Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a beautifully written novel that uses an overlooked portion of American history to tell a story about family and honoring our journey.
Early in the book we meet Vivian. An Irish immigrant. We follow her as an accident makes her an orphan and separates her from her siblings. She is put on a train and finds herself in the care of various midwest families who have adopted her. The story weaves us in and out of the past and present day as we meet Molly. A foster teenager who spends her community service time helping an elderly Vivian sort through her possessions.
Molly’s character fascinates me. As a lover of documenting legacy, it inspires me that Molly digs deeper, does her research and helps Vivian tell her story. I won’t say anymore in case you haven’t read the book. Though I highly recommend reading it. And while Orphan Train is fiction it’s based on so much truth. Here is the story behind the story.
Orphan Trains
Between 1854 and 1929, “orphan” trains ran from the East Coast to the midlands of the countries. These trains were the idea of Charles Loring Brace. Brace thought he could lead people, specifically young people to the Christian faith through hard work. By creating the Children’s Aid Society he organized an exodus of 200,000+ children to the west. Trains with forty children and two chaperones stopped at towns along the journey, parading children in front of families wanting to adopt them. While some children found loving homes, many worked as free laborers on farms and within family businesses.
To read a few stories from Orphan Train Riders please check out the National Orphan Train Complex.
Blueskies,
Tami