Tonight I discovered that my 3rd great uncle adopted two children who were born in New York. This probably means the children were from an orphan train.
My 3rd great uncle and his wife were Czech immigrants from Vítkovice who farmed in Fayette and Fort Bend counties. There are 10 years age difference between their youngest child and one of the children who they adopted.
I wonder if the two children were siblings? I wonder how I will go about finding out about these children’s origins!
My husband and I watched “Orphan Train” – a 1979 made-for-TV movie. It was surprisingly good. The beginning is heart-wrenching.
I remember that a few years ago I found another child who was probably adopted from an orphan train. Her first name sticks out to me – Violet – because it is so un-Czech. I wonder what the reasons my ancestors had for choosing to adopt: fertility struggles, needing help on the farm, feeling it was God’s desire for them to adopt?
Here is a website I will have to look at later. It has a name that is very likely one of their children!