The End of Orphan Trains with Special Guest Darlene Franklin

Today we welcome special guest Darlene Franklin as she shares some of the interesting historical facts behind the Orphan Trains. 

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When my editor invited me to write a novella about the orphan trains, I sensed I had found the perfect background for a story about a rich city gal who lost everything, only to find it again on a farm. And in terms of history, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 was the most obvious time period to write about.

            About the orphan trains themselves, I knew very little. When did they start? 1854. With my idea of a story set in 1930, when did they end? The orphan trains which began operation 1854 drew to a close in 1929. Agreements which had allowed continued placement of orphan children in several western states expired and weren’t renewed. Instead, local communities increased their support to allow poverty-stricken families to remain together.

            I couldn’t identify the actual date of the last orphan train, but I did locate a suggestion that it traveled as far as Kansas in 1930.

            Much of what I assumed was true. Then as now, infants had an easier time being adopted. Some adoptees entered lives that resembled slavery more than beloved children in a new home, although the agency did screen prospective parents.

            I quickly discovered several things I hadn’t known.

•  The trains weren’t called “orphan trains” until after they had ceased operation.
• Only some of the children were literal orphans. In many cases, the aide societies functioned as a rough foster-home system. Children from families unable to care for them sent them to families who could.
• Both New York’s Children’s Aid Society and the New York Foundling Hospital founded by Sisters of Charity sent children by train.
• Children traveled mostly to the Midwest, not to the far west.

           

I don’t say much about the stock market crash in To Riches Again, but I imply my heroine’s parents took their own lives. Suicides in 1929 jumped from 12.3 in 100K insureds to 18. The numbers grew by another 18% in 1930.  My spinster heroine chaperones the children on their trip west, but she is herself a literal orphan, seeking a new home in the bread basket of America.

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 Best-selling hybrid author Darlene Franklin's greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. This year she expects to reach fifty unique titles in print and she’s also contributed to more than twenty nonfiction titles. Her column, “The View Through my Door,” appears in four monthly magazines. Her most recent titles are Capturing the Rancher's Heart, Romancing the Ranger, and Cinderella's Boot.

Website and blog

Facebook

Amazon author page

Twitter: @darlenefranklin

  

 

About Darlene's Book:

A year ago, life was full of promise.
Elyssa Philbin partied with the rest of New York’s elite, not worrying about anything beyond her newest dress.

Ian and Bridget McDonnell, although part of a poverty-stricken family, lived secure in their parents’ love. Bill Ward looked forward to a prosperous crop, a new baby, and his loving wife.

Everything changed before the calendar turned to 1930. 

To Riches Again chronicles Elyssa and Bill’s return to wholeness after they have both lost everything, and gained much more—thanks in part to two orphan children.

To Riches Again Purchase Link

           

 Readers, leave a comment for Darlene and get your name in the drawing to win her newest release, Cinderella's Boots! Winner will be announced in the May 29th Issue of the Weekly Windup.

A Woman's Right to Own Property...

Happy Tid-bit Tuesday! 

Michele Morris here on this lovely spring day! 

I wonder how many of our female readers presently own real estate. In the past, have you held a land deed in your name? Do you think in the future you might own a home in which the title will be listed in your name alone? Can I see a show of hands? Umm, well . . . We know who we are.

Did you know that until the mid-nineteenth century, it was illegal for a woman to own any type of real estate? If a woman’s husband died, his oldest son would inherit the land. If there were no son, then a brother, his father, or even an uncle would receive the deed to the property. This left his widow to hope for a kind relative who would allow her live with them, or she would be left alone to fend for herself and her children.

 

Can you imagine if you were a young woman whose father arranged a marriage to a man who you had only met a few times? Imagine if after the marriage ceremony he turned out to be a cad. Then he sells every bit of property your father left to you without you even knowing. Now, your husband disappears, leaving you with a huge amount of debt and no assets. As a woman, you would be powerless.  

In 1771, New York State became the first to demand the consent of the wife to allow her husband to sell property she brought into the marriage. Did you hear that? Property SHE brought into the marriage. This was the first step in women becoming individuals.  

The Married Woman’s Property Act passed into law in New York in 1848. This act was used as an example for other states, all of which pass their own versions by 1900. After the Married Woman’s Property Act, for the first time in history, a woman wasn’t automatically liable for her husband’s debts. She could enter contracts on her own, collect rents or receive an inheritance.

Finally, in 1862, the US Homestead Act made it easier for single, widowed and divorced women to claim land in their own names. This opened up a new era for women.

Think of the new possibilities. Women could now own businesses, open bank accounts, and actually save money without fear of it being taken. If by some tragedy she became a widow, she could now live in her own home and care for her children. 

I love nineteenth century history. Though I realize it’s been highly romanticized in books and on the television, this time period was one of transitioning into our modern culture. Exciting growth and new developments set the United States on the road to becoming the greatest nation in the world for men and women. 

Thanks for joining me today at Stitches Thru Time. I'd love to hear from you all. Please leave a comment and you will be entered into our prize drawing!

And don't forget, you need to check back to see if you won. Click on the "Prizes Galore" tab for the rules to win.

Have a wonderful, blessed week!

Michele

    

Service in the Air

Even with all the hassles that can be associated with traveling by plane – crowds, long security lines, lost luggage, delays, etc. - I love to fly. I'm not brave enough to get my pilot's wings, but I do enjoy being a passenger. The longest trip I ever took was from Washington, DC to Hawaii during which we had one stop in Los Angeles to refuel. However, my journey is nothing compared to the arduous adventure experienced by 2^nd Lt. Elsie Ott in 1943 when she was the lone nurse on the first aerovac flight.

Elsie was born in 1913 in the tiny hamlet of Smithtown, New York and went into nursing after high school. She received her degree from Lenox Hill Hospital School of Nursing and held positions in several New York hospitals. In September, 1941 she joined the Army Nurse Corps and after stints in Louisiana and Virginia, Elsie was assigned to the 159^th Station Hospital in Karachi, India, located on the Arabian Sea coastline, an area with little rainfall except during the monsoon season.

The Army recognized the necessity of getting wounded soldiers from the battle front to hospitals in order to save lives, but many in command felt that evacuation by air was neither feasible nor economical. The Army Air Force continued to push for a battalion of “Air Ambulances” on which patients could by-pass terrain obstacles, thus preventing further injury and getting them the medical help they needed sooner.

In January 1943, after months of meetings and discussions, authorities decided to test the evacuation system with an 11,000 miles flight from India to Washington, DC – now that's a test! By all reports, Elsie was given twenty-four hours to prepare for the trip on which she would tend five critically ill patients destined for Walter Reed Hospital; two of whom were paralyzed from the waist down, one of whom suffered from tuberculosis, another with glaucoma and the last who suffered manic-depressive psychosis. Despite the fact she had no flying experience or information on the condition of the victims, Elsie pulled together the supplies for the trip.

The plane made multiple stops to refuel including Salala and Aden, Saudi Arabia; Khartoum and El Fasher, Egyptian Sudan; Ascension Islands; Natal and Belem, Brazil; Borinquen, Puerto Rico and Morrison Air Field in Florida. The plane landed at Bolling Air Field in Washington, DC on January 23, 1943 – a “mere” six days after take-off - a trip that would have normally taken three months by ship.

Considered a rousing success, this flight was the first of many to come. Elsie's suggestions for future trips: oxygen, more wound dressing supplies, extra coffee and blankets. She also noted that “wearing a skirt was impractical for this kind of duty.” I must say I agree!

Two months later, Elsie received the first U.S. Air Medal given to a woman in the Army. The Air Medal was created by President Roosevelt in 1942 for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Elsie was sent back to India in October, 1943 where she served with the 803^rd Military Air Evacuation Squad. She was soon promoted to Captain and eventually discharged in 1946. In 1965, she was selected to christen a new type of air ambulance, the C-9 Nightingale, the only aircraft specifically designed for the movement of litter and ambulatory patients. Elsie had certainly come a long way! 

What's the longest journey you've ever taken?

A freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Matchett also writes historical fiction. She is currently seeking a publisher for her series about war correspondent Ruth Brown. Visit her at www.lindashentonmatchett.com