their own — without resorting to crime, drugs, abuse, etc.
My son-in-law runs a coffee shop with this very mission as its purpose! The teenagers are taught how to work in that coffee shop. You wouldn’t think that would be life-changing, but it is! They learn to interact with the public, show up for work every day, and earn their own money. Plus he helps find them housing, finish their education, and move on as productive adults. What he’s accomplished for these teens is incredible.
That’s awesome! What those teens need the most is just someone to make them feel needed, wanted, & loved — a reason to give them the desire to truly make something out of their lives. You can’t save them all, I know, but you never know how much that can mean to them or the difference something like that can make to them. May God bless his efforts!
I would start a training and housing for the homeless veterans.
Another excellent mission! After all the veterans have done by serving in the military and defending our country, we need to show our gratitude and give them all the help they need. It’s so sad to see how some vets live – I don’t know if it’s mental, financial, or what . . . but it’s just a shame.
Ugh the wild horses and a horrible way they are currently being rounded up and held in large pens, foals taken too young from mares and all males gelded – our government is out to eliminate them in the near future!
I have done some reading on this, Teresa, and there are thousands of wild horses and burros living on federal lands. Some are feral, of course, and the damage to the land (which affects others wildlife) is significant in some areas. Wouldn’t it be nice if these horses could all be adopted out and cared for properly? Probably an impossible task, but there definitely needs to be better management. I’s a controversial topic.
I really sympathize with that time period. My grandmother was orphaned and placed in foster care in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. I cannot say she was sad, but it was many to help them with the laundry business they had and for companionship for an elderly mother.
You’re right. Those little ones were put to work, and not just on farms. I hope your grandmother eventually found happiness with her own family. Many orphans thrived into adulthood despite their heartbreaking childhoods.
clean water for all
Where would we be without WATER??? Definitely a priority, bn100!
Good morning Pam! I just put this book in my kindle library! Thank you! It sounds good. I love these stories. Heartbreaking though. My husband was adopted into the Children’s Home Society of Jacksonville. By the time we learned where it was it had burned down with all the records. So, we never learned his story. He was 18 months old when my mother-in-law adopted him.
Goodness, America needs so much funding for all kinds of groups and charities. I honestly think charity starts at home. It broke my heart to learn at a young age that children were starving in the classroom. And the lunch at school was the only meal for them that day.
So interesting about your husband, Tracy! He had a happy ending, but I’d be like him. If I was adopted, I’d want to know EVERY detail about how and why. So very sad that all those records were lost!
You’re right about America’s funding. SO MUCH taxpayer money is wasted on (I’m just going to say it) stupid research and programs when that money could be funneled for more important needs. I know some of the government’s money is used wisely, but not all.
And yes, the schools are valiant about providing those much-needed meals. For those of us who are mothers, it’s hard to imagine not having enough food to feed our children three times a day. Heartbreaking.
(And THANK YOU for snagging Wyoming Wildflower!! Reviews have been great!)
This book is outstanding! I saved it to read again. I love your books Pam. I think you already know that – Ha! Gabriel’s Home is an entity in Brainerd, Minnesota that takes in rescue horses. They care for them with lots of TLC and then use the horses to minister in all sorts of way. People suffering from PTSD come to the farm and bond with a particular horse. Kids with disabilities are loved on by the horses. Healing and prayer ministries are held for both men and women. The horses get a Biblical name when coming to the farm. When possible a horse is re-homed to a family. The horses go to nursing homes in the summer for residents to love on. It’s amazing! I admire the Kinney family for developing this ministry. Awesome!
Kathy, I LOVE this!!! Animals are so therapeutic and will replace children in some couples’ lives. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the suffering and even feral wild horses that Teresa F mentioned could be nurtured for a ministry like this? A perfect solution!
And thank you for your kind words about WYOMING WILDFLOWER. So, so glad you enjoyed it. (Makes all the work worthwhile, let me tell you!)
It would have something to do with trafficking children for sex and adrenochrome, but sure in what way.
Oh, my goodness, karijean. I had to Google adrenochrome. How awful anyone would inject children with it!!
I know there’s lots of great causes, I would
however love to have a rescue for stray fur babies and give them a better life full of love and care. No more abandoned animals starving, injured and with no hope or kindness. Second chance I love to this
I agree, Sandy. Rescuing any kind of animal is a wonderful thing, but it’s much easier to bring dogs and cats into homes for loving by families and seniors. I don’t know how you feel about neutering, but it’s a necessity to help strays who are destined for harsh lives of survival.
I give to the as many causes as my budget will allow. Especially if is going to help kids.
Good for you, Kathleen. We all need to chip in to support causes close to our hearts, and children and stray animals are at the top of most of our lists. Very worthwhile and easy to do.
These stories are heartbreaking. Everytime I read one, I want to take them home and just shower them with love. The Underground Railroad for trafficking victims and the ones who take them down is on my prayer list constantly.
I know, Barbara. I was especially touched by the photo in my blog of the three children huddled together in that stairwell. Can you imagine? I hope they were eventually taken into loving homes, and that that time in their lives was only a distant memory, overshadowed by many more happier ones.
I love books about the orphan trains! Al Lacy wrote a trilogy about them. I currently give to my church (of course), our Christian radio station, and to the FL Baptist Children’s Home, so I’d just be able to give even more. Also, maybe branch out a bit to include more places.
Howdy, Trudy! There is definitely a fascination with orphan trains, and I applaud you for contributing to those faith-based organizations whose mission is to do good works. All of us need to do the same.
The librarian in our hometown was an orphan adopted from an Orphan Train. There were many in our area. Including four brothers I’ve heard of.
She was the grandmother of kids in my school, my age.
Oh, the stories she could tell, Mary! It’d be fascinating to visit with her. But even more important, she grew up to live a productive life – and loving books! Now that’s a happy ending.
Interesting how four brothers settled in your farm community. That was the Reverend Brace’s intention – to give the children homes in the country. Love it.
I’d love to buy a lot of land and build dorms where foster kids could live and work with animals who need homes, most specifically dogs and horses.
That would be a marvelous dream to have come true, Kim. So much good would come from that!!
Pam, nothing stirs my heart more than orphan children and I’ve included them in almost every single one of my 40 some odd books. Orphans don’t ask for much. They just want to be loved and treated right. The orphan trains were a good idea but implementing the reverend’s vision left a lot to be desired. They needed checks and balances but there was no one to oversee the placements. I really love Wyoming Wildflower. Congratulations on getting it back out.
Linda, I love how you include children in your books. Readers can identify with a child, and they add so much meaning and emotion to a story. Of course, most of our readers have been mothers, so they can relate.
Yes, times were hard back in the late 1800s and early 1900s for the children. The guardians did their best, until the social welfare system came into place about 1930. Their mistakes made the system better.
Thank you for your kind words about WYOMING WILDFLOWER!!
If I had the money and the means, I would love to help the elderly.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Hey, Lori! In our culture, the elderly are not always cared for as well as in other cultures where children think nothing of taking their aging parents into their homes. It’s a shame when the elderly have no one to care for them except nursing homes that often don’t have the staff (and maybe the compassion?) to take care of them as they are entitled.
Good morning Pam, yes it is so heartbreaking to know that there are children out there that have only eat 1 meal a day if any and that dont have a home. My son in law volunteers at our local food bank here in town, and my 17 yr and 15 yr old grandchildren go with him when they can. When I volunteered teaching Catechism for 25 years , we would always have a canned food drive, I would explain to the children about how some people dont have much to eat , so when they could they would bring in canned goods and we would give them to the food bank, we did this through the school year. Your book sounds like a great read and your book cover is Stunning!! Have a great day. (not entering this ebook giveaway as I am not tech savvy at all, but Thank you)
Howdy, Alicia!! I mentioned that my husband volunteers at the Food Bank, and he loves it when the grandkids can join him in the summer. It’s a great opportunity for service hours. And truly, people can be so incredibly generous during food drives. The food banks depend on them, and it’s fun to see some of the donations come through. Food we don’t always know about. Ha!
Thank you for the kind words about my cover. It truly is one of my favorites – ever.
I love reading books with children in them. I would be there for food and whatever else they would need.
I know you would be wonderful sharing food and caring for children, quilt lady!
Pam, I snapped this up the other day, and I’m reading it now. JUST LOVING IT! I love stories with orphan children in them–love to read them and write them. You do a great job with that subject! Best of luck on this story and I’m sure looking forward to more of the same great writing (summer’s coming, you know–at least that’s what they say!) LOL
Hugs, Pam! XOXO Congratulations!
Oh, thank you, Cheryl! I love that you’re loving WW. Thank you for snagging it!! And um, HANNAH’S VOW is coming next!
Operation Underground Railroad. Our church missions supports (as well as me) support a young missionary who became involved with OUR while serving in Peru. He still is altho he has come back to the states.
That’s a wonderful organization to support, Ginni. It’s a shame that it’s even a necessity, isn’t it? Human trafficking is getting worse from the crisis at the border, so your support is very much needed, and your young missionary friend is to be commended for his devotion.
We have so many local children here that live in horrendous conditions (no running water, chamber pot, drug families, etc.) I would love a home for them to be placed in with loving house parents who would help them with schoolwork, take them to church, treat them fairly and get them out of those situations. A lot of times the Division of Children’s Services and judges place the kids back in the same situation/home they came out of. I would love for them to have their parents visit them but they would stay at the home until all the conditions improved and the parent could prove that they could support the child in all manners.
Good point about the children getting placed into the same situations. I know the powers-that-be and the judges believe the children will thrive best with their parents and true home situation. In a perfect world, they would, but change is hard for parents who have drug addictions and trouble holding a job.
The children are such innocents. Or at least they start out that way. They need prayers and someone devoted to watch out for them.
Pam, congratulations on the rerelease of your reedited book. Sorry I missed the giveaway. The orphan trains, like mail order brides, have always interested me. One has to wonder what went through their minds. What hopes and fears they had, and if things turned out well for them. Sadly things still need improvement for children today. Our foster system is overloaded and social workers are stretched thin. There are good foster families, but there are also those that take advantage of the system and the children. The number of children entering the system is increasing due to drug and alcohol abuse, child neglect and abuse, and parents who can’t or won’t take care of their children. I would put my money towards changes in the policies of the child welfare system, starting with helping those parents who can be helped. Many need parenting and financial counseling, job training, and help with housing. Others will never be fit parents and should lose custody of their children as soon as possible before they do any more damage to them. I would work for hiring more social workers and giving them better support. Along with that would be better screening, training, and supervision of foster families. In some areas and cases, group homes staffed by professional “parents” would be good options. The number of children coming into the system with serious behavioral issues has increased significantly. Much is caused by exposure to drugs and alcohol before birth and some exposure afterwards. Some have been the victims of sexual, physical, and mental abuse. These children need more help than the average family or occasional counseling can provide. Getting professional help early on can help them get to the point they can be placed in a regular foster home or even adopted out. All this is very expensive and takes careful planning and dedication to make it work. That will take a lot of money, but pushing for the needed changes and support is worth the expense and work. In the end, it will benefit the children and society.
I enjoy reading novels about the children who went West on orphan trains but used to visit a lady at our local retirement home who was crazy about them. Since she was a shut in, I’d act as her (and several other peoples’) bookmobile, delivering books on loan from our public library. One of her fellow residents couldn’t get enough of mysteries, both cozies and thrillers.