New Book Chronicles the Placement of Hundreds of Orphan Children That Rode the Famous Orphan Trains from New York City to New Homes in the Midwest.

This exciting new book features dozens of photographs of orphans placed by Rev. H. D. Clarke on behalf of the Children's Aid Society of New York City between 1898 and 1915. In Clarke's own words you'll learn what life was like for these poor orphaned souls. Compiled by Clark Kidder, who's grandmother, Emily (Reese) Kidder, was one of the many orphans placed by Rev. Clarke.

Heritage Books, Inc. (www.heritagebooks.com) has released this most interesting book: "Orphan Trains and Their Precious Cargo - The Life's Work of Rev. H. D. Clarke," ISBN 0-7884-1755-X.

By the mid-1800s, the street corners of New York City were home to several thousand homeless, abandoned and orphaned children. These poor unfortunates were often the sons and daughters of newly arrived immigrants, separated form their parents or relatives in the confusion and chaos of Ellis Island and forced by circumstance to fend for themselves. Although some found refuge in orphanages and sanitariums, these facilities were ill-suited for the care of these children and lacked the resources to provide for more than a handful at a time.

Relief came with the establishment of the Children's Aid Society in 1853 by one Charles Loring Brace. Brace was a theologian and a reformer who's answer to New York's orphan problem was a practice known simply as "placing out." The society would gather likely orphans and send them west by train in groups of anywhere from six to one hundred individuals, stopping at predetermined destinations where it was known foster homes were available. The American West was at this time in critical need of laborers in both agriculture and industry, and many families were eager to provide foster homes to a child who was willing to work. Children would be periodically checked on by an agent of the society and were required to write the society at least twice a year describing their experiences. As with any foster care system, placing out could be a hit-or-miss affair - many children would bounce from home to home and some were returned to New York as undesirables. There were many success stories however, with orphans finding supportive homes and loving foster families. Some were actually adopted into the families with which they were placed. All faced the challenge of a new life in unfamiliar surroundings, without the comfort of friends, relatives and siblings left behind.

The orphan trains of the Children's Aid Society ran until 1929, and this text presents the story of one of its agent - the Rev. Mr. Herman D. Clarke. Clarke entered the employ of the Society in 1900, and was a tireless devotee to the children entrusted to his care. His ministry was in Dodge Center, MN, and he was later placed in charge of Children's Homes in Cincinnati, OH and Battle Creek, MI. Over the years he would travel thousands of miles on the rails with his orphan charges, and received as many as two-thousand letters a year from them. In the twilight of life, the reverend began to compile scrapbooks for his grandchildren detailing both the family's genealogy and his years spent working with the society. Six out of the seven scrapbooks have been discovered by the author and they form the basis of this history. The text is enriched by numerous photographs of orphans and their foster families, as well as fascimilies of advertisements published by the society, and a special section of orphan train poetry.

Clark Kidder was inspired to write this history by his grandmother's recollections of her experiences on the orphan trains. Emily (Reese) Kidder was plucked form a girl's reform school in New York City and transported west by Rev. Clarke in 1906. 370 pp., illus., full name index, paper.

Kidder had written numerous magazine articles and is the author of the following books:
Marilyn Monroe UnCovers (Quon Editions, 1994); Marilyn Monroe Collectibles (HarperCollins, 1999); Marilyn Monroe-Cover To Cover (Krause 2001); Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia (Krause, 2001), and
Marilyn Monroe-Cover To Cover, 2nd Ed. (Krause, 2003).

Kidder has made television appearances on MSNBC, PAX, and WGN. His books have been mentioned in the New York Post by syndicated columnist, Liz Smith. He has also been the guest on numerous radio shows.

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