index

History of the Orphan Train Riders of New York

(Midwest)

Website: www.orphantrainridersof m innesota.com

Immigration
In 1853 the United States began evaluation of railroad routes to the Pacific, sending mapping announcements to Europe and the rest of the world. Praises went forth, inviting
people to come to American and obtain "free land." As a result, the United States received a large number of immigrants. Steamship agents and railroad companies attracted
the rest with descriptions of "the land of opportunity." Port cities became overcrowded, with assorted jobs filled by cheap labor. New York City had the largest influx of
immigrants. Many made long overland journeys, but countless others stayed in the city. A host of urban ills, including poverty, disease, alcoholism, job competition, and lack of
resources led to instability and desperation. Sometimes families were left with little choice but to abandon their children to the city streets.

The New York Children's Aid Society
The Children's Aid Society was under the auspices of the Brace Farm School, the Industrial Schools, and Newsboys Lodging Homes. Charles Loring Brace and friends founded the
Children's Aid Society in 1853-54. Brace saw orphaned, half-orphaned, and runaway children become waifs of the city. Envisioning new lives for these destitute youngsters,
Brace devised a plan to send them away from overpopulated city streets to find family homes in the West. He believed the West had "many spare places at the table of life" and
a wholesome atmosphere in which to raise children. This excellent plan was not totally satisfactory for all children. Some went to good homes, but others were instead
mistreated. Upon arrival, children were grouped upon stages, on station platforms, in town halls, or on wooden boxes, and prospective parents were asked to choose a child by
personal viewing. Thus the phrase put up for adoption became known. Boys may have had their muscles examined as potential farm laborers. Similarly, teeth, stature, and
visible medical issues were considered.

The New York Foundling Hospital
In 1869 Sister Mary Irene Fitzgibbons and the Sisters of Charity founded the New York Foundling Hospital. Crime seemed to follow poverty, and the most monstrous crime of all
was infanticide. The Sisters were child savers, too, but reserved safekeeping to infants and young children. The Foundling Hospital's children usually aged between one and six
years, rode on trains affectionately called "baby trains," "mercy trains," or "baby specials." This organization sent nearly as many children west as did the Children's Aid Society.
The New York Foundling Hospital and the Children's Aid Society were two of the largest East Coast agencies placing children in the West.

Indentured Application
The New York Foundling Hospital commissioned prospective parents to apply for a child in advance. Clergy and city officials announced the need for family homes to local parishes
and citizens. Prospective parents could specify the age, gender, hair and eye color they sought in a child. The New York Foundling Hospital carried an indenture system
formulating a contract requiring parents needed to clothe, educate, and provide financially for the child until the age of eighteen. The form essentially guaranteed room and
board in exchange for labor. A child could be sent back to New York if placement proved unsatisfactory. The expectation was that the contract could be dismissed in favor of
adoption.

Seventy Five Years of Orphan Trains
As of 1854 and 1929 over 250,000 children from the urban East Coast, predominantly New York, were placed on what became known as "orphan trains." This one-way trip in
most cases was designed to relocate homeless, neglected, and abandoned children to all points west across America. The transfer was the first emigration plan the largest mass
migration of children ever to take place on American soil formulated this countries earliest child welfare system. The humble beginnings for these children dispensed outstanding
citizens that shaped American character and culture.

Minnesota Reunions
Orphan train riders Marie Lenzmeier of Wahpeton, ND, Mary Buscher of Breckenridge, MN, and Carmella Keaveny of Tintah, MN discovered they were orphans from New York,
and had traveled across the United States in the early 1900's to find new family homes. The women considered, "how many more like us in the world can we find?
Seven riders gathered in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1960. One of the women placed an enthusiastic phone call to the New York Foundling Hospital revealing their recent get-
together. A Sister of Charity at the Foundling announced that none of their children had ever established a reunion of orphans, and voiced profound happiness on the unique and
exciting idea.
The women elected to place an ad in several newspapers throughout the Midwest inviting others like themselves to a meeting at the Metropolitan building in Wahpeton. Nine
individuals arrived to become acquainted and exchange life stories on July 1, 1961. The group was unanimous in establishing successive meetings.
Letters began to arrive from nearly every state in the United States expressing a connection to life as a foundling from New York in search of forming an extended family with
others like themselves. A meeting of riders was held on June 16, 1962 in Wahpeton, ND reaching thirty-five members across America.
The dream established by the originators of the first Orphan Train Riders of New York reunion was the first of its kind in the entire United States appointing Minnesota as the first
state to carry on precedence. And so the meeting continued, attendance grew, and a familiar family unit took shape yearly.
Orphan Train Riders of New York, continues the dream of its founders and contributors exclusively as an orphan train organization whose primary objective is to support and
educate others about a phenomenal part of American History. Annual gatherings are attended by riders, descendants across-the-board of New York orphan train riders, friends,
and a broad spectrum of interested individual's. A fifty year milestone of gatherings transpires on October 2, 2010.

55 years of Celebrating our Orphan Train Riders will be October 3, 2015 in Little Falls, MN. To date October 2015 there are few living riders in Minnesota

A conservative number of four million descendants originate from riders of the orphan trains. As of 2010, approximately 100 Riders survive in the United States.

ORPHAN TRAIN RIDERS OF NEW YORK (MIDWEST)

Mission Statement
Orphan Train Riders of New York
supports, educates, and
preserves the historical epoch
of the orphan trains to groups of all ages

©Copyright June 2010 Susan Lehner - All rights reserved. Website owned exclusively by Susan Lehner . When reviewing any of this
information you see that it is incorrect or more can be added please contact me so I can make the correction. Also, when viewing the pictures,
you will notice many names are missing, so if you can identify any of these - please let me know and I will make the additions and/or
corrections.

Current Officers: 2015-2016
President - Rob Kolosky - rkolosky@gmail.com
Vice President -Julie Berglund - jberglund04@yahoo.com
Secretary - Susan Keaveny Lehner - sblehner@centurylink.net
Treasurer - Diana Schaefer diana@newUlmtel.net
Web-designer/Historian - Susan Keaveny Lehner sblehner@centurylink.n et

1	1961	Wahpeton, ND	Metropolitan Bldg
2	1962	Wahpeton, ND	Metropolitan Bldg
3	1963	St Paul, MN	Hotel St Paul
4	1964	St Cloud, MN	St Germain Hotel
5	1965	Fargo, ND	Town House
6	1966	Sleepy Eye, Mn	Orchard Inn
7	1967	St Paul, MN	Hotel St Paul
8	1968	Melrose, MN	Legion Hall
9	1969	Waite Park, MN	Moose Lodge
10	1970	Moorehead, MN	Holiday Inn
11	1971	Anoka, MN	Legion Hall
12	1972	Sleepy Eye, MN	Orchard Inn
13	1973	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
14	1974	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
15	1975	St Cloud, MN	St Germain Hotel
16	1976	Dilworth, MN	Silver Spike Motel
17	1977	St Cloud, MN	St Germain Hotel
18	1978	Wahpeton, ND	Hwy 210 Motel
19	1979	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
20	1980	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
21	1981	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
22	1982	Wadena, MN	Holiday Inn
23	1983	Alexandria, MN	Holiday Inn
24	1984	Osage, Iowa	VFW Club
25	1985	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
26	1986	New Ulm, MN
27	1987	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
28	1988	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
29	1989	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
30	1990	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
31	1991	Melrose, MN	VFW
32	1992	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
33	1993	Redwood Falls, MN	St Catherine Church Hall
34	1994	Alexandria, MN	Holiday Inn
35	1995	Alexandria, MN	St Marys School
36	1996	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
37	1997	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
38	1998	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
39	1999	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
40	2000	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
41	2001	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
42	2002	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
43	2003	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
44	2004	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
45	2005	Little Falls, MN	Gathering Space in Chapel
46	2006	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
47	9/27/07	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
48	10/18/08	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
49	10/17/09	Little Falls, Mn	St Francis Hall
50	10/02/10	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
51	10/01/11	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
52	10/06/12	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
53	10/05/13	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
54	10/11/14	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
55	10/03/15	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
56	9/24/16	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
57	9/23/17	Little Falls, Mn	St Francis Hall
58	9/29/18	Little Falls, Mn	St Francis Hall
59	9/14/19	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall
60	9/26/20	Little Falls, MN	St Francis Hall

List of past Minnesota Orphan Train Reunions

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Orphan Train Riders of Minnesota
Because of Covid 19 and the safety of our guests -
our annual celebration on September 26, 2020 has been canceled.
We have rescheduled the celebration for October 2, 2021 at St Francis Center in Little Falls.
It will be our 61st year.
Agendas and registration will be mailed out in the summer of 2021.
Please mark your calendars. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2021. Thank you and Be Safe...
Contact Susan Keaveny Lehner sblehner@centurylink.net if you would like to join us.

The first ever Orphan Train Reunion was held in 1960 in Grand Island, NE. 7 riders attended

Keynote Speaker: Greg Markway is a psychologist, author, and orphan train descendant.   As a psychologist and writer,his work has been featured on the
Today Show, PBS, The New York Times, and other news outlets.   For the last four years, he has been researching the roots of his grandfather, who rode
from the New York Foundling Asylum to Central Missouri in 1901.    Greg was a featured speaker at the 150th Anniversary of the New York Foundling
Hospital in June 2019.

Entertainment:Theodore Roosevelt shares his story as a young boy and seeing the important work of his father through time spent with the orphan children
of New York to his acceptance of the Presidency and his work with his establishment of the Conference on the Care of Dependent Children.    Along the way,
we will learn why Roosevelt was passionate about living a full life and how that energy transformed our lives.
Teddy Roosevelt comes to life through 3-time national champion living history performer Adam Lindquist who brings the wit and wisdom of Teddy to
audiences across the glove.
You will be inspired by a message that is as relevant today as it was in the past.   Because of his skill in recreating this amazing man, you will forget that you
are not speaking to the "real" Teddy.    Adam would have it no other way - his goal is to make his audience believe they have met our 26th President and
need to wring his personality out of their clothes....