Orphan Trains & Their Precious Cargo: The Life's Work of Rev. H. D. Clarke [Paperback]

Clark Kidder (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 078841755X | ISBN-13: 978-0788417559 | Publication Date: May 31, 2001

By the mid-1800s, the streets of New York City were home to several thousand abandoned and orphaned children. Relief came when the Children's Aid Society was established in 1853. Orphans were gathered and sent west by train. Rev. Clarke entered the employ

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clark Kidder's grandmother, Emily Reese, was sent west on an orphan train with Rev. H. D. Clarke in 1906, so he came by his interest in this topic quite naturally. Mr. Kidder is the author of three previous books: Marilyn Monroe UnCovers, Marilyn Monroe - Cover to Cover, and Marilyn Monroe Collectibles, 1999. When Mr. Kidder is not writing, he and his wife and two sons farm two hundred acres in Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Heritage Books Inc. (May 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078841755X
• ISBN-13: 978-0788417559
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Researchers Paradise, November 15, 2001

By 

D. Bruce Ayler (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orphan Trains & Their Precious Cargo: The Life's Work of Rev. H. D. Clarke (Paperback)

Clark Kidder documents Rev. Clarke's regions of operation--Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri. The journals and notes of Rev. Clarke show his great caring and concern for these orphan children. In some cases, there are personal notes from the children he placed.
Ever wonder why so many children went to Hopkinton, Ia. when the area could not support them? Rev. Clarke's journals and notes reveal information on at least 80 of these mystery children. There are over 400 children listed in these pages.

These pages document the placement history of these children. They reveal how many times, the same children would have to be moved before a suitable home could be found for them, and why the same children appear on more than one state's lists. It documents how sometimes children would be picked up locally and transported further down the line. Kidder points out how sometimes the children would wander away from the trains to disappear forever.
No orphan train research is complete without reading this facinating book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book!, June 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Orphan Trains & Their Precious Cargo: The Life's Work of Rev. H. D. Clarke (Paperback)

I found Mr. Kidder's book to be fascinating. The photos of the dozens of little orphans are so endearing, and the stories of their trials and triumphs are immensely entertaining. Rev. H. D. Clarke was truly a remarkable individual. You'll find this book impossible to put down after you begin reading it. The balance of the book is told in Rev. Clarke's own words, and those of the orphans, which gives one an intimate and historical look at a most remarkable chapter in America's history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT reference for Orphan Train research!, May 14, 2005

By 

Donna Aviles "Author: Beyond The Orphan Train" (Delaware) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orphan Trains & Their Precious Cargo: The Life's Work of Rev. H. D. Clarke (Paperback)

This is an extremely resourceful book for anyone who wants to learn about or better understand the Orphan Train era of American history. Reading the journals and seeing the photos from Rev. Clarke who was a placing agent during this time, will give the reader great insight into how this movement came to be and why it was sustained for so many years. As the granddaughter of an orphan train rider, I was pleased to read of Rev. Clarke's genuine concern for the children he placed and the value he put on each little life.