Washington County farm family raises newborn found in suitcase tossed from train in 1902

St.LoiusPostDispatch ^ | 8/17/2013 | Tim O’Neil

[Daffynition]

[metmom]

There are monsters and heroes in all eras.

[ClearCase_guy]

Breaking news?

[Jonty30]

Did you know about this already?

[Ditter]

What a story! I was 13 years old in Houston in 1953 when he died. I wonder if my dad knew Bill Helms? We will never know.

[cripplecreek]

The town where I grew up had a lot of old timers who arrived in the area on the orphan trains.

Michigan was in relatively good shape during the depression and dust bowl. Families that could use a couple of extra hands took a lot of those kids in. My great grandmother told me that the local pastor took in lots of siblings that he personally placed with local families so the siblings wouldn’t scattered to the winds.

[Popman]

Families that could use a couple of extra hands took a lot of those kids in. My great grandmother told me that the local pastor took in lots of siblings that he personally placed with local families so the siblings wouldn’t scattered to the winds.

Wait, you mean regular people took christian compassion on people in distress without any child services or big government oversight to ensure they were "qualified"

Amazing we survived as a nation with their help...

[cripplecreek]

“Old Bill” was brain damaged somewhere along the way but was functional enough to care for himself in his home. The great grandsons of the family that took him in financially supported him in his old age. They ran the farm that I worked on and Old Bill was there in the office every day. My bosses gave him simple tasks to keep him busy like running short errands to town.

[PLMerite]

It would be interesting to put some of his kids’ DNA into the system and see what happens.

[Cyber Liberty]

A lot of those people in S Michigan were Amish. The real kind, like from Lancaster PA.

[cripplecreek]

All around Litchfield, Jonesville, Hillsdale. Lots of Amish up north these days too. There were a lot of them around Evart Michigan when I lived up there. I even ran into Amish on the lake Superior shore.

[Cyber Liberty]

North Adams.

[JoanneSD]

Lots of Amish living in the Manton area now as well,

[publius911]

This is the sort of tantalizing mystery for which the modern miracle of science, DNA, was eventually created.
Granted, at this late date nothing useful would be learned, about just another "ordinary" man.

[Mercat]

The Importance of Being Ernest. Only he was left in a railway station in a large handbag.

[cloudmountain]

It would be interesting to put some of his kids’ DNA into the system and see what happens.

This has nothing to do with the topic but I noted the DNA comment.
I had my DNA done some years ago. It was an "in" thing to do for a while. I knew my own background, I THOUGHT.
DNA doesn't lie. I sent in the swab and got back my results: 92% European and 8% East Asian.
Whaaaat?! East Asian?!?!
Where the HECK did that 8% come from?
Verrrry interesting!

My mother, who has a European background (German, French, English) was a little more East Asian and a little less European. My father, from Mexico, was a little less East Asian and a little more European. Go figure.

[marjiwoj]

Thanks for posting this. What an interesting bit of
Americana. (Cute baby too!)

[Daffynition]

Paddington, anyone? :)

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]