Orphan trains to Wisconsin
At least six children appear on the 1900 Federal census in Highland, Wisconsin as adopted. They were all born in New York in 1883/84 and are with families with no apparent NY connections. Their names are, John Birchmann (incorrectly spelled as Buchman), Marie Dolan, Willie Fitzpatrick, Celia Martin, John Brown and Theodore Reed. My grandfather, Luke Sullivan, was born in NY in 1884, taken to WI on an orphan train and placed with the family of John and Ann Sullivan. He is on the 1895 state census in Lawler, Iowa with Edward and Patrick Sullivan, sons of John and Ann. I am told that it was common for the NY Foundling Hospital to place children at the age of 4 or 5.
John Birchman was placed with the family of John and Mary Manning. Mary was the daughter of John and Ann Sullivan. According to John Birchman's WWI draft registration, he would have been sent to WI about 1887/1888.
The Illinois Central Railroad completed an extension of their line from Freeport Illinois to Dodgeville, WI in 1888. Dodgeville is the county seat of Iowa County and is not far from Highland. No supporting documents but seems to be a convenient dropoff point for the children.
Hope to hear from anyone else who may have more or better information regarding orphan train riders to Highland, WI.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
Hello,
I was wondering if you had found any further information about your orphan train riders?
My great-grandfather was born between 1882-1885 in New York and was 'fostered' with a family in Winnebago County, IL (near Freeport).
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
I'd suggest you repost with a new subject line, Orphan Trains to Illinois in 1880s.
Diane
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
Thanks for the suggestion, but I am wondering if decker01 ever found out anything about the riders that he had listed. They were born around the same time and traveled here around the same time as my great-grandfather, so I am wondering if they could have come from the same place.
I don't know if he got off in Illinois or Wisconsin since he's foster parents lived in both states at different times, but he's not listed in the book that the Illinois Genealogical Society put together.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
I wrote to the NY Foundling people about a month ago and included everything I had pertaining to my grandfather, other possible orphan train riders of similar age in the area, and a couple of newspaper articles that mentioned the arrival of orphans in Highland, WI. Per their request, I also provided my ID and birth certificate, my dads birth certificate, and my grandfathers death certificate. Having proven my direct relationship, I understand I am entitled to receive any information they may have regarding my grandfather. Now I'm waiting for the "orphan train lotto results." It'll be all or nothing.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
No joy! It seems their records are indexed according to the birth name of the individual. I don't know his birth name. I think I know about when he arrived in WI, I know who he was placed with, I'm fairly certain of the names of the children who traveled with him. I understand there had to be communication between the orphanage and the family with whom he was placed for sometime after the placement. I've seen copies of such letters on various orphanage web sites. Apparently neither those letters nor any other record of the placement family is on file under the name of the placement family. Talked to the folks at the Iowa County Courthouse in WI regarding adoption records and was told those records would only be on file in NY. Again, those records, if they exist, would be filed under the birth name of the child.
I'm in the Ancestry DNA program and hoping there is an unknown second or third cousin out there from Luke's birth family with an interest in genealogy. Right now I'm all tangled up in red tape!
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
Success!!!!! Grandfather's birth name was Anderson. Was admitted to the New York Foundling Hospital when he was about three weeks old, taken to Wisconsin aboard orphan train when three years old and placed with Sullivan family as a foster child. Birth mother's name listed as "unknown."
Record was located at the NYFH with the help of the New York Historical Society.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
That's wonderful, but you wonder how they knew his name was Anderson but didn't know the mother's name. Assuming that was her name too, it's too bad it's such a common name. Too common to go through the 1880 NY census looking for young unmarried Anderson women--you'd probably get dozens. And she might have been married or from out of state. But at least Luke has a birth name now.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
Thanks, Diane,
Often times the children were left at the NYFH with just a note pinned to them with their name and date of birth. Perhaps that's what happened in his case. Just happy to have his birth name at this point.
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Re: Orphan trains to Wisconsin
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