Trigg County Orphan Train
In 1895, the Kentucky Children’s Home (KCH) was established in Louisville to give shelter to children whose parents were deceased or otherwise unable to care for them. By 1985, more than 12,000 children had come through the KCH doors. In some instances, children were returned to their parents as circumstances changed. Many of the children, however, were sent to foster homes, never to return to their biological families.
Research of long-stored and nearly destroyed case files by Charles Morris of Cadiz, shown at right, revealed that, between 1895 and 1936, more than 100 of these children came to, through or from Cadiz on what became known as the Trigg County Orphan Train. Morris, a Pennyrile Rural Electric co-op member, compiled their stories, photos and records, along with the history of the KCH and its master list of registered children, in The Trigg County Connection to The Kentucky Children’s Home.
Also included in the book are instructions and contact information on how to obtain a family member’s file from Frankfort. Morris hopes the book will serve as a locator tool for those missing from family histories after being placed in the Kentucky Children’s Home. Books can be purchased by calling Morris at (270) 522-6121.
