A Forgotten Piece Of History
Beginning in the early 1850's was a part of history
That took orphans off the sreets of New York City
They boarded a train that was westward-bound
And they were all taken to live with brand new families.
The children were orphans, or children from broken homes
They were living on the streets, believing they were alone
But some people never gave up hope for these children
Most of the orphaned children weren't babies, they were grown.
In 1854, forty-six children boarded the train, westward bound
Agents traveling with the children made sure the word got around
The children were between the tender years of ten and twelve years old
And for every child on that first train, a new home was happily found.
The night before they were to board the orphan train that was going west
They were given a bath, had their hair done and in new clothes dressed
They were going to meet perspective parents to give them a better life
When the orphans found new homes, the agents would wish them the best.
The orphan train era lasted for seventy-five years, until the year 1930
And it is said that 150,000 to 400,000 orphans recieved new families
The orphan train certainly has changed many, lives of orphaned children
But I think it's wrong that the historians left it out of America's history.
