Zoe’s House has always been impacted by the stories of the Orphan Trains that criss crossed the midwest from 1850 to 1928. Over 200,000 children, plucked from the squalor of Americas big cities, were shipped via railroad to town after town where they stood at railroad depot for inspection and potential adoption by locals.
It was 1911 when Nettie and Nellie Cook, twin six year old girls from New York, were herded aboard the train. They were told by their care giver that it would be hard to find someone who would take them both, but an effort would be made. Stop after stop, children were chosen for adoption but the Cook twins were passed over.
When the train reached Union Station in Kansas City, the twins were told to stand on a bench and sing “Jesus Loves Me” to try and draw a crowd. As an adult, Nettie admitted that they hated this. She said “We kids had to be showmen so that people would come around and see what was happening. It was awful having to stand up and say something about yourself.”
There were no takers in Kansas City, and the girls were later chosen by a couple in McPherson, Kansas. Their new mother was exceptionally cruel and beat them mercilessly. Nettie recalled, “I was the tough one. I tried not to let things bother me. Nellie would cling to me. She was easily hurt. We would hug each other in bed and try to defend each other….we were sweet little girls who just wanted to be loved, and we tried so hard to be good. We were only six years old.”
Eventually, the girls were relocated to the temporary care of an elderly couple. The older couple grew to love the girls and asked to be allowed to adopt them. Permission was granted, the girls were given a new last name, and were baptized at the local church. The pastor mixed the girls’ names up during baptism, much to their delight.
Nettie and Nellie’s story is a hard one that ends well. They had long, happy adult lives….but tears rolled down my face as I read about the “sweet little girls who just wanted to be loved.” I couldn’t help but think of my own twin girls, adopted at birth. Their story may have gone so differently, but it is being written in a way that will end well, through the miracle of adoption.
The orphan trains no longer run, but there are still stories to be written. The Zoe’s House phone rings, and we answer it to the voice of a scared young woman who hopes we will help her through the next chapter of her life. Couples who choose to make room for a child call us too – and we help write those stories.
These are stories that are impossible to write without help from generous donors who believe that every sweet little girl and boy deserves a home, and anyone who is willing and able to parent should not be held back by huge expenses.
Help us write these stories.
Join us at the very spot where Nettie and Nellie sang in 1911 – Kansas City’s Union Station – for the Zoe’s House 3rd Annual Benefit Gala on the evening of November 9th, 2017.
Get more information and RSVP here.
Obviously, we’d really love to spend that evening with you, but if you’re unable to attend but would still like to help us make a difference for children and families you can donate online here.