You never knew your grandpa rode the Orphan Trains?
He might have had a reason for his silence.
Some children promised not to tell anyone about that experience.
Agents "believed the children should be shielded from the past," notes Elaine Mercado, historical museum volunteer. "Many riders took their secret to the grave."
A recent online report describes wooden file cabinets filled with stories of some of the 10,000 - 17,000 children who came to Iowa. Organization of these stories took a genealogy web project 20 years, but it now has more than 1,200 files on riders.
One boy was reunited with his 91-year-old brother. Another rider called herself lucky; her father spoiled her.
To read these and other stories, go to http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_6f86b44a-d2ba-53e6-9303-95e45ed664b0.html.
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