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.SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1992 THE i iMES-PICAYUNE D-9 I
~~ NOSTALGIA
Louisiana Ancestors
Damon Veach
i Orphan train ' archives about to get a home
A unique research center that’s dedicated to the orphan train riders and their descendants opens March 1. The new Orphan Train Riders Research Cen-, ter contains the entire collection of the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc., founded in 1986.
The society publishes “Crossroads,” a quarterly containing true stories of orphan train riders as well as tips on researching family information.
The new center, located in Springdale, Ark., is the only~one in America that specializes ininfo rm at ion	the
massive placing of children from 1854 until 1929, now known as the orphan trains era. More than^ 150,000 abandoned, orphaned, homeless children were part of this historic movement. Today the descendants are estimated to be in excess of 2 million persons but only a few hundred survivors of the orphan trains still are living.
Annual membership dues for the society are $20. Members are given free research help by mail and in person at the center. Non-members may research by appointment with a volunteer. Members also receive the quarterly mini-magazine “Crosswords.”
Money raised at a country store helps support the work of the society. Items for sale include books about the orphan trains, fiction and non-fiction, as well as coffee mugs, canvas bags with the organization’s logo and miscellaneous gift items.
To receive a free publication, “Is There an Orphan Train Rider in Your Family?”, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: OTHSA, 4912 Trout Farm Road, Springdale, Ariz. 72762.
Also of interest is a new series of booTEsT “Orphan Train Riders, Their Own Stories,” now being published by the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America. The first hardcover volume is expected to be ready for shipping by April 1,1992.
The first book in this series is expected to be 305 pages of stories, background information and photos, indexed by surname. Mary Ellen Johnson, founder and executive director of society, gives an overview of the most massive relocation of children in America in her introduction,to the book.
More than 60 stories written by the orphan train riders or their families are in the first book. Three more books are being compiled.
The society’s goal is to preserve the history of the orphan trains, which signified the beginning of foster care in the United States.
This book is filled with stories of children being abandoned, found under church pews, left at orphanages temporarily and later going with a group of others in hopes of finding new homes.
The search for lost brothers and sisters and medical backgrounds of the biological family and the quest to learn “why?” changes with each story.
“Orphan Train Riders, Their Own Stories,” may be ordered at the pre-publication price of $27.50, which includes I shipping, until Feb. 29. After March 1, the price will be $35 per book. You can order from OTHSA, 4912 Trout Farm Road, Springdale, Ariz. 72762.
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