SONG ABOUT THE 'ORPHAN TRAIN'

CLARKE, HILL, TICE, DECKER, MOORE, HENDRICKS, HOLMES, DUNCAN, ORCHARD, KILLORAN, FISHER, PILCHER, REMORE, BENNETT, PECK, HELLER, KLINE, QUINCE, STATZELL, HUNT, ULM, PETRIE, BLADES

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 4/30/2006 at 16:45:50

As I was walking my 3 miles this morning, I was listening to a CD by LeAnn
Womack. On it is a song written by Julie Miller -- as follows:

ORPHAN TRAIN ~~~

Come all you broken hearted,
Come and lay your burden down.
Come kings and queens,
Come royalty surrender up your crown.
Come empty-handed,
Come with nothing of your own to claim.
Come naked, poor,
Come like a child to ride the orphan train.

Chorus:

Come ride, ride on the orphan train.
Put your ear to the track, you can hear your name.
Come ride, ride on the orphan train,
It'll take you all the way home.

The way is narrow, it is steep
That brings you to the door.
But love awaits there to embrace
Your heart forevermore.

2nd Verse:

Come you abandoned, you forsaken
Friendless and alone,
Come refugees left homesick for
Some place you've never known.
Here princes, paupers, criminals
And saints are all the same.
No more or less than God's beloved child
Aboard this train.

It'll take you all the way home.
It's gonna take you all the way home.
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The Iowa GenWeb has a lot of very good information about the orphan trains
-- and links to other sites with so much more. http://iagenweb
org/iaorphans/ As we (who were not orphaned) fuss about not finding our
ancestors -- think about those who probably never will! Just a thought..
Best Regards, Nancee

Decatur County Journal,
Leon, Iowa
Thursday, November 24, l904
A company of fourteen orphan children were brought to Leon last Friday under
the auspices of the New York Children's Aid Society for the purpose of
placing them in suitable homes. All of the children were well clothed and
bore evidence of good treatment. They were in charge of B.W. Tice, the New
York City agent, H.D. Clarke, the Iowa agent, and Anna Laura Hill, the
matron of the institution. Messrs. Tice and Clarke are men of good judgment,
business tact and ability, and are evidently the right men in the right
place.
The children are placed on trial for six months. They are to be well clothed
and treated, given moral and educational advantages and must remain in the
family until they are eighteen years of age. The society has a right to
remove a child for reasonable cause and will again take charge of those
found unsatisfactory. A large crowd gathered at the opera house on Friday at
2 o'clock p.m. and the distribution of the children occurred as follows:
JAMES DECKER, aged 8 years, was placed with MILO MOORE and wife, of this
city. The boy was born near Kingston, N.Y., and his parents are both dead.
He belongs to an excellent family. His little sister and brother were
present but were taken to Osceola as they could not be placed in the same
family.
NORA HENDRICKS, ll years old, was born in Marbletown. The father died and
the mother deserted the child when young and her whereabouts are unknown.
She was given to MRS. MARTHA HOLMES, of Decatur.
ETHEL MAY DUNCAN, 6 years old, was born in Kingston, N.Y. She was abandoned
by her parents; has a nice but old uncle residing at Port Ewan, N.Y. She had
been an inmate of the Kingston Orphan Asylum and was given to MRS. FRED
ORCHARD, of Decatur.
GEO. ROBERT KILLORAN, l0 years old, was born in Ogdensburg, N.Y., and was
given to ISAAC K. FISHER, of Decatur. The boy's sister, MARIAN KILLORAN, l3
years old, was placed with REV. and MRS. A.M. PILCHER, of this city. The
parents of those children are living but (*can't read the next line.)
MAGGIE ESTELLA REMORE, l2 years old, was born in Ogdensburg. Her parents are
living but their whereabouts are unknown. The child was placed with MRS.
LUCY RAY.
BERTHA VIRGINIA BENNETT, l9 months old, was placed with MRS. E.H. PECK of
Decatur. The child's father died in Canada a year ago. The mother, a member
of the theatrical profession, made a legal surrender of the child to the
society as she could not take care of it. She is a fine looking young woman
about 22 years of age.
MADELINE HELLER, 9 years old, was born in Brooklyn. Her father is dead and
her mother deserted her. She was placed with DANIEL KLINE, JR.
BELLE QUINCE, l2 years old, was taken from the Five Points Orphan Asylum of
New York City. She has a splendid intellect and a fine ear for music. She
was taken by MRS. J. STATZELL.
MARGARET E. HUNT, aged l0 years, was an inmate of the Five Points Orphan
Asylum. She has a sister and brother at Sidney, Iowa. She was given to MR.
and MRS. J.W. ULM, of Eden Township.
GEO. PETRIE, l3 years of age, was removed from a home in Missouri and was
placed with W.J. BLADES, of Long Creek Township.
On December 8th, the representatives of the society will be in Lennox with a
dozen children for distribution.

Copied by Nancee (McMurtrey) Seifert August l9, 200l

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Another excellent website of the Orphan Train Heritage Society is http://www.orphantraindepot.com/OTHSAMuseum.htm It has tons of wonderful information.