Trains and the Plains Orphanages: Frank "Daddy" Hall and the North Dakota Children's Home Society

Trains
 &
 the
 Plains
 Orphanages:
 

Frank
 “Daddy”
 Hall
 and
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 


 
Jenna
 Collins,
 Concordia
 College
 


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
With
 special
 thanks
 to
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center
 in
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota
 for
 
access
 into
 their
 historical
 records.
 

A
 train
 arrives
 at
 the
 station
 in
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota,
 and
 on
 it
 are
 five
 weary,
 
hungry
 children.
 Their
 mother,
 a
 Russian
 immigrant
 to
 North
 Dakota,
 had
 become
 
mentally
 ill
 and
 attempted
 to
 drown
 them
 before
 coming
 to
 her
 senses.
 With
 a
 
mother
 sent
 to
 the
 asylum
 and
 a
 drunkard
 father
 deemed
 unfit
 for
 parenting,
 the
 
authorities
 of
 North
 Dakota
 stepped
 in
 to
 help
 the
 children.
 The
 Red
 Cross
 Nurse
 
charged
 with
 escorting
 them
 leads
 the
 children
 onto
 the
 train
 station
 platform,
 
where
 a
 tall,
 bespectacled
 man
 is
 waiting.
 Frank
 D.
 Hall
 is
 the
 Superintendent
 at
 the
 
North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home,
 where
 they
 will
 now
 be
 staying.
 Their
 situation
 may
 
be
 bleak,
 but
 Hall
 is
 hopeful
 for
 them—he
 and
 his
 staff
 will
 feed
 and
 clothe
 these
 
children,
 and
 work
 tirelessly
 to
 find
 them
 new
 adoptive
 families.
 In
 the
 eyes
 of
 
Frank
 “Daddy”
 Hall,
 he
 is
 not
 simply
 bringing
 these
 children
 to
 an
 orphanage,
 but
 to
 
a
 safe
 haven
 where
 they
 can
 begin
 their
 journey
 to
 a
 better
 life.
 
 
 


 The
 lives
 and
 experiences
 of
 orphans,
 especially
 those
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 
are
 a
 heavily
 researched
 topic
 in
 history.
 Study
 tends
 to
 focus
 on
 either
 a
 
macroscopic
 or
 microscopic
 scale—emphasizing
 the
 broad
 history
 of
 orphanages
 
and
 adoption
 trends
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 as
 a
 whole,
 or
 the
 specific
 institutions
 or
 
individuals
 involved
 in
 the
 care
 of
 orphans.
 Child
 Care
 in
 Black
 and
 White:
 Working
 
Parents
 and
 the
 History
 of
 Orphanages
 by
 Jessie
 B.
 Ramey
 concentrates
 on
 two
 
orphanages
 in
 Pittsburgh,
 while
 Children
 Without
 Permanent
 Parents:
 Research,
 
Policy,
 and
 Practice
 features
 research
 from
 the
 Society
 for
 Research
 in
 Child
 
Development,
 and
 assembles
 information
 on
 orphanages
 and
 childless
 parents
 on
 a
 
larger
 scale.
 The
 “Orphan
 Trains”
 are
 also
 a
 popular
 topic,
 with
 plenty
 of
 research
 as
 
well
 as
 plays
 being
 produced
 about
 the
 orphanage
 children
 who
 were
 brought
 to
 the
 


  2
 

western
 prairies
 by
 train—such
 as
 The
 Orphan
 Train
 by
 Aurand
 Harris.
 Stephen
 
O’Connor,
 author
 of
 Orphan
 Trains:
 The
 Story
 of
 Charles
 Loring
 Brace
 and
 the
 
Children
 He
 Saved
 and
 Failed
 recounts
 the
 story
 of
 the
 creator
 of
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 
Society,
 Charles
 Loring
 Brace,
 and
 how
 his
 achievements
 affected
 child
 care
 in
 
America
 as
 a
 whole.
 
 

Despite
 the
 value
 of
 these
 and
 other
 works
 on
 child
 welfare
 in
 the
 United
 
States,
 there
 have
 only
 been
 a
 handful
 of
 essays
 and
 a
 single
 book
 of
 personal
 
memoirs
 written
 about
 the
 Children’s
 Home
 in
 Fargo,
 ND.
 
 The
 Home
 We
 Shared:
 
History
 and
 Memoir
 of
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 at
 Fargo,
 North
 
Dakota
 is
 an
 incredible
 source
 of
 information
 about
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 
Home
 Society
 (NDCHS).
 The
 author,
 Dorothy
 Lund
 Nelson,
 grew
 up
 in
 the
 children’s
 
home—her
 parents,
 Mary
 Leazer
 Lund
 and
 Amil
 J.
 Lund,
 were
 workers
 there.
 While
 
incredibly
 insightful,
 these
 sources
 fail
 to
 take
 into
 account
 the
 larger
 historical
 
context
 of
 orphanages
 and
 adoption
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 or
 the
 influence
 of
 the
 
Orphan
 Train
 system,
 which
 in
 many
 ways
 was
 the
 reason
 the
 North
 Dakota
 
Children’s
 Home
 was
 established.
 Utilizing
 newly
 scanned
 and
 organized
 records
 of
 
the
 NDCHS
 (records
 that
 have
 not
 been
 previously
 available
 to
 scholars)
 this
 study
 
will
 illuminate
 the
 importance
 of
 the
 early
 activities
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 and
 its
 leaders
 
and
 will
 provide
 a
 more
 balanced
 picture
 of
 child
 welfare
 programs
 in
 the
 Northern
 
Great
 Plains—their
 work,
 and
 their
 origins.
 

In
 the
 latter
 part
 of
 the
 nineteenth
 century,
 “Orphan
 Trains”
 traveled
 from
 
states
 like
 New
 York
 and
 Massachusetts,
 bringing
 large
 numbers
 of
 orphaned
 
children
 to
 the
 Midwest
 states.
 Sent
 by
 eastern
 child
 welfare
 societies,
 these
 


  3
 

children
 were
 handed
 over
 to
 any
 individual
 willing
 to
 take
 them
 in.
 For
 those
 who
 
genuinely
 wanted
 a
 child,
 this
 was
 a
 convenient
 option—however,
 it
 was
 also
 an
 
opportune
 moment
 for
 unscrupulous
 individuals
 looking
 for
 nothing
 other
 than
 
cheap
 labor.
 Stories
 of
 rampant
 child
 abuse
 followed,
 creating
 the
 need
 for
 a
 secure
 
home
 for
 at-­‐risk
 children
 in
 the
 Dakota
 region.
 
 In
 1891,
 the
 administrators
 of
 the
 
Minnesota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 sent
 Reverend
 C.J.
 McConnehey
 to
 help
 fill
 this
 
need.1
 
 McConnehey
 established
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 as
 a
 
home
 for
 neglected
 and
 orphaned
 children,
 and
 it
 would
 flourish
 under
 his
 
leadership.
 The
 Society
 continued
 to
 develop
 under
 his
 successor
 Reverend
 B.H.
 
Brasted,
 and
 beginning
 in
 the
 early
 1900s,
 Brasted’s
 successor
 Frank
 D.
 Hall
 would
 
become
 one
 of
 the
 most
 important
 and
 successful
 figures
 in
 the
 history
 of
 the
 
NDCHS.
 Collectively,
 this
 triad
 of
 men
 became
 the
 principle
 defenders
 and
 
protectors
 of
 the
 plains
 orphans.
 They
 faced
 many
 difficulties
 in
 carrying
 out
 their
 
mission.
 Like
 many
 orphanages
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 the
 Children’s
 Home
 struggled
 
for
 funding.
 
 But
 the
 institution
 and
 its
 leaders
 never
 wavered
 in
 its
 commitment
 to
 
serve
 as
 a
 “friend
 and
 protector
 to
 homeless,
 neglected,
 and
 destitute
 children.”2
 
Despite
 many
 challenges,
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society—under
 the
 
leadership
 of
 men
 like
 C.J.
 McConnehey,
 B.H.
 Brasted,
 and
 Frank
 “Daddy”
 Hall—
became
 an
 important
 institution
 in
 Fargo,
 taking
 in
 thousands
 of
 vulnerable
 children
 
from
 both
 North
 and
 South
 Dakota
 along
 with
 the
 children
 from
 the
 “Orphan
 
Trains”.
 Their
 leadership
 and
 efforts
 truly
 gave
 the
 children
 under
 their
 care
 a
 
“home”,
 going
 beyond
 the
 rigid
 and
 dismal
 idea
 of
 an
 institutional
 orphanage.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1
 Suzanne
 Maricich,
 “Children’s
 Village”,
 Horizons
 Magazine
 circa
 1980,
 11-­‐22.
 

2
 Maricich,
 19.
 


  4
 

Figure
 1:
 
 Orphan
 Train
 arriving
 at
 unknown
 location.
 

The
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 &
 the
 Orphan
 Trains
 
The
 history
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 starts
 with
 the
 history
 of
 the
 Orphan
 Trains
 in
 the
 

United
 States.
 From
 the
 later
 part
 of
 the
 nineteenth
 century
 into
 the
 early
 twentieth
 
century,
 vast
 numbers
 of
 orphaned,
 abandoned,
 and
 homeless
 children
 were
 placed
 
throughout
 the
 rural
 areas
 of
 the
 United
 States,
 in
 an
 attempt
 to
 give
 them
 a
 better
 
life.
 This
 movement
 began
 under
 the
 direction
 of
 Charles
 Loring
 Brace.
 A
 native
 of
 
Litchfield,
 Connecticut,
 Brace
 came
 to
 New
 York
 in
 1848
 to
 study
 theology.3
 He
 was
 
horrified
 by
 the
 huge
 amounts
 of
 vagrant
 children
 there—a
 product
 of
 the
 mass
 
poverty
 in
 the
 city.
 He
 believed
 these
 children
 were
 not
 criminals
 or
 social
 pariahs,
 
but
 the
 unfortunate
 victims
 of
 their
 miserable
 economic
 and
 social
 circumstances.4
 
In
 an
 effort
 to
 help
 these
 children,
 Brace
 and
 a
 group
 of
 New
 York
 businessman
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3
 Stephen
 O’Connor,
 Orphan
 Trains
 :
 The
 Story
 of
 Charles
 Loring
 Brace
 and
 the
 
Children
 He
 Saved
 and
 Failed,
 (Boston:
 Houghton
 Mifflin,
 2001),
 xiv.
 

4
 O’Connor,
 xv.
 
 


  5
 

created
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 in
 1853.
 Brace
 intended
 that
 this
 organization
 

would
 provide
 the
 destitute
 children
 of
 New
 York
 City
 with
 education,
 jobs,
 and
 

good
 homes.
 When
 the
 orphan
 train
 movement
 began
 the
 next
 year,
 it
 was
 

estimated
 that
 there
 were
 approximately
 30,000
 abandoned
 children
 living
 in
 the
 

streets
 of
 New
 York
 City.
 In
 the
 75
 years
 it
 operated,
 an
 estimated
 250,000
 children
 

were
 relocated
 throughout
 the
 United
 States
 and
 Canada.5
 The
 system
 was
 known
 

as
 “placing
 out”,
 and
 was
 deemed
 a
 necessary
 solution
 to
 deal
 with
 the
 growing
 

numbers
 of
 impoverished
 children
 in
 the
 cities
 of
 the
 eastern
 United
 States.6
 All
 of
 

the
 48
 contiguous
 U.S.
 states
 would
 eventually
 participate,
 except
 for
 Arizona.7
 

According
 to
 Marilyn
 Irvin
 Holt,
 the
 former
 director
 of
 publications
 at
 the
 Kansas
 

States
 Historical
 Society,
 the
 placing
 out
 of
 the
 poor
 was
 needed
 in
 both
 urban
 and
 

rural
 areas:
 

There
 was
 an
 overpopulation
 of
 poor
 men,
 women,
 and
 children
 in
 urban
 
areas.
 State
 institutions
 .
 .
 .
 could
 not
 bear
 the
 burden,
 and
 private
 charitable
 
organizations
 could
 only
 house
 or
 support
 a
 few
 in
 proportion
 to
 the
 overall
 
population
 of
 unfortunates.
 At
 the
 same
 time,
 the
 rural
 “west”
 suffered
 from
 
a
 lack
 of
 labor.
 Underpopulation
 and
 fluctuating
 numbers
 of
 settlers
 created
 
a
 need
 for
 workers
 .
 .
 .
 Farmers
 needed
 work
 hands,
 retailers
 and
 tradesmen
 
needed
 shop
 help
 .
 .
 .8
 

 
Brace
 understood
 this
 population
 dilemma,
 and
 especially
 understood
 how
 it
 

affected
 the
 children
 in
 urban
 areas,
 where
 he
 saw
 it
 first
 hand.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

5
 "History,"
 National
 Orphan
 Train
 Complex.
 Accessed
 September
 16,
 2015.
 
http://orphantraindepot.org/history/.
 

6
 Marilyn
 Irvin
 Holt,
 The
 Orphan
 Trains:
 Placing
 Out
 in
 America,
 (Lincoln:
 University
 

of
 Nebraska
 Press,
 1992),
 11.
 
 

7
 O’Connor,
 xvi.
 
8
 Holt,
 3.
 


  6
 

The
 majority
 of
 children
 were
 placed
 in
 the
 West
 and
 Midwest,
 where
 Brace
 

believed
 that
 “solid,
 God-­‐fearing
 homes”
 could
 be
 found.
 There,
 “food
 would
 be
 

plentiful
 with
 pure
 air
 to
 breathe
 and
 good
 work
 ethic
 developed
 by
 living
 on
 a
 farm
 

would
 help
 them
 grow
 into
 mature
 responsible
 

adults
 able
 to
 care
 for
 themselves”.9
 Success
 

stories
 of
 this
 program
 were
 lauded—two
 United
 

States
 governors
 had
 been
 sent
 on
 trains
 to
 the
 

West.
 John
 Brady,
 governor
 of
 Alaska,
 and
 Andrew
 

Burke,
 governor
 of
 North
 Dakota
 both
 rode
 the
 

same
 train
 in
 1859.10
 
 Perhaps
 inspired
 by
 this
 

success,
 other
 private
 and
 public
 organizations
 

would
 follow
 the
 example
 of
 Brace
 and
 the
 

Children’s
 Aid
 Society,
 including
 the
 Boston’s
 

Children’s
 Mission,
 the
 New
 York
 Foundling
 

Hospital,
 and
 the
 Philadelphia
 Women’s
 Industrial
 

Figure
 2:
 Advertisement
 placed
 in
 a
  Aid
 Association.11
 
 
The
 children
 were
 taken
 in
 groups
 of
 ten
 to
 
Troy,
 Missouri
 newspaper
 in
 1910.
 

 

forty
 under
 the
 supervision
 of
 at
 least
 one
 agent,
 who
 traveled
 with
 them
 to
 selected
 

stops.
 Along
 the
 way,
 families
 inspected
 the
 adoptable
 children,
 and
 if
 approved
 by
 

the
 agent
 and
 screening
 committee,
 took
 a
 child
 with
 them.
 Screening
 committees
 

were
 arranged
 by
 the
 agents
 prior
 to
 arriving,
 and
 were
 often
 made
 up
 of
 town
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

9
 “History,”
 Orphan
 Train
 Complex.
 

10
 O’Connor,
 196.
 

11
 Holt,
 4.
 


  7
 

doctors,
 clergymen,
 newspaper
 editors,
 storeowners
 and
 teachers.
 The
 agent
 asked
 

the
 committee
 to
 select
 possible
 parents
 for
 the
 children
 and
 approve
 or
 disapprove
 

on
 the
 day
 the
 children
 arrived.
 As
 soon
 as
 the
 child
 was
 placed,
 a
 contract
 was
 

signed
 between
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 and
 the
 guardians
 taking
 the
 child.
 A
 

typical
 contract
 provided
 the
 following
 information:
 

Terms
 on
 Which
 Boys
 are
 Placed
 in
 Homes
 
Applications
 must
 be
 endorsed
 by
 the
 Local
 Committee.
 
Boys
 under
 15
 years
 of
 age,
 if
 not
 legally
 adopted,
 must
 be
 retained
 as
 
members
 of
 the
 family
 and
 sent
 to
 school
 according
 to
 the
 Educational
 Laws
 
of
 the
 State,
 until
 they
 are
 18
 years
 old.
 Suitable
 provision
 must
 then
 be
 made
 
for
 their
 future.
 
Boys
 between
 15
 years
 of
 age
 must
 be
 retained
 as
 members
 of
 the
 family
 and
 
sent
 to
 school
 during
 the
 winter
 months
 until
 they
 are
 17
 years
 old,
 when
 a
 
mutual
 arrangement
 may
 be
 made.
 
Boys
 over
 16
 years
 of
 age
 must
 be
 retained
 as
 members
 of
 the
 family
 for
 one
 
year,
 after
 which
 a
 mutual
 arrangement
 may
 be
 made.
 
Parties
 taking
 boys
 agree
 to
 write
 to
 the
 Society
 at
 least
 once
 a
 year,
 or
 to
 
have
 the
 boys
 do
 so.
 
Removals
 of
 boys
 proving
 unsatisfactory
 can
 be
 arranged
 through
 the
 Local
 
Committee
 or
 an
 Agent
 of
 the
 Society,
 the
 party
 agreeing
 to
 retain
 the
 boy
 a
 
reasonable
 length
 of
 time
 after
 notifying
 the
 Society
 of
 the
 desired
 change.12
 

 

These
 contracts
 show
 the
 efforts
 of
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 to
 protect
 their
 young
 

charges.
 The
 endorsements
 of
 a
 local
 committee,
 a
 promise
 of
 education,
 as
 well
 as
 

written
 updates
 on
 the
 child
 were
 thought
 to
 assure
 his
 or
 her
 protection.
 However,
 

such
 assurances,
 while
 well
 intentioned
 in
 theory,
 were
 not
 always
 put
 into
 practice.
 

Although
 the
 railroad
 was
 the
 most
 inexpensive
 way
 to
 move
 the
 children,
 it
 was
 not
 

within
 the
 budget
 of
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 to
 send
 their
 agents
 on
 regular
 

check-­‐ups
 on
 the
 hundreds
 of
 children
 they
 placed.
 Monitoring
 was
 therefore
 very
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12
 "History,"
 National
 Orphan
 Train
 Complex.
 


  8
 

lax,
 as
 were
 the
 screenings—a
 quick
 look
 at
 the
 quality
 of
 cleanliness
 of
 the
 
applicants
 clothing,
 and
 off
 with
 a
 child
 they
 would
 go.13
 
The
 Founding
 of
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 

  Over
 two
 thousand
 children
 had
 been
 placed
 in
 Minnesota
 by
 the
 year
 1898.
 
The
 numbers
 there
 would
 continue
 to
 grow,
 and
 many
 of
 the
 children
 there
 were
 
first
 housed
 at
 the
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 of
 St.
 Paul,
 and
 then
 placed
 into
 
families.14
 Eight
 years
 earlier,
 Reverend
 E.P.
 Savage,
 Superintendent
 of
 this
 Home
 
Society
 (known
 more
 widely
 as
 the
 Minnesota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society)
 recognized
 
the
 rampant
 misuse
 of
 the
 orphan
 train
 system.
 He
 especially
 noticed
 the
 need
 in
 
the
 region
 of
 North
 and
 South
 Dakota—where
 Minnesota’s
 Society
 could
 not
 
reach.15
 It
 was
 Reverend
 Savage
 who
 sent
 Reverend
 C.J.
 McConnehey
 to
 the
 
settlement
 of
 Fargo
 in
 1891,
 to
 set
 up
 an
 auxiliary
 agency
 to
 care
 for
 the
 needy
 
children
 of
 the
 area.
 The
 first
 child
 to
 appear
 on
 the
 Records
 of
 the
 Home
 came
 from
 
Aberdeen,
 South
 Dakota.
 Thirteen
 years
 old,
 he
 was
 taken
 in
 by
 McConnehey
 on
 
December
 1st,
 1981,
 and
 placed
 in
 a
 home
 in
 Jackson,
 North
 Dakota
 fifteen
 days
 
later.
 There
 is
 a
 note
 on
 his
 entry
 in
 darker
 ink
 and
 different
 handwriting:
 “Boy
 is
 
now
 engineer”.
 16
 He
 was
 the
 first
 of
 many—in
 1892,
 56
 children
 were
 added
 to
 the
 
Home’s
 ledgers,
 arriving
 for
 a
 variety
 of
 reasons,
 including
 the
 death
 of
 their
 
parents,
 illegitimacy,
 parental
 insanity,
 alcoholism,
 or
 separation
 of
 parents.
 
McConnehey
 wrote
 a
 record
 of
 one
 of
 his
 earliest
 wards:
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

13
 O’Connor,
 xvii.
 
14
 Holt,
 123.
 

15
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 Vol.
 2.
 No.
 6
 (February
 15,
 1906).
 

16
 “Records
 of
 Children
 1891-­‐1984”,
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center,
 Fargo,
 North
 
Dakota.
 


  9
 

Nearly
 a
 year
 ago,
 an
 unfortunate
 girl
 with
 her
 three
 weeks
 old
 baby
 was
 
harshly
 cast
 out
 of
 her
 own
 father’s
 home
 and
 told
 not
 to
 return.
 She
 tried
 for
 
nearly
 a
 year
 to
 care
 for
 herself
 and
 child,
 only
 to
 be
 cast
 out
 of
 a
 home,
 
robbed
 of
 her
 wages.
 She
 made
 her
 way
 on
 foot
 twelve
 miles
 to
 Fargo
 in
 the
 
bitter
 cold
 in
 January
 with
 stockings
 but
 no
 shoes
 on
 her
 feet,
 without
 
underclothing,
 and
 carrying
 her
 baby—who
 had
 no
 flannels
 and
 only
 a
 little
 
calico
 dress
 with
 one
 sleeve.
 We
 took
 the
 child
 and
 placed
 it
 in
 an
 excellent
 
home.17
 

 
While
 the
 story
 is
 probably
 dramatized
 for
 the
 sake
 of
 inspiring
 financial
 donations,
 

this
 passage
 does
 reflect
 the
 conditions
 in
 which
 many
 children
 and
 destitute
 

mothers
 found
 themselves.
 The
 Children’s
 Home
 was
 a
 well-­‐loved
 charity
 in
 the
 

Fargo
 region—a
 fact
 that
 would
 be
 essential
 in
 1893
 when
 a
 disastrous
 fire
 started
 

in
 Fargo.
 At
 about
 3
 P.M.
 on
 

the
 afternoon
 of
 June
 7,
 

1893,
 the
 worst
 fire
 in
 the
 

history
 of
 the
 city
 began
 

downtown
 and
 spread
 from
 

one
 wood
 building
 to
 the
 

next,
 destroying
 city
 hall,
 

the
 business
 district,
 and
 

many
 of
 the
 homes
 of
  Figure
 3:
 Fargo
 Fire
 of
 1893,
 Front
 Street.
 Photograph
 taken
 by
 O.E.
 Flaten.
 
Fargo’s
 6,000
 residents—

including
 the
 house
 where
 McConnehey,
 his
 wife,
 and
 their
 charges
 lived.
 One
 count
 

listed
 140
 residences
 and
 219
 businesses
 destroyed.
 Reports
 on
 the
 cause
 of
 the
 fire
 

varied,
 but
 the
 Fargo
 Forum
 newspaper
 reported
 that
 it
 began
 when
 someone
 threw
 

ashes
 from
 the
 rear
 of
 a
 restaurant
 on
 Front
 Street,
 starting
 the
 nearby
 dry
 foods
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

17
 Maricich,
 20.
 


  10
 

store
 on
 fire.18
 Whatever
 the
 cause
 of
 the
 fire,
 McConnehey
 needed
 to
 find
 a
 place
 to
 

house
 the
 children—and
 though
 the
 citizens
 of
 Fargo
 were
 preoccupied
 with
 

recovering
 from
 the
 fire,
 the
 people
 of
 Grand
 Forks,
 North
 Dakota
 responded.
 Many
 

children
 were
 placed
 with
 generous
 families
 willing
 to
 take
 them
 while
 a
 group
 of
 

30
 ladies
 from
 Grand
 Forks
 churches
 pledged
 to
 pay
 rent
 for
 a
 temporary
 home
 for
 

the
 other
 children.19
 Meanwhile,
 McConnehey
 worked
 tirelessly
 to
 fund
 the
 building
 

of
 a
 new
 receiving
 home.
 His
 efforts
 paid
 off
 when
 J.L.
 Grandin,
 a
 wealthy
 local
 

farmer,
 donated
 $100
 and
 a
 section
 of
 land
 worth
 $5000.
 Grandin
 explained
 his
 

generous
 gift
 as
 being
 in
 memory
 of
 his
 daughter,
 who
 had
 died
 in
 1882,
 saying
 he
 

“must
 now
 do
 for
 others
 what
 he
 would
 have
 done
 for
 her.”20
 
 


  Having
 secured
 the
 future
 of
 the
 children’s
 home,
 Reverend
 McConnehey
 felt
 

his
 work
 in
 North
 Dakota
 was
 finished,
 and
 resigned
 in
 1895,
 traveling
 to
 Montana
 

to
 establish
 a
 new
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 in
 that
 territory.
 His
 position
 of
 

Superintendent
 was
 taken
 over
 by
 Reverend
 B.H.
 Brasted,
 a
 Baptist
 minister.
 It
 was
 

under
 Brasted
 that
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 was
 incorporated,
 no
 

longer
 an
 auxiliary
 of
 the
 Society
 in
 Minnesota.
 On
 January
 16,
 1897,
 the
 State
 of
 

North
 Dakota’s
 Secretary
 Office
 stamped
 and
 filed
 the
 Articles
 of
 Incorporation
 for
 

the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society.
 Article
 2
 expresses
 the
 purpose
 of
 the
 

organization:
 

The
 purpose
 for
 which
 this
 corporation
 is
 formed
 shall
 be
 to
 seek
 out
 
homeless
 and
 grossly
 neglected
 children,
 to
 place
 the
 same
 in
 good
 homes
 by
 
adoption
 or
 otherwise,
 and
 to
 maintain,
 until
 such
 children
 reach
 their
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

18
 "Fire
 of
 1893",
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota:
 Its
 History
 and
 Images,
 North
 Dakota
 State
 
University
 Archives.
 

19
 Maricich,
 20.
 

20
 Maricich,
 21.
 


  11
 

majority,
 an
 inspection
 over
 them
 and
 their
 surroundings;
 and
 to
 conduct
 
such
 work
 in
 harmony
 and
 co-­‐operation
 with
 the
 Board
 of
 the
 National
 
Children’s
 Home
 Society
 having
 its
 headquarters
 in
 Chicago,
 Illinois,
 to
 which
 
this
 Society
 is
 auxiliary.
 21
 

 
Brasted
 remained
 the
 Superintendent
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 until
 1902,
 when
 he
 resigned
 

and
 Frank
 D.
 Hall
 took
 over
 the
 position.
 While
 the
 Reverends
 McConnehey
 and
 

Brasted
 did
 important
 work
 for
 the
 establishment
 of
 the
 NDCHS,
 it
 was
 under
 Frank
 

Hall
 that
 the
 organization
 would
 truly
 flourish,
 helping
 the
 most
 children
 in
 the
 

Dakota
 area—and
 earning
 him
 the
 nickname
 of
 “Daddy”.
 

Frank
 “Daddy”
 Hall
 

Frank
 Drew
 Hall
 was
 born
 on
 May
 20th,
 1864
 in
 Norwalk,
 

Ohio,
 the
 son
 of
 Cornelia
 Ann
 Hall
 and
 James
 Ransom
 Hall.
 His
 

father
 was
 a
 lieutenant
 in
 the
 Third
 Ohio
 Volunteer
 Cavalry.
 

Hall
 spent
 much
 of
 his
 early
 years
 in
 Waverly,
 Iowa,
 where
 his
 

father
 owned
 eighty
 acres
 of
 land
 and
 served
 as
 the
 Bremer
 

County
 Superintendent
 of
 Schools.22
 In
 his
 autobiography,
 

Hall
 tells
 many
 stories
 of
 the
 trouble
 and
 fun
 he
 got
 into
 with
 

friends
 while
 growing
 up,
 as
 well
 the
 his
 educational
 and
 

Figure
 4:
 Young
 Frank
 Hall,
  religious
 experience.
 He
 also
 relates
 many
 of
 his
 experiences
 
circa
 1879
  with
 his
 father,
 who
 was
 a
 definite
 influence
 in
 his
 developing
 

years.
 
 The
 significant
 presence
 of
 his
 parents
 and
 family
 instilled
 into
 Hall
 the
 

importance
 of
 family
 life
 for
 the
 development
 of
 a
 child—something
 he
 would
 

especially
 use
 during
 his
 time
 as
 Superintendent
 of
 the
 NDCHS.
 In
 1873,
 the
 family
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

21
 “Articles
 of
 Incorporation,
 1897”,
 Administration
 Documents
 1897-­‐1934,
 The
 
Village
 Family
 Service
 Center,
 North
 Dakota.
 

22Frank
 Drew
 Hall,
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall,
 2013,
 10.
 


  12
 

moved
 back
 to
 Ohio,
 where
 Hall’s
 father
 served
 as
 a
 pastor
 for
 several
 Baptist
 
churches.
 The
 young
 Hall
 also
 had
 an
 example
 of
 adoption
 in
 his
 life,
 when
 in
 1878
 
his
 mother
 and
 father
 adopted
 a
 young
 girl
 Noretta
 (“Nona”).
 Her
 father
 had
 been
 
married
 twice,
 and
 his
 second
 wife
 was
 jealous
 of
 children
 from
 his
 previous
 
marriage—little
 Nona
 was
 badly
 beaten.
 However,
 under
 the
 care
 of
 the
 Halls,
 she
 
rapidly
 grew
 in
 strength
 and
 according
 to
 Hall’s
 autobiography,
 she
 soon
 began
 to
 
smile
 again.23
 The
 experience
 of
 his
 young
 adopted
 sister
 likely
 had
 a
 large
 influence
 
on
 Hall’s
 sympathy
 for
 the
 plight
 of
 vulnerable
 children
 during
 his
 time
 in
 North
 
Dakota.
 
 

As
 a
 young
 adult,
 Frank
 Hall
 worked
 for
 the
 Geneva,
 Ohio
 post
 office.
 When
 
his
 family
 moved
 on
 to
 Kansas,
 he
 stayed
 behind
 and
 rented
 a
 room
 at
 the
 boarding
 
house
 of
 Mrs.
 Hart—the
 mother
 of
 his
 future
 wife,
 Nellie.
 When
 her
 mother
 fell
 ill
 
and
 died,
 Nellie
 went
 to
 live
 with
 her
 sister
 Stella
 in
 the
 Dakota
 Territory.
 While
 
Nellie
 had
 been
 promised
 to
 marry
 Hall
 by
 her
 mother,
 Stella
 was
 insistent
 that
 the
 
twenty-­‐year-­‐old
 Frank
 should
 learn
 a
 trade
 first.
 Hall
 decided
 to
 go
 into
 the
 printing
 
trade,
 and
 apprenticed
 for
 a
 time
 at
 the
 Geneva
 Times
 as
 well
 as
 in
 Cleveland,
 visiting
 
Nellie
 in
 Fargo
 as
 often
 as
 he
 could.
 Hall
 made
 the
 permanent
 trip
 to
 Dakota
 in
 1889,
 
finding
 a
 printing
 job
 at
 the
 Fargo
 Daily
 Argus.
 He
 and
 Nellie
 were
 married
 on
 June
 
14th,
 1890.24
 After
 the
 organization
 of
 the
 National
 Baptist
 Young
 People’s
 Union
 in
 
the
 Fargo
 area
 in
 1890,
 Hall
 became
 an
 active
 member.
 Two
 years
 later
 he
 was
 
asked
 to
 become
 the
 Sunday
 School
 Missionary
 for
 North
 Dakota,
 
 and
 would
 spend
 
the
 next
 ten
 years
 serving
 as
 a
 Sunday
 school
 missionary
 traveling
 across
 both
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

23
 Hall,
 40.
 

24
 Hall,
 87.
 


  13
 

Dakotas.
 After
 a
 time,
 however,
 he
 felt
 it
 was
 necessary
 for
 him
 to
 be
 home
 more
 

often
 to
 help
 Nellie
 with
 the
 raising
 of
 his
 two
 sons.
 
 An
 opportunity
 would
 soon
 

present
 itself,
 as
 Hall
 describes:
 
 

In
 the
 spring
 of
 1902,
 it
 seemed
 as
 if
 Providence
 was
 opening
 the
 way
 to
 
realization
 of
 our
 dreams.
 For
 some
 time
 past,
 the
 Ladies’
 Auxiliary
 of
 the
 
North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 at
 Fargo,
 had
 been
 dissatisfied
 with
 
some
 of
 the
 features
 of
 the
 work
 as
 carried
 out
 by
 Superintendent
 B.H.
 
Brasted.
 My
 relations
 with
 him
 had
 always
 been
 pleasant,
 so
 far
 as
 we
 came
 
in
 contact.
 As
 the
 Ladies
 had
 solicited
 all
 the
 funds
 with
 which
 the
 Receiving
 
Home
 was
 built,
 and
 were
 doing
 much
 to
 maintain
 the
 home,
 they
 finally
 
asked
 Mr.
 Brasted
 to
 resign
 as
 Superintendent.25
 

 
The
 Ladies
 Auxiliary
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 was
 very
 active
 in
 the
 Fargo
 area
 raising
 funds
 

for
 the
 home—and
 while
 Hall’s
 autobiography
 politely
 refrains
 from
 commenting
 on
 

the
 matter,
 their
 opinion
 of
 Superintendent
 Brasted
 and
 his
 work
 seems
 to
 have
 

soured.
 The
 ladies
 eventually
 pressured
 Brasted
 into
 resigning,
 and
 Frank
 Hall
 was
 

made
 the
 Superintendent
 of
 the
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 in
 1902.
 The
 Ladies
 

Auxiliary
 had
 laid
 out
 a
 true
 welcome
 for
 him:
 the
 new
 Receiving
 Home,
 completed
 

in
 1900,
 was
 fully
 furnished
 with
 new
 furniture,
 rugs,
 dishes
 and
 curtains—all
 

purchased
 with
 money
 donated
 through
 their
 efforts.26
 Previously,
 all
 the
 furniture
 

that
 belonged
 to
 the
 Society
 were
 twelve
 iron
 cribs,
 a
 few
 wooden
 beds,
 and
 a
 large
 

rug;
 all
 the
 other
 furnishings
 belonged
 to
 Reverend
 Brasted,
 and
 he
 had
 taken
 them
 

with
 him
 upon
 departure.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  14
 

25
 Hall,
 113.
 

26
 Hall,
 116.
 


 

 
 

Figure
 5:
 The
 NDCHS
 Receiving
 Home,
 circa
 1900.
 


 
The
 building
 stood
 on
 the
 corner
 of
 10th
 Street
 and
 8th
 Avenue
 South
 in
 Fargo,
 
a
 massive
 structure
 in
 comparison
 to
 the
 one-­‐family
 homes
 surrounding
 it
 on
 the
 
block.
 Two
 long
 porches
 stood
 in
 front
 of
 both
 the
 first
 and
 second
 floors,
 which
 
according
 to
 Dorothy
 Lund
 Nelson
 (a
 former
 resident
 of
 the
 home)
 made
 it
 look
 like
 
“a
 double-­‐decker
 sandwich.”27
 The
 second
 floor
 porch
 had
 three
 doors,
 two
 of
 which
 
led
 to
 girl’s
 bedrooms
 and
 one
 to
 a
 toddler’s
 nursery.
 Nelson
 writes
 that
 the
 staff
 
would
 often
 use
 the
 second
 floor
 porch
 for
 “sunning”
 babies
 and
 toddler
 in
 their
 
baskets
 and
 cribs.28
 
The
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 &
 Funding
 

  With
 a
 new
 building
 and
 furnishings,
 Hall
 began
 straight
 away
 with
 the
 work
 
of
 helping
 the
 NDCHS
 grow
 as
 an
 organization.
 To
 better
 connect
 the
 children’s
 
home
 with
 the
 community
 of
 Fargo,
 he
 began
 the
 publication
 of
 a
 monthly
 paper
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

27
 Dorothy
 A.
 Lund
 Nelson,
 The
 Home
 We
 Shared:
 History
 and
 Memoir
 of
 the
 North
 
Dakota
 Children's
 Home
 at
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota
 (Rochester,
 Minnesota:
 Davies
 Print,
 2004),
 
7.
 

28
 Nelson,
 8.
 


  15
 

called
 The
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder.
 It
 eventually
 became
 a
 bi-­‐monthly
 magazine,
 
about
 sixteen
 to
 twenty
 pages
 in
 length.
 “The
 official
 organ
 of
 the
 Society”,
 it
 
contained
 articles
 written
 by
 members
 of
 the
 board
 of
 directors
 of
 the
 Society,
 
updates
 from
 the
 Superintendent,
 as
 well
 as
 some
 “advertisements”
 for
 adoptable
 
children
 and
 comments
 on
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 and
 their
 work.29
 It
 is
 through
 
this
 publication,
 as
 well
 as
 Hall’s
 personal
 accounts,
 that
 a
 deeper
 understanding
 of
 
the
 children
 who
 were
 taken
 in
 at
 the
 Home
 is
 found.
 It
 was
 also
 one
 of
 the
 main
 
forms
 of
 soliciting
 funds
 for
 the
 NDCHS.
 
 

Figure
 6:
 The
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 

Funding
 was
 a
 constant
 challenge
 at
 the
 home.
 Workers
 needed
 to
 be
 paid,
 
maintenance
 done
 on
 the
 building,
 and
 the
 children
 fed
 and
 clothed.
 The
 Children’s
 
Home
 Finder
 was
 used
 to
 alert
 the
 community
 of
 Fargo
 to
 the
 needs
 of
 the
 NDCHS,
 
and
 how
 best
 to
 help.
 They
 were
 not
 above
 cajoling
 and
 persuasiveness
 to
 get
 what
 
they
 needed—one
 article
 from
 1906
 implores:
 “Will
 you
 kindly
 keep
 the
 wheel
 
moving?
 Have
 you
 forgotten
 how
 time
 flies,
 and
 that
 it
 is
 considerably
 more
 than
 a
 
year
 since
 you
 made
 your
 last
 donation?
 Want
 to
 help
 along?
 Of
 course
 you
 do.
 Let
 
us
 tell
 you
 how.”
 In
 the
 same
 article
 there
 is
 a
 call
 for
 more
 donations
 on
 a
 large
 
scale,
 lamenting
 that
 “
 .
 .
 .
 a
 philanthropist
 is
 needed
 in
 North
 Dakota.
 Rockefeller
 for
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

29
 Hall,
 118.
 

  16
 

universities,
 Carnegie
 for
 libraries,
 and
 whom
 shall
 we
 name
 for
 the
 children?”30
 In
 

Fargo,
 it
 was
 the
 church
 groups,
 organizations,
 and
 even
 other
 young
 people
 that
 

were
 “for
 the
 children”
 of
 the
 NDCHS—many
 donations
 came
 through
 an
 annual
 

Sunday
 School
 Drive,
 where
 the
 children
 were
 encouraged
 to
 bring
 food
 goods
 or
 

cash
 donations
 to
 Sunday
 School,
 and
 give
 them
 to
 those
 in
 need
 at
 the
 home.
 The
 

creation
 of
 a
 “Children’s
 Home
 Day”
 also
 involved
 the
 young
 people
 of
 North
 Dakota,
 

this
 time
 at
 the
 public
 schools.
 An
 advertisement
 in
 the
 October
 1909
 Children’s
 

Home
 Finder
 announces:
 
 

Circulars
 of
 information
 about
 the
 work,
 and
 a
 small
 poster
 will
 be
 sent
 to
 
every
 teacher
 in
 North
 Dakota
 whose
 address
 can
 be
 obtained,
 and
 every
 
teacher
 in
 a
 district
 where
 there
 are
 no
 objections
 will
 be
 asked
 to
 give
 the
 
pupils
 information
 about
 the
 Home
 and
 prepare
 a
 program
 that
 will
 interest
 
the
 pupils
 in
 helping
 children
 less
 fortunate
 than
 themselves
 by
 sending
 a
 
generous
 offering
 for
 this
 work
 .
 .
 .
 It
 will
 do
 every
 child
 good
 to
 appeal
 to
 his
 
generosity
 towards
 homeless
 children.
 No
 one
 thing
 will
 better
 tend
 to
 draw
 
out
 all
 the
 good
 in
 a
 child’s
 nature.31
 

 
With
 those
 words,
 the
 NDCHS
 not
 only
 appeals
 to
 help
 homeless
 children,
 but
 more
 

fortunate
 children
 as
 well,
 stating
 that
 all
 can
 benefit
 from
 charitable
 acts.
 All
 these
 

calls
 for
 aid
 appealed
 to
 the
 sympathetic
 nature
 of
 donors,
 and
 through
 the
 medium
 

of
 The
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 word
 spread
 quickly
 about
 the
 financial
 needs
 of
 the
 

NDCHS.
 


 


 


 


 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

30
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 Vol.
 2.
 No.
 6
 (February
 15,
 1906).
 

31
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 Vol.
 5.
 No.
 4
 (October
 15,
 1909).
 


  17
 

Children
 Brought
 to
 the
 Home
 

The
 records
 of
 Frank
 Hall’s
 experiences
 with
 

the
 children
 brought
 to
 home
 paint
 a
 

revealing,
 if
 bleak
 picture
 of
 their
 

circumstances
 prior
 to
 arriving.
 In
 a
 

document
 titled
 “Children’s
 Home
 Cases
 

Related
 by
 Superintendent
 Hall”,
 he
 describes
 

several
 of
 the
 situations
 he
 encountered,
 and
 

the
 ultimate
 fate
 of
 the
 child.
 The
 stories
 

range
 in
 tone
 from
 resigned
 to
 hopeful,
 but
 

each
 demonstrates
 the
 efforts
 Hall
 and
 the
 

Figure
 7:
 Frank
 Hall
 with
 children,
 circa
 1920.
  NDCHS
 staff
 went
 to
 for
 each
 child
 brought
 

into
 their
 care.
 In
 some
 circumstances,
 children
 were
 admitted
 due
 to
 abuse,
 as
 Hall
 

writes:
 

Some
 years
 ago
 I
 was
 called,
 through
 the
 Juvenile
 Court,
 at
 Langdon,
 N.D.
 to
 
appear
 in
 several
 cases
 of
 dependent
 children
 and
 among
 them
 was
 a
 family
 
of
 German
 Russians,
 two
 boys
 were
 committed
 to
 the
 Children’s
 Home
 on
 
account
 of
 brutality
 of
 their
 father
 who
 was
 later
 frozen
 to
 death
 in
 a
 blizzard
 
while
 driving
 his
 team
 and
 walking
 beside
 it.
 He
 was
 a
 brute
 to
 his
 family
 but
 
the
 children
 were
 placed
 in
 family
 homes,
 one
 of
 them
 is
 still
 in
 a
 first-­‐class
 
home,
 the
 other
 boy
 got
 into
 the
 habit
 of
 smoking
 by
 mingling
 with
 the
 farm
 
help
 and
 later
 was
 committed
 to
 the
 Reform
 School
 for
 stealing
 tobacco
 from
 
neighbors.
 Sometimes
 these
 cases
 turn
 out
 very
 well
 and
 others
 will
 show
 
either
 a
 heredity
 taint
 or
 the
 result
 of
 their
 poor
 surroundings—most
 likely
 
the
 later.32
 

 
Despite
 the
 best
 efforts
 of
 Hall
 and
 other
 authorities,
 often
 there
 was
 only
 so
 much
 

that
 could
 be
 done
 when
 attempting
 to
 help
 a
 child.
 There
 were
 also
 cases
 in
 which
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

32
 “Children’s
 Home
 Cases
 Related
 by
 Superintendent
 Hall”,
 page
 2.
 Miscellaneous
 
Administration
 Records
 1901-­‐1989,
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center,
 North
 Dakota.
 


  18
 

the
 decision
 was
 made
 to
 take
 children
 away,
 and
 the
 parents
 did
 not
 approve,
 

which
 Hall
 remarks
 upon
 as
 “puzzling”:
 

One
 of
 the
 most
 striking
 cases
 that
 has
 come
 into
 our
 hands
 for
 a
 long
 time
 
was
 that
 of
 a
 woman
 who
 was
 killed
 by
 the
 street
 cars
 last
 winter.
 She
 left
 
two
 small
 boys.
 Their
 father
 was
 improvident
 and
 not
 a
 proper
 guardian
 for
 
the
 children
 and
 it
 was
 decided
 by
 the
 Courts
 to
 place
 them
 in
 the
 hands
 of
 
relatives
 in
 California
 .
 .
 .
 So
 far
 it
 has
 proved
 a
 happy
 solution
 of
 a
 very
 
puzzling
 case
 in
 which
 the
 father
 fought
 the
 taking
 of
 the
 children
 and
 
kidnapped
 them
 from
 the
 Home
 and
 ran
 them
 off
 into
 the
 country
 and
 it
 was
 
several
 days
 after
 the
 start
 for
 California
 had
 been
 planned
 before
 they
 could
 
be
 found
 and
 surrendered
 by
 the
 father.33
 
 

 
Hall
 dealt
 with
 situations
 such
 as
 this
 many
 times
 during
 his
 time
 as
 Superintendent
 

of
 the
 NDCHS.
 His
 ultimate
 goal
 was
 the
 welfare
 of
 the
 children
 in
 such
 situations,
 

and
 in
 his
 perspective,
 this
 separation
 of
 a
 father
 and
 his
 sons
 was
 a
 necessity.
 The
 

perspective
 of
 the
 father
 no
 doubt
 differed
 from
 Hall,
 but
 such
 details
 are
 not
 

commented
 on
 in
 Hall’s
 notes.
 Another
 circumstance,
 referred
 to
 in
 the
 Children’s
 

Home
 Finder
 as
 the
 “Beamer
 Case”,
 tells
 of
 a
 mother
 whose
 four
 children
 were
 taken
 

due
 to
 “immoral
 surroundings”.
 All
 but
 one
 of
 these
 children
 were
 eventually
 

adopted.
 Some
 time
 later,
 the
 mother
 claimed
 to
 have
 reformed,
 and
 wanted
 to
 take
 

all
 of
 her
 children
 back,
 but
 was
 only
 allowed
 to
 take
 the
 one
 that
 had
 not
 been
 

adopted.
 
 Defending
 themselves,
 the
 NDCHS
 wrote:
 “
 .
 .
 .
 from
 the
 yellow
 articles
 in
 

some
 of
 the
 Grand
 Forks
 papers
 on
 the
 case
 one
 would
 think
 Mrs.
 Beamer-­‐Carlson
 

was
 a
 much-­‐abused
 woman.
 Only
 one
 side—and
 that
 very
 much
 warped—was
 

presented.”34
 No
 matter
 the
 perspective
 of
 the
 adults,
 it
 is
 the
 fate
 of
 the
 children
 

that
 must
 be
 emphasized—and
 the
 NDCHS
 helped
 children’s
 situations
 far
 more
 

often
 than
 it
 harmed
 them.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

33
 “Children’s
 Home
 Cases
 Related
 by
 Superintendent
 Hall”,
 page
 5.
 

34
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 Vol.
 4.
 No.
 6
 (February
 15,
 1908).
 


  19
 

 Among
 his
 stories
 of
 abuse
 and
 neglect
 Hall
 also
 writes
 with
 a
 tone
 of
 pride
 

for
 the
 children
 who
 rose
 above
 their
 circumstances,
 as
 is
 the
 case
 for
 one
 girl
 taken
 

in
 at
 the
 home:
 

One
 of
 the
 most
 interesting
 cases
 we
 have
 had
 is
 that
 of
 a
 girl
 from
 Ruso,
 N.D.
 
who,
 when
 4
 years
 old
 walked
 into
 a
 field
 where
 her
 father
 was
 cutting
 hay
 
as
 she
 sat
 unnoticed
 in
 the
 grass,
 the
 sickle
 of
 his
 machine
 cut
 off
 one
 leg
 
before
 the
 knee.
 Later,
 she
 had
 to
 have
 assistance
 of
 Towner
 County
 whose
 
Commissioners
 provided
 her
 with
 an
 artificial
 limb
 and
 sent
 her
 to
 our
 
Society
 to
 be
 cared
 for
 and
 educated
 in
 the
 public
 schools.
 We
 have
 had
 her
 
6-­‐7
 years
 and
 she
 is
 now
 past
 her
 majority,
 but
 is
 determined
 to
 have
 an
 
education
 and
 is
 being
 fitted
 to
 become
 a
 stenographer
 .
 .
 .
 She
 is
 unusually
 
bright,
 in
 high
 school
 in
 Fargo;
 of
 religious
 disposition
 and
 very
 attentive
 to
 
her
 studies.
 When
 she
 becomes
 proficient
 in
 her
 work,
 I
 hope
 to
 employ
 her
 
as
 stenographer
 in
 the
 home.35
 

 
No
 matter
 the
 condition
 of
 child,
 Hall
 and
 the
 NDCHS
 were
 willing
 to
 take
 them
 and
 

provide
 shelter,
 education,
 and
 care—and
 as
 evidenced
 by
 the
 story
 above,
 they
 

were
 also
 sure
 to
 keep
 in
 touch
 with
 their
 wards,
 even
 when
 they
 reached
 

adulthood.
 

Life
 at
 the
 Home
 


  Hall
 was
 always
 certain
 to
 emphasize
 that
 the
 NDCHS
 was
 not
 the
 final
 

destination
 for
 the
 children
 they
 took
 in.
 He
 was
 insistent
 that
 the
 best
 environment
 

for
 children
 was
 family
 life.
 According
 to
 Hall,
 “the
 child
 who
 is
 permanently
 in
 an
 

institution
 does
 not
 develop
 into
 an
 all-­‐round
 boy
 or
 girl
 .
 .
 .
 but
 lacks
 independence
 

of
 action
 and
 thought.”36
 His
 thoughts
 are
 backed
 up
 by
 modern
 research:
 according
 

to
 a
 study
 done
 in
 multiple
 countries
 around
 the
 world,
 “Children
 exposed
 to
 

institutional
 care
 do
 not
 receive
 the
 type
 of
 nurturing
 and
 stimulating
 environment
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

35
 “Children’s
 Home
 Cases
 Related
 by
 Superintendent
 Hall”,
 page
 2.
 
36
 Maricich,
 12.
 


  20
 

needed
 for
 normal
 growth
 and
 healthy
 psychological
 development.”37
 Every
 effort
 

was
 made
 by
 Hall
 to
 place
 children
 within
 families—as
 well
 as
 providing
 the
 best
 

care
 possible
 for
 the
 children
 that
 were
 still
 at
 the
 home,
 keeping
 it
 as
 far
 away
 from
 

an
 “institution”
 as
 possible.
 


  The
 health
 of
 the
 children
 was
 of
 utmost
 

importance
 to
 Hall
 and
 his
 staff,
 and
 full-­‐time
 nurses
 kept
 

an
 eye
 on
 their
 well-­‐being.
 A
 physician
 was
 also
 employed
 

by
 the
 home:
 Dr.
 J.G.
 Dillon
 of
 Fargo
 kept
 a
 painstaking
 

record
 of
 each
 illness.
 Whooping
 cough,
 pneumonia,
 

typhoid,
 and
 several
 epidemics
 of
 diphtheria
 plagued
 the
 

children.
 Death
 was
 not
 uncommon
 in
 the
 early
 days
 of
 

the
 Children’s
 Home,
 most
 often
 for
 infants
 under
 a
 year
 

old.
 In
 his
 report
 from
 April
 1914,
 Dr.
 Dillon
 reports
 nine
 

deaths—all
 infants,
 with
 an
 average
 age
 of
 64
 days.38
 He
 

also
 made
 recommendations
 for
 improving
 the
 health
 of
 

the
 children
 at
 home,
 including
 everything
 from
 

increasing
 the
 nursing
 staff
 and
 encouraging
 outdoor
  Figure
 8:
 Portrait
 of
 child
 at
 the
 
playtime:
 
  NDCHS,
 1912.
 

There
 is
 but
 one
 recommendation
 I
 wish
 to
 present
 to
 the
 Board
 for
 its
 
consideration,
 and
 that
 is
 the
 utilization
 of
 the
 spacious
 grounds
 surrounding
 
the
 Home
 as
 an
 attractive
 and
 well
 equipped
 playground.
 Before
 we
 can
 fully
 
discharge
 out
 obligations
 to
 our
 little
 charges,
 we
 must
 not
 only
 feed
 and
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

37
 Marinus
 H.
 van
 IJzendoorn,
 Jesus
 Palacios,
 and
 Edmund
 Sonuga-­‐Barke.
 "Children
 
in
 Institutional
 Care:
 Delayed
 Development
 and
 Resilience."
 Children
 Without
 Permanent
 

Parents:
 Research,
 Practice,
 and
 Policy
 76,
 no.
 4
 (2011):
 8-­‐30.
 

38
 “House
 Physician’s
 Report,
 1914”
 Administration
 Documents
 1897-­‐1934,
 The
 
Village
 Family
 Service
 Center,
 North
 Dakota.
 
 


  21
 

clothe
 them,
 mother
 and
 father
 them,
 but
 we
 must
 also
 minister
 to
 their
 
needs
 for
 wholesome
 play
 in
 attractive
 surroundings
 out
 of
 doors.
 

 
Dr.
 Dillon,
 like
 Hall
 and
 the
 other
 members
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 staff,
 took
 his
 duty
 of
 

keeping
 the
 children
 healthy
 and
 happy
 very
 seriously.
 Activities
 to
 keep
 the
 

children
 entertained
 were
 often
 planned
 to
 improve
 spirits.
 Because
 of
 the
 

circumstances
 in
 which
 many
 arrived
 at
 the
 home,
 either
 rescued
 from
 abuse
 or
 

forcibly
 removed,
 the
 NDCHS
 could
 become
 a
 gloomy
 place,
 especially
 for
 older
 

children.
 To
 combat
 this,
 opportunities
 to
 have
 a
 little
 fun
 were
 organized.
 

According
 to
 the
 August
 1912
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 the
 children
 were
 taken
 on
 an
 

outing
 to
 the
 North
 Dakota
 State
 Fair,
 where
 they
 “all
 enjoyed
 the
 merry-­‐go-­‐round
 

and
 other
 attractions,
 ate
 popcorn
 and
 candy
 and
 had
 all
 the
 lemonade
 they
 wanted”
 

due
 to
 the
 generosity
 of
 several
 members
 of
 the
 NDCHS
 Ladies
 Auxiliary.39
 The
 

generosity
 of
 the
 organizations
 of
 Fargo
 made
 many
 gifts
 for
 the
 children
 possible,
 

including
 special
 treats
 at
 Christmas.
 Hazel
 Barringer
 Hoeppner,
 who
 stayed
 at
 the
 

home
 in
 the
 through
 the
 early
 1920s,
 writes:
 
 

Christmas
 was
 a
 very
 special
 time
 for
 all
 of
 us.
 We
 always
 had
 a
 tree
 and
 gifts
 
for
 everyone.
 To
 make
 our
 lives
 happier,
 many
 organizations,
 such
 as
 
Kiwanis,
 Rotary,
 Eagles,
 Pythians,
 Salvation
 Army,
 Masons,
 and
 may
 others
 
would
 bring
 us
 fruit,
 gifts,
 and
 candy.
 Each
 night
 after
 school
 we
 would
 have
 
treat.40
 

 
While
 treats
 and
 entertainment
 were
 important,
 Hall
 and
 his
 staff
 also
 instilled
 in
 

the
 children
 a
 sense
 of
 discipline.
 Orders
 were
 to
 be
 followed
 precisely,
 and
 

manners
 and
 respect
 for
 elders
 were
 taught
 to
 all
 the
 children
 no
 matter
 their
 age.
 

Hazel
 Hoeppner
 writes
 about
 an
 average
 morning
 at
 the
 home
 in
 the
 early
 1920s:
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

39
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder,
 Vol.
 9.
 No.
 3
 (August
 15,
 1912).
 
40
 Nelson,
 149.
 


  22
 

At
 the
 Home,
 our
 day
 started
 at
 6
 o’clock.
 There
 was
 an
 average
 of
 28
 kids,
 
ranging
 from
 babies
 to
 15
 or
 16
 years
 of
 age.
 There
 was
 a
 night
 nurse
 on
 duty
 
during
 the
 night
 and
 the
 helpers
 came
 on
 at
 6
 o’clock;
 getting
 the
 children
 
washed,
 dressed,
 and
 ready
 for
 breakfast.
 The
 first
 bell
 rang
 at
 quarter
 to
 7,
 
which
 meant
 that
 everyone
 should
 gather
 in
 the
 worker’s
 dining
 room
 for
 
devotionals
 headed
 by
 Daddy
 Hall.
 In
 case
 of
 his
 absence,
 a
 nurse
 was
 
authorized
 to
 take
 his
 place
 for
 devotions.
 
 
After
 age
 14,
 the
 older
 girls
 were
 allowed
 to
 sit
 together
 at
 a
 special
 table
 in
 
the
 worker’s
 dining
 room.
 The
 other
 children
 went
 to
 their
 tables
 in
 the
 
children’s
 dining
 room.
 They
 were
 taught
 to
 say
 grace
 before
 their
 dinners
 
and
 suppers
 and
 to
 learn
 table
 manners.
 We
 always
 had
 plenty
 to
 eat,
 and
 
could
 even
 have
 seconds
 if
 we
 cleaned
 our
 plates
 .
 .
 .
 We
 were
 never
 allowed
 
to
 leave
 the
 table
 until
 everyone
 was
 finished
 or
 excused
 by
 the
 worker
 in
 
charge.
 This
 discipline
 was
 instilled
 with
 me
 the
 rest
 of
 my
 life.41
 

 
Hall
 hoped
 this
 routine
 would
 help
 the
 children
 later
 on
 in
 life,
 as
 well
 as
 in
 their
 

adoptive
 homes.
 His
 purpose
 was
 to
 help
 them
 improve
 themselves
 and
 live
 happily
 

during
 their
 time
 at
 the
 NDCHS,
 until
 they
 were
 able
 live
 in
 a
 family
 environment
 

once
 again.
 

Orphanages
 in
 the
 United
 States
 &
 the
 Legacy
 of
 Frank
 Hall
 


  Frank
 Hall
 and
 the
 NDCHS
 were
 not
 the
 only
 ones
 concerned
 with
 bettering
 

the
 lives
 of
 children.
 Building
 on
 the
 mission
 of
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society,
 similar
 

children’s
 homes
 had
 been
 established
 throughout
 the
 United
 States.
 It
 is
 through
 

these
 organizations
 and
 those
 similar
 to
 them
 that
 the
 more
 regulated
 systems
 of
 

adoption
 in
 the
 United
 States
 begin.42
 In
 1909,
 President
 Theodore
 Roosevelt
 held
 a
 

conference
 in
 Washington,
 D.C.
 on
 child
 welfare,
 the
 first
 ever
 “White
 House
 

Conference
 for
 Dependent
 Children.”
 Hall
 was
 invited
 to
 this
 conference
 in
 

recognition
 of
 his
 expertise
 and
 work
 in
 the
 field.43
 This
 conference
 sparked
 a
 new
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
41
 Nelson,
 151.
 

42
 E.
 Wayne
 Carp,
 Adoption
 in
 America:
 Historical
 Perspectives
 (Ann
 Arbor,
 Michigan:
 
University
 of
 Michigan
 Press,
 2002),
 140.
 

43
 Hall,
 123.
 


  23
 

interest
 in
 legislature
 protecting
 children
 and
 regulating
 adoption.
 Minnesota
 was
 

one
 of
 the
 first
 states
 to
 explicitly
 seal
 adoption
 records,
 and
 legally
 regulate
 that
 

“proper
 subjects
 for
 adoption”
 should
 go
 to
 “suitable”
 homes.44
 The
 conference
 also
 

discussed
 the
 importance
 of
 keeping
 children
 with
 “worthy”
 parents,
 rather
 than
 

bringing
 them
 to
 an
 orphanage:
 “Children
 of
 worthy
 parents
 or
 deserving
 mothers
 

should,
 as
 a
 rule,
 be
 kept
 with
 their
 parents
 at
 home.”
 Delegates
 at
 the
 conference
 

discussed
 how
 to
 keep
 children
 in
 the
 homes
 of
 poor
 parents
 “suffering
 from
 

temporary
 misfortune
 and
 .
 .
 .
 widows
 of
 worthy
 character
 and
 reasonable
 

efficiency.”45
 This
 was
 in
 part
 to
 combat
 the
 large
 influx
 of
 parents
 bringing
 their
 

children
 to
 orphanages
 due
 to
 their
 own
 poverty,
 as
 well
 as
 to
 regulate
 the
 actions
 of
 

authorities
 that
 might
 take
 children
 away
 from
 their
 parents
 too
 hastily.
 
 

When
 Frank
 Hall
 returned
 to
 North
 Dakota,
 

he
 became
 more
 greatly
 involved
 in
 child
 

welfare
 legislation.
 He
 fought
 vigorously
 

for
 the
 Mother’s
 Pension
 Law
 in
 1915,
 

which
 gave
 federal
 aid
 to
 single
 mothers
 

raising
 children.
 He
 had
 seen
 the
 need
 of
 

such
 mothers
 first-­‐hand.
 Starting
 in
 1923,
 

Figure
 9:
 Frank
 Hall
 at
 his
 writing
 desk,
 circa
 1920.
  he
 also
 was
 a
 member
 of
 North
 Dakota’s
 

Children’s
 Code
 Commission,
 which
 sought
 to
 create
 legislation
 that
 would
 protect
 

the
 rights
 of
 children
 in
 the
 state.
 Sadly,
 Hall’s
 work
 with
 child
 welfare
 would
 come
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

44
 Lori
 Askeland.
 Children
 and
 Youth
 in
 Adoption,
 Orphanages,
 and
 Foster
 Care:
 A
 

Historical
 Handbook
 and
 Guide
 (Westport,
 Connecticut:
 Greenwood
 Press,
 2006),
 113.
 

45
 Jessie
 B.
 Ramey,
 Child
 Care
 in
 Black
 and
 White:
 Working
 Parents
 and
 the
 History
 of
 
Orphanages
 (Urbana:
 University
 of
 Illinois
 Press,
 2012),
 22.
 


  24
 

to
 an
 end
 when
 in
 1926
 he
 suffered
 a
 debilitating
 stroke.
 His
 entire
 left
 side
 was
 
paralyzed;
 he
 was
 forced
 to
 retire
 from
 his
 role
 as
 Superintendent.
 He
 and
 Nellie
 
remained
 in
 Fargo
 for
 a
 time,
 before
 moving
 to
 Holtville,
 California,
 where
 she,
 
somewhat
 experienced
 in
 nursing,
 took
 care
 of
 him.
 In
 1935,
 they
 returned
 to
 
Geneva,
 Ohio,
 where
 Frank
 Hall
 died
 on
 June
 24th,
 1937.46
 
 

  In
 his
 24
 years
 as
 the
 Superintendent
 of
 the
 NDCHS,
 Hall
 helped
 hundreds
 of
 
children
 find
 caring
 families,
 and
 gave
 them
 a
 safe
 haven
 in
 the
 meantime.
 The
 
children’s
 home
 would
 continue
 on
 in
 his
 absence,
 eventually
 renaming
 themselves
 
The
 Children’s
 Village
 in
 1956.
 As
 the
 foster
 care
 system
 grew,
 The
 Children’s
 Village
 
was
 needed
 less
 as
 a
 home
 for
 disadvantaged
 children,
 and
 so
 they
 increased
 other
 
operations,
 eventually
 adding
 counseling
 and
 various
 other
 services
 while
 still
 
retaining
 adoption
 services.
 The
 organization
 is
 known
 today
 as
 The
 Village
 Family
 
Service
 Center,
 helping
 over
 80,000
 people
 per
 year
 at
 their
 various
 locations
 in
 
North
 Dakota
 through
 addiction
 counseling,
 adoption
 services,
 financial
 counseling,
 
and
 more.
 Their
 mission
 is
 to
 “improve
 the
 quality
 of
 life
 through
 services
 designed
 
to
 strengthen
 individuals,
 families
 and
 organizations”—just
 as
 Frank
 Hall
 intended
 
to
 improve
 the
 life
 of
 the
 children
 of
 North
 Dakota.47
 
Conclusion
 

  The
 children
 placed
 on
 trains
 from
 eastern
 child
 welfare
 societies
 to
 the
 West
 
and
 Midwest
 by
 the
 Children’s
 Aid
 Society
 were
 sent
 with
 the
 best
 of
 intentions—
Charles
 Loring
 Brace
 and
 his
 supporters
 believed
 that
 these
 abandoned
 and
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

46
 Hall,
 263.
 
47"About
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center."
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center.
 
https://thevillagefamily.org/about.
 


 
 


  25
 

neglected
 children
 would
 have
 better
 lives
 outside
 of
 the
 slums
 of
 the
 large
 cities.
 
These
 urban
 areas
 were
 also
 overpopulated,
 and
 the
 rural
 areas
 of
 the
 United
 States
 
were
 under
 populated
 in
 comparison.
 Those
 who
 genuinely
 wanted
 to
 adopt
 a
 new
 
son
 or
 daughter
 rejoiced
 in
 the
 convenient
 process
 of
 the
 orphan
 trains,
 but
 the
 
system
 was
 also
 convenient
 for
 individuals
 looking
 for
 cheap
 labor.
 While
 there
 
were
 regulations
 in
 place
 to
 screen
 potential
 parents
 for
 the
 orphan
 train
 riders,
 the
 
sheer
 amount
 of
 children
 sent
 out
 made
 it
 nearly
 impossible
 to
 keep
 track
 of
 the
 
conditions
 in
 which
 they
 were
 living.
 
 

The
 stories
 of
 child
 abuse
 and
 neglect
 inspired
 the
 creation
 of
 smaller
 
Children’s
 Societies
 throughout
 the
 United
 States
 to
 keep
 a
 more
 vigilant
 eye
 on
 the
 
conditions
 of
 children
 in
 the
 area.
 The
 Minnesota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 was
 
created
 with
 this
 intention.
 While
 helping
 the
 children
 of
 Minnesota,
 the
 leaders
 of
 
the
 Minnesota
 Children’s
 Home
 Society
 realized
 the
 need
 for
 a
 similar
 society
 in
 the
 
Dakota
 territory,
 and
 Reverend
 C.J.
 McConnehey
 was
 sent
 to
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota
 to
 
establish
 a
 new
 society
 in
 the
 region
 in
 1891.
 The
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 
Society
 was
 created
 to
 help
 the
 vulnerable
 children
 of
 the
 plains,
 and
 through
 the
 
work
 of
 McConnehey
 and
 his
 successor
 Reverend
 B.H.
 Brasted,
 the
 NDCHS
 became
 
established
 in
 the
 Fargo
 region.
 Frank
 Hall
 would
 build
 upon
 the
 work
 of
 these
 men,
 
expanding
 the
 number
 of
 children
 given
 aid,
 and
 making
 the
 home
 into
 a
 safe
 haven,
 
not
 simply
 an
 institutional
 orphanage.
 Hall
 believed
 that
 children
 were
 best
 raised
 
in
 a
 family,
 and
 so
 did
 his
 best
 to
 place
 his
 young
 charges
 into
 loving
 homes.
 His
 
leadership
 and
 efforts,
 as
 well
 as
 those
 of
 his
 predecessors,
 made
 the
 NDCHS
 into
 an
 
important
 organization
 in
 North
 Dakota.
 It
 was
 perhaps
 most
 important
 for
 the
 


  26
 

hundreds
 of
 vulnerable
 children
 that
 “Daddy”
 Hall
 met
 at
 the
 train
 station
 platform
 

in
 Fargo—providing
 them
 with
 a
 chance
 for
 a
 new
 life.
 


 

Bibliography
 

Primary
 Sources:
 
 

Administration
 Documents,
 1897-­‐1934.
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center,
 Fargo,
 
ND.
 


 
The
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 (1906-­‐1925),
 Volumes
 2-­‐22,
 1906-­‐1925,
 

Fargo,
 North
 Dakota.
 

 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 
Secondary
 Sources:
 

 
"About
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center."
 The
 Village
 Family
 Service
 Center.
 

Accessed
 December
 10,
 2015.
 https://thevillagefamily.org/about.
 

 
Askeland,
 Lori.
 Children
 and
 Youth
 in
 Adoption,
 Orphanages,
 and
 Foster
 Care:
 A
 

Historical
 Handbook
 and
 Guide.
 Westport,
 Connecticut:
 Greenwood
 Press,
 
2006.
 

 
Carp,
 E.
 Wayne.
 Adoption
 in
 America:
 Historical
 Perspectives.
 Ann
 Arbor,
 Michigan:
 
University
 of
 Michigan
 Press,
 2002.
 

 
"Fire
 of
 1893."
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota:
 Its
 History
 and
 Images.
 Accessed
 December
 13,
 
2015.
 http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-­‐history/?q=content/fire-­‐1893.
 

 
"History
 of
 The
 Children's
 Aid
 Society."
 The
 Children's
 Aid
 Society.
 Accessed
 
September
 30,
 2015.
 http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/about/history.
 

 
"History."
 National
 Orphan
 Train
 Complex.
 Accessed
 September
 16,
 2015.
 
http://orphantraindepot.org/history/.
 

 
Holt,
 Marilyn
 Irvin.
 The
 Orphan
 Trains:
 Placing
 Out
 in
 America.
 Lincoln:
 University
 
of
 Nebraska
 Press.
 1992.
 

 
Nelson,
 Dorothy
 A.
 Lund.
 The
 Home
 We
 Shared:
 History
 and
 Memoir
 of
 the
 North
 
Dakota
 Children's
 Home
 at
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota.
 2nd
 ed.
 Rochester,
 
Minnesota:
 Davies
 Print.,
 2004.
 

 


  27
 

O'Connor,
 Stephen.
 Orphan
 Trains
 :
 The
 Story
 of
 Charles
 Loring
 Brace
 and
 the
 
Children
 He
 Saved
 and
 Failed.
 Boston:
 Houghton
 Mifflin.
 2001.
 


 
Ramey,
 Jessie
 B.
 Child
 Care
 in
 Black
 and
 White:
 Working
 Parents
 and
 the
 History
 of
 

Orphanages.
 Urbana:
 University
 of
 Illinois
 Press,
 2012.
 

 
Van
 IJzendoorn,
 Marinus
 H.,
 Jesus
 Palacios,
 and
 Edmund
 Sonuga-­‐Barke.
 "Children
 in
 

Institutional
 Care:
 Delayed
 Development
 and
 Resilience."
 Children
 Without
 
Permanent
 Parents:
 Research,
 Practice,
 and
 Policy
 76,
 no.
 4
 (2011):
 8-­‐30.
 

 
Image
 Sources
 

 
Title
 Page:
 Frank
 Hall
 with
 children,
 circa
 1920.
 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 
Figure
 1:
 Orphan
 train
 arriving
 at
 unknown
 location.
 

 Scheuerman,
 Dan.
 "Lost
 Children:
 Riders
 on
 the
 Orphan
 Train."
 National
 
Endowment
 for
 the
 Humanities.
 Accessed
 December
 8,
 2015.
 
http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/novemberdecember/feature/lost-­‐
children-­‐riders-­‐the-­‐orphan-­‐train.
 

 
Figure
 2:
 Advertisement
 placed
 in
 a
 Troy,
 Missouri
 newspaper
 in
 1910.
 
Askeland,
 Lori.
 Children
 and
 Youth
 in
 Adoption,
 Orphanages,
 and
 Foster
 Care:
 A
 
Historical
 Handbook
 and
 Guide.
 Westport,
 Connecticut:
 Greenwood
 Press,
 
2006.
 

 
Figure
 3:
 Fargo
 Fire
 of
 1893,
 Front
 Street.
 Photograph
 taken
 by
 O.E.
 Flaten.
 
 
"Fire
 of
 1893."
 Fargo,
 North
 Dakota:
 Its
 History
 and
 Images.
 Accessed
 December
 13,
 
2015.
 http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-­‐history/?q=content/fire-­‐1893.
 

 
Figure
 4:
 Young
 Frank
 Hall,
 circa
 1879.
 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 
Figure
 5:
 The
 NDHS
 Receiving
 Home,
 circa
 1900.
 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 
Figure
 6:
 The
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 
The
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 (1906-­‐1925),
 Volumes
 2-­‐22,
 1906-­‐1925,
 
Fargo,
 North
 Dakota.
 

 
Figure
 7:
 Frank
 Hall
 with
 children,
 circa
 1920.
 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 
Figure
 8:
 Portrait
 of
 child
 at
 the
 NDCHS,
 1912.
 
The
 North
 Dakota
 Children’s
 Home
 Finder
 (1906-­‐1925),
 Volumes
 2-­‐22,
 1906-­‐1925,
 
Fargo,
 North
 Dakota.
 


  28
 

 
Figure
 9:
 Frank
 Hall
 at
 his
 writing
 desk,
 circa
 1920.
 
Hall,
 Frank
 Drew.
 The
 Autobiography
 of
 Frank
 Drew
 Hall.
 2013.
 

 


  29