Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life
    Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life
    Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life
    Ebook96 pages41 minutes

    Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life

    By Rebecca Langston-George

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Discover the true story of seven orphans who were settled with families in the Midwest by the Children's Aid Society.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateOct 1, 2016
    ISBN9781623708450
    Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life

    Read more from Rebecca Langston George

    Related to Orphan Trains

    Related ebooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'La Belle Sauvage' Will Be Like Coming Home For Philip Pullman Fans

      Dec 12, 2017

      Nearly 20 years after Philip Pullman published the final book in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, he’s launched a companion series, known as “The Book of Dust.” The hotly anticipated first volume, La Belle Sauvage, is finally out, and the master sto

      2 min read

    • Article

      KATE & HARRY BURY THE HATCHET

      Jun 5, 2022

      KATE & HARRY BURY THE HATCHET
      2 min read

    • Article

      Right Royal Writers

      May 4, 2022

      Right Royal Writers
      4 min read

    • Article

      ‘Too Much’: Featured Nonfiction from Rachel Vorona Cote

      Feb 25, 2020

      In Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today, Cote examines how the "unspoken rules" that govern the expression of women’s emotional and physical desires date back to the 19th century. The post ‘Too Much’: Featured Nonfiction from Ra

      6 min read

    • Article

      Did You Know?

      Sep 1, 2021

      Did You Know?
      1 min read

    • Article

      Benedict Arnold’s Image As Arch-traitor Gets A Makeover

      Jun 16, 2021

      Before he joined the British, Benedict Arnold was a staunch, dependable patriot. A new history explores his leadership during a critical battle.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Where Were They Buried?

      Jul 31, 2020

      Where Were They Buried?
      4 min read

    • Article

      Love AND Marriage

      May 4, 2021

      Love AND Marriage
      5 min read

    • Article

      Identity Crisis

      Jun 28, 2019

      Identity Crisis
      2 min read

    • Article

      Monsters at Christmas

      Dec 15, 2020

      Monsters at Christmas
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Man In The Red Bandanna: A Story Of Heroism On 9/11

      Sep 11, 2017

      On Sept. 11, 2001, one young man led several people down the stairs to safety after a plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The World Of Writing

      Apr 1, 2021

      The World Of Writing
      3 min read

    • Article

      Children In Care

      Mar 9, 2021

      Children In Care
      6 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Apr 19, 2023

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Jul 13, 2022

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      More Must-reads Coming In April

      Apr 2, 2022

      More Must-reads Coming In April
      2 min read

    • Article

      Your Letters

      Oct 14, 2022

      Your Letters
      8 min read

    • Article

      Bubble Girl

      Mar 4, 2024

      Bubble Girl
      7 min read

    • Article

      Liz Kessler

      Jan 21, 2021

      Liz Kessler
      3 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 7, 2019

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Global Roundup

      Nov 29, 2021

      Global Roundup
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Orphan Trains

    4.5/5

    2 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Orphan Trains : Taking the Rails to a New Life by Rebecca Langston-George is a middle grade non-fiction book that had me captivated from page one. This is a book that would be good for teen or adult also. The author takes specific people and tells their personal story in a way that touches the reader and makes us feel what the orphan felt. We follow that orphan on the trip from being orphaned to going on the train, new 'parents', and as they are grown. Each experience is unique and told in such a way that the reader cries, smiles, hungers, and is confused with the child. There is so many little things that are brought up in the book that touches a persons heart. This is an excellent book on history and empathy. The book is formatted in a wonderful fashion and easy to follow. The people are made real through the magic of the authors words. What a wonderful book to bring the life of these children close to children of today. I received this book from NetGalley and I am so glad I did. I am going to buy this for my grand children.
    • 4/5
      During the 19th Century, orphans and unwanted children were sent to the Midwest to be adopted. This is an elementary/middle school level book outlining some of their stories. Interlaced with photos, the book brings this little known piece of history to life. Overall, a good learning tool.

    Book preview

    Orphan Trains - Rebecca Langston-George

    To the children who rode the rails, and for their children and children’s children.

    Contents

    Cover

    Title Page

    Dedication

    Chapter One: Clutching His Brother’s Hand - Stanley Cornell

    Chapter Two: Missionary to Street Rats

    Chapter Three: hree Cheers for Michigan, The First Orphan Train

    Chapter Four: From Newsboy to News Maker - Andrew Burke

    Chapter Five: A Baby Doll of her Own - Agnes Ruth Anderson Hickok

    Chapter Six: Just an Adopted Brat - Robert Hunt Hume

    Chapter Seven: Three Mothers and Many Sisters - Edith Peterson

    Chapter Eight: Pretending to Be Happy - Marguerite Driscoll Thompson

    Chapter Nine: A Little Boy with a Big Imagination - Arthur Field Smith

    Chapter Ten: What Happened to the Riders?

    Chapter Eleven: What Happened to the Orphan Trains?

    Orphan Train Timeline

    Glossary

    Read More

    Discussion Questions

    Select Bibliography

    Source Notes

    Index

    About the Author

    Copyright

    Back Cover

    There are places enough with good families in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, to give every poor boy and girl in New York a permanent home. The only difficulty is to bring the children to the homes.

    — E. P. Smith

    Clutching His Brother’s Hand

    Stanley Cornell

    The December cold seeped through the train compartment. Dozens of children huddled together for warmth in the icy night. Sleeping bodies leaned stacked against one another on the seats. Others sprawled in tangled heaps across the wooden train floor. Below them the train wheels sped down the tracks. Six-year-old Stanley Cornell burrowed deeper under his single blanket. Curled up beside him on the floor was his younger brother, Victor.

    Stanley thought again of Mama, Daddy, and baby Eloise. He hadn’t seen them for two years. But he could still picture the scene around Mama’s bed as if it had happened yesterday. Eloise had just been born. Mama was sick. Four-year-old Stanley stood next to Mama’s bed. She was crying. She must have known she was dying when she took Stanley’s hand.

    In ragged breaths Mama whispered, Be good to Daddy. And that was all.

    Stanley never saw Mama again. He tried to be good to Daddy Floyd. But Daddy Floyd wasn’t well either. He’d been a soldier in World War I. Doctors said he had shell-shock. And he’d been hurt by nerve gas. His body hurt and his mind was often cloudy. Daddy Floyd wasn’t well enough to work a steady job. With Mama gone he couldn’t take care of the three of them.

    Not long after Mama died, the lady in the big black car showed up. She handed Stanley and Victor each a piece of candy. She scooped Eloise up in her arms. I’ll have to take the children, she said.

    Stanley, Victor, and Eloise were put in the big black car. As the car drove off, Stanley turned to look out the car’s back window. Daddy Floyd stood on the porch, one hand clinging to the rail. With his other hand Daddy Floyd took a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the tears streaming down his face.

    Daddy Floyd stood on the porch, one hand clinging to the rail. With his other hand Daddy Floyd took a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the tears streaming down his face.

    The big black car took them to an orphanage run by the Children’s Aid Society of New York. Baby Eloise was quickly adopted by their aunt. But with five children of her own already, the aunt had no room for Stanley and Victor. They would have to stay at the orphanage.

    Stanley, six (left), and his brother, Victor, age four, were all alone in the world — except for one another.

    Orphanage life was hard for Stanley and Victor. The older kids picked on youngsters like them, stealing their food. But fighting back wasn’t a good idea. Breaking a rule meant being beaten.

    Then in December of 1927 Stanley and Victor were told they’d be riding the train. The train west meant

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1