Orphan Train

Orphan Train

In 1853, the Children’s Aid Society was formed in New York City. Its mission was to improve the lives of the estimated 30,000 homeless children of the city. Some were orphans; others had been given up by parents unwilling or unable to care for them. They were vulnerable to abuse, assault, and exploitation, not to mention starvation and disease. For self-protection, many joined gangs that posed a significant problem for law and order. The founder, Charles Loring Brace, believed that these children could be helped by placing them with morally upright farm families, where there would be good and plentiful food, fresh air, and development of a solid work ethic and skills. Although these children would not be indentured, the practical effect was that these families would receive extra labor around the farm.

The logistics were fairly straightforward: groups of 10-40 children were placed aboard trains, the most efficient form of travel at the time, under the escort of “agents.” Flyers were sent ahead to towns on the planned route and local screening committees were tasked with finding prospective parents and helping with the selection and placement process. Once a child was placed, the guardians signed a contract in which they agreed to treat the child as a member of the family, be educated, and to keep the Society updated at least once a year on the child’s progress. The Orphan Train, as it came to be known, ran from 1853-1929. At least 100,000 (possibly as many as 250,000) children were transported in this manner.

In 1995, The American Experience produced a documentary on the Orphan Trains; the transcripts of interviews with these orphans are heartbreaking to read:
“I would give a hundred worlds like this,” wrote one child from her new comfortable home, “if you could see my mother.” 

[The Children’s Society founder, Charles Loring] Brace himself grappled with the dilemma: “When a child of the streets stands before you in rags, with a tear-stained face, you cannot easily forget him. And yet, you are perplexed what to do. The human soul is difficult to interfere with. You hesitate how far you should go.”
According to Society records (mostly from a list compiled by Jane Coble of Jacksonville, Il, in 1992), at least 20 children were placed with Hancock County families between 1891 and 1905. The Society has begun a project to learn more about these children and what happened to them. As we complete each child, a separate page will be created to carry their story.

The table below lists each child, their year of arrival, and foster family information. You can sort the table by clicking on the column title, or you can search in the box at the top of the table. As separate pages are created, a link will be established to carry you to individual biographies.

If you have information or photographs to share, please contact us.
Find additional information about the following Orphan Train children below:
By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

George Slocum Wood and Eliza Raybound were married  18 March 1874.  They had four children: Carrie R. (1875), Charlotte Slocum (1877), and George R. (1878), and Nina (1880).  By June of 1880, at the time the family census data was taken, George Wood was not living with his family.  Nina was born in August.  No record of Eliza nor her son, George R. is available after this date.  George married Jane Stedman in 1896; his daughter, Nina, is listed as living with them in the 1900 census.  Carrie was married Charles Baker in 1893.

In 1892, 16 year-old Charlotte was sent west on the Orphan Train, likely via the state of Rhode Island’s network of orphanages and asylums.  As the Rhode Island State Home and School Project  states :

Admissions to the State Home in its earliest years were typical of other orphanages. Boys outnumbered girls 2 to 1. A small percentage (8%) of the children were true orphans. About one quarter lost either their mother or their father. Parents of the rest of the children were housed at state or local poor farms, had fallen ill or were destitute. In many cases, fathers’ whereabouts were unknown leaving mothers without the requisite support for their children.

She was taken in by James and Minnie Sterrett, who had a farm just south of Bowen, Illinois.  (It is listed in the 1891 plat book on file at the Hancock County Historical Society.) According to a story posted at Ancestry.com, James’ parents,  Robert and Susan Sterret,  had fostered a local boy named Charlie Sparks some years before. (Ancestry link may not work for non-members.)

In 1894, Charlotte wrote to the New York Juvenile Asylum :

I was of age last August, and my guardian gave me fifty dollars, and October 18th I was married to William S. Allen, and we have commenced housekeeping.  We have a cosey (sic) home three miles from Bowen, and our furniture is new and was presented to us by friends.  I learned all kinds of housework and cooking at Mr. Sterritt’s (sic), and they were very kind to me.  I received the Annual Report, and the book you sent to me last Christmas, and both are very interesting.  I wish you would come and visit us when you are in this part of the State.  My husband is a farmer and he has corn and wheat and hay to sell, and we are very comfortable.  — Mrs. Wm. S. Allen, P.O. Bowen, Hancock, Illinois.

“Lottie” and William Allen had eight children:  John, Jesse, Arthur, David, James, Lewis, Minnie and Hazel.  They were members of the Bowen Methodist Church.

On 2 August 1930, William died shortly after an accident involving a runaway team of horses.  The gravel-laden wagon crashed into a fence post near the Wabash railroad crossing just north of Bowen, crushing him in between.  Two passerby found him some time later and he was brought to the hospital in Augusta, where he died the next afternoon as a result of a skull fracture.

Charlotte passed away after a long illness on 13 February 1967, at Memorial Hospital in Carthage.  She was of late a resident of Basco and is buried at the Basco cemetery.  Her daughter, Minnie, pre-deceased her.

Notes about their children:

John Frederick — enlisted in the Navy in May, 1917 and served in the USS Parker.  He worked for the Burlington Northern railroad.  He was also a member of the Worthern Earth Searcher’s (geology) Club and Siloam Springs Earth Science Club.

Jesse — Lived in Basco; worked as a plumber and farmer.

Arthur S. — lived in California for a time, then returned to Hancock County.  He operated a cement block company in Hamilton and a salvage yard in Carthage.  He was also a foster father to Leo Agnew.

David — served in the Navy during WWII.  Worked as a mechanic.

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

George Ferdinand Van Handerhove was born in Brussels, Belguim and grew up on his father’s large dairy farm. After initially studying to be a priest, he became a cabinetmaker and moved to England, where he met Pauline Thompson, whom he married in 1878. They had three children, Elizabeth, Samuel, and Harry. The Van Handerhoves emigrated from Liverpool to the U.S. in the spring of 1887. They settled in New York on 86th Street, where George opened a cabinet shop. Mary Ann became ill and died soon after. George subsequently married a widow, Lena, with three children of her own. They had at least three more children.

While the exact motivations and dates are unknown, George at some point placed his three eldest children — Elizabeth, Samuel, and Harry into the Juvenile Asylum. In either 1894 or 1892 , the children were sent west on the train. Harry was selected by the W. H. Blanchard family in Odell, Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. Lizzie is listed as taken by the Porter family of Onarga, about 60 miles away from Odell, but a later letter from Mr. Blanchard to the Asylum makes a report on his “two wards” Lizzie and Harry. Perhaps Lizzie’s initial adoption did not work out, or the adults decided that the children were better kept together. 12 year old Sam was taken in by the W. O. Kunkle family in Ferris, who had recently lost two sons to diphtheria.

Sam lived on the farm until he joined the Navy, and he served during the Spanish-American War in 1898. He returned to Carthage and worked as a shoe cobbler and maker of concrete blocks and posts. He married Minnie Viola Kern on 21 December, 1905. Minnie and Sam did not have any children. In 1948 they moved to the Soldiers and Sailors home in Quincy. Minnie died in May, 1963 and Sam died June 8, 1975. They were members of Trinity Lutheran Church, and are buried at Moss Ridge Cemetery. Sam was also a member of the American Legion.

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

Frank Meyers was born in Bremerhaven, Germany, on September 19, 1873.  His parents, George and Helena, were from Schwerburg, Germany .   The father died at an early age .

In about 1881, he and his mother emigrated to New York City.  The mother soon fell ill and he was placed in an orphanage.

In 1885, Frank was sent west on the Orphan Train.  At the stop in Carthage, he was fostered by an orchard farmer, Eli Munsun. At the same time, fellow orphans Charlie Riser and Joe Carrol were taken in by nearby farmers.  Frank remained friends with them through his lifetime.  (Charlie Riser lived in Colchester, IL at some point and Joe Carrol lived in Quincy, IL.)  Four years later, at age 14, Frank went to live with a neighbor, Rome Jones, until he came of age.  The reasons for the move are not specified, but the pressures of a growing family (another 3 Munsun children were born while Frank lived with them) may have necessitated it.

In his  letter to the New York Juvenile Asylum in 1892 , Mr. Jones wrote, “Frank did not seem satisfied when I wrote to you before, but he has been better satisfied of late.  He, with three other neighbor boys, united with the Christian church recently.  Frank seems to be sincere and I will do my best to bring him up right.  My daughter, a year older than Frank, plays the organ, the violin, and the harp, and she is teaching Frank, and he can play on the harp very well, and has also learned to sing.  Frank has a boil on his right hand at present and can not write.  I would be glad to have you visit him and I am sure it would do him a great deal of good.  Frank’s worst failing is that he would rather spend his evenings and his leisure time in social enjoyment rather than in reading and study.”

Soon after Frank came of age and was working his own (rented) 20 acre farm in Hancock township, he was re-united with his mother.  Mrs. Meyers lived with him for two years, went to the state of Washington for a while, and then returned to live in Keokuk, Iowa.

On September 22, 1898, Frank married Edith Ebert.  After living in Frank’s first home for a couple of years, they then moved to the old Philip Ebert farm, where they lived ever after. Mrs. Meyers also lived with them until her death.  According to the 1910 census, the Meyers owned their land free of mortgage.

Frank and Edith were active members of the Majorville church.  They had four children: Russell, Harold, Leota, and Helen.  The first three remained as adults in the Fountain Green, Illinois area; Helen later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Frank suffered from ill health in his last years, but had felt well enough in the week before he died to help his son with threshing.  After the sudden onset of severe abdominal pains, he passed away on July 13, 1938.  In testament to the influence and regard he enjoyed among his neighbors, an extensive article about his life was published shortly thereafter in the Carthage Republican newspaper (from which much of the detail in this biography is extracted).

Edith lived until January 11, 1950.  The couple are buried at Majorville Cemetery, in Hancock County.

Frank’s foster parents were Eli and Mary Munsun, and then J. M. Jones.  We are currently unable to identify any further information about Mr. Jones.

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

Lafayette Marion was born in 1879, in New York City, to James T. and Mary A. (Humphrey) Marion.  He was the youngest of five children (Alice C., Charles H., Josephine V., and Charlotte).

In 1892, at age 13, he came to Hancock County aboard the Orphan Train and was placed with Frank D. Lyon of Hamilton, IL.  Of the remaining siblings, we find no further record except for his brother, Charles, who married in the early 1890’s and lived in New York until at least the 1920’s.   We also have no indication of what happened to his parents, including year of death.

His foster father, Fred Lyon, is believed to have moved to Keokuk at some point but this is still being researched.  We believe that Lafayette may have moved back to New York to be near his brother for a brief period of time before joining the Navy.

The home of Lafayette and Frances Marion. Located within a couple of miles from the Navy base, they likely had many friends among the retired Navy population and frequented the base commissary, exchange, and enlisted clubs.

Lafayette joined the U.S. Navy on 25 June, 1901 and remained on active duty until his retirement on 1 June 1932.  Census records place him aboard the USS Rhode Island in 1910, billeted aboard a Navy unit in the Great Lakes in 1920, and in San Diego by 1930.  At the time of his retirement, he was a Boilerman, 1st class (E-6).

He married Frances Louise (LNU) in the 1920’s.  Their last known address in San Diego was at 3649 43rd Street, San Diego, CA, in 1956.  Lafayette died on 17 March, 1956;  Frances passed away on March 8, 1976.  They are interred at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.  The couple had no children.

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

In 1892, six year old James Willis Lillis made his journey aboard the Orphan Train. He was selected in Carthage by a rough appearing man with a beard, for whom James formed and immediate and unshakeable dislike. He was returned to the Courthouse the same day, but the train had already left. As the Supervisor stood with him in some indecision about what to do next, young James decided to find someone of his own choice. There was a neat appearing young man, well dressed, in the group of attorneys hanging about the courthouse. James approached, grabbed his coattail, and announced that this was the man he would go home with. This man was in his 40’s, a son of a pioneer, and college educated. He was Sater Comer, and he lived with his mother on a farm near Elvaston.

Mr. Comer was surprised and began to protest, stating that he was a bachelor, over 40, and an alcoholic. Nevertheless, he was much touched by the boy’s pleas, and with some urging from the supervisor and prodding from his fellow attorneys, agreed to take the boy home to see what his mother said. Mr. Comer noticed that the boy needed some new shoes and, before leaving Carthage, bought him a new pair of red-topped boots. In later years, James often mentioned the great joy of wearing those beautiful boots.

Mrs. Comer was not pleased with the sudden appearance of a 6 year old boy on her doorstep and directed that he be returned the next day. Young Jimmie applied all of his charm and instead won her over with a few days; years later, upon her deathbed, she asked Sater to provide for Jimmie in his will.

Jimmie learned to farm, and also to care for a foster father who was, in fact, quite an alcoholic who was usually to be found in one of the many taverns in Warsaw, especially after he was forced to leave law practice. When, after the death of Mrs. Comer, friends suggested that he leave the home, James admitted that he considered it but couldn’t bring himself to leave those who cared for him when he was in need.

James married Susie Sigmund in 1898. They had five children, six grand children, and thirteen great grandchildren. James was an active member of the coumunity — as a Presbyterian church elder and as a member of the Elvaston School Board, They lived on the Comer farm until 1942, at which time they moved to Elavaston. Susied died in 1950 and James in 1956.

James and Susie Willis had five children: Harriet (m. Thomas Reischling), Roy, William, Paul, and Carl (died age 6).
Their son, Paul, was a carpenter and lived in Elavaston and Keokuk. He was active in the Methodist Church, F.E.O, Issac Walton league, Masonic lodge, and Modern Woodmen of America. Upon his death, a local obituary noted: “His honesty in every concept, his many and varied interests, his love and devotion to family and friends make it difficult to understand why one so useful should suddenly be taken. At least there is a great source of satisfaction and comfort in knowing he was well prepared for the journey.”

Roy was an elder in the Presbyterian church, farmer, and custodian for Elvaston elementary school.

William, became clerk of the Circuit Court in Carthage. He served in the Army during WWII and trained as a medical technican. In 1943, he was commissioned into the Medical Administration Corps. He owned August Cleaners, served as Augusta Township supervisor, and on the County Board of Supervisors. He was also a member of United Church of Augusta, Masons, Knights Templars, Eastern Star, Lions Club, and American Legion.

— Much of the detail of James Lillis’ life is extracted from a memoir written by William Lillis, as recollected by his sister, Harriet Reischling. The memoir is on file at the Historical Society.


By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

Kate Konnecke was born circa 1881.  She came to Hancock County in 1897 and was fostered by Charles S. and Frannie M. (Plantz) Green of La Harpe, Illinois.

In  letters to the New York Juvenile Asylum published in their 1894 Annual Report , Kate and Mrs. Green wrote:

“I have a good home and I like my guardians very well. I take music lessons. We have a gentle old horse that I can drive and ride on horse back. We live just a mile from La Harpe, which is a pretty little village, and just a nice ride from home. I have been in my home one year, and I wish to grow up to be a refined woman and if I heed good advice I will.”

Mrs. Charles Green, guardian, writes: . Katie has been with us a year and she does her work well, and her conduct is good. We have clothed her comfortably, and give her good books to read, and are careful about the society she associates with, and we are trying to put refining influences around her that will elevate her. On account of my poor health we cannot attend church very regularly.” 

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

Eight year old Annie Johnson came to Hancock County aboard the Orphan Train in 1885.  She was taken in by Dwight and Mary (Ellison) Whitcomb of Powellton, Illinois.  The Ellison Family History  states that the fostering of Annie was intended as balm for Mary, who was “bereaved of so many children and having no daughters.”  The Whitcombs were the parents of 17 children, of whom only five sons reached adulthood;  their youngest, Lewis, was the same age as Annie.

I take this little lamb, said He, and lay it on my breast.  — inscription from one of the Whitcomb children’s tombstones at Rosseter Cemetery.

In an 1893 letter to the Children’s Aid Society, when Annie was sixteen, Dwight Whitcomb writes:

Your letter of  August 2d, giving Annie good advice, was received, and she has done much better ever since.  She obeys us well, and is a good girl when not influenced by bad company.  She is good in her studies at school, but she does not like school.  She has good health, and is getting to be a nice young lady, and she is quite a help to me.  She gets Youth Companion, and enjoys it very much, and she has received the Asylum Report and your letter, and she seemed to enjoy them.  I have urged her to write to you, but she thinks she cannot.  — 42nd Annual Report of the New York Juvenile Asylum, for the year 1893.

Her foster parents were one of the earliest settlers of Hancock County, clearing a considerable amount of land southeast of Nauvoo.  Dwight Whitcomb was a “man of prominence in his township, and held many of the offices for his neighbors had faith in his judgment and ability, and he justified this confidence.” (History of Hancock County, 1921).

Annie Johnson married William Collopy of Burnside and LaHarpe, Illinois on 6 November, 1901.  They lived in Hancock County until after 1910; by 1920 they were farming in Wapello County, Iowa.  They subsequently moved several times, but remained in the southeast Iowa vicinity the remainder of their lives.  They had three children:  Loy William, John Edwin, and Dorothy M. Collopy.

Her daughter, Dorothy, in recounting her mother’s memories, “….often lamented the fact that she had become separated from her mother at a very young age…when they were cleaning houses in New York.  Anna could never locate her mother again and was very sad about that.  ….Anna was extremely grateful for the kindness of Mary Whitcomb.”

By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

William Haupert was born circa 1878.  He came to Hancock County in 1892, at the age of 14.  He was placed with Drenon M. Johnson of Plymouth, Illinois.  William mentions a brother, Phillip, in a letter to Asylum and states that he lived about a mile away.

Mr. Johnson was a graduate of Wesleyan University.  He was a farmer and raised purebred cattle and hogs.

In  letters to the New York Juvenile Asylum published in their 1894 Annual Report , Mr. Johnson and William wrote:

William is healthy, and has grown quite stout, and can do most all kinds of farm work. He seems to like farming, and is very fond of horses, and he says he intends to be a farmer. If he stays with me until he is of age I shall do well by him. He is obedient and tries to do his best in all his work, and he is a very good boy. He attends church and Sunday-school regularly, and is now attending school, and I intend that he shall have a good education if he will take it. He received the Annual Report and was very much pleased with it.”

William writes: “ I have been in my home a year, and I am getting along nicely. I have a good home, and I go to Sunday school and church every Sunday, and am attending school. Mr. Johnson has 160 acres, and I am very fond of farming. Mr. Johnson has a fine saddle-horse which I am very fond of riding. My brother Philip and I are only a mile apart, and we see each other every Sunday. I received the Annual Report and your good letter, and I thank you very much for them.”


By Hancock County Historical Society 27 Jan, 2019

Richard Egers came to Hancock County in 1897 when he was six years old.  He was fostered by Mr. Ludwig August Wilke of LaHarpe, Illinois.

In a  letter a to the New York Juvenile Asylum published in their 1900 Annual Report , Mr. Wilke reports:

I have been expecting to write for some time, as my wife died May 26th, and left me a little baby boy. I did not know what to do about Richard – He loves my little boy so much. Some advised me to send him back to you, but when he heard it he begged so hard to stay I could not part with him. My father and mother are with us now, and we are sending Richard to school and also to Sunday school. Like all children he is sometimes a little head strong, real good again. If you come around please come and see us.” 

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Hancock County is located about forty miles north of the center of the state, on its west line, and within what was known as the “Military Bounty Land Tract.” Adams County line is to the south, McDonough and Schuyler to the east and Henderson to the north. Its western boundary is the channel of the Mississippi River. Directly across the river and to the north is the state of Iowa and across the river to the south is the state of Missouri. The county is 30 miles long, 24 miles wide and constitutes 795 square miles. It contains 25 townships that were designed to be 6 square miles each although due to the irregular nature of those with boundaries on the river, there are a few exceptions. The central part of the county is composed of prairie land and rich soil needed for productive agriculture. “Crooked Creek” (a.k.a. LaMoine River) and Bear Creek provide needed water to the pioneers who settled inland.
The county also contains rich sources of limestone found along the river bluffs in the county from Henderson County on the north, to the town of Warsaw to the south. . Today, visitors delight in seeing the replication of the original Nauvoo Mormon Temple which historical accounts report as built of this limestone.

As early as 1840 or ’41,’ a deposit of geodes was found in the vicinity of the now non-existent village of Montebello, north of the present town of Hamilton. Today, rock collectors still find fascination with these, and other rocks and fossils found in the area. Tourists will also find Eagle watching near the Mississippi River Bridge between Hamilton, IL and Keokuk, Iowa in the winter months. In mid January the tri-state area hosts a celebration of not only the eagle watching, other forms of river wildlife, and also Native American culture and a variety of related arts and crafts.
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