NOTC Database Name Search
Free.
Do you think that your ancestor could be an Orphan Train Rider (OTR)? Do you know that your ancestor was an OTR but want to know more information about him or her? If you answer yes to either of these questions, then a NOTC Database Name Search is the best way to get started!
NOTC maintains a thriving Orphan Train Rider database that contains collected information on 8,000+ children who rode the orphan trains. This information was either given by the OTRs themselves, was submitted by their descendants, or was researched by NOTC. We are happy to check this database for an ancestor’s name, and if found, share the information we have collected. Please note that the amount of information we have on each OTR varies from person to person.
To request a NOTC Database name search*, please fill out the form below or email orphantraindepot@gmail.com with the subject line entitled: “NOTC Database Name Search”
If sending an email, please include as much of the following information as possible:
- Your name
- Your relationship to the Orphan Train Rider
- All Orphan Train Rider names used and indicate if the names are birth/adopted/married name
- OTR Birthdate and location of birth OR approximate year of birth
- Location and year the OTR was adopted/placed, if known
- Names of all known OTR parents and specify if they are birth or adopted parent names
- Note if the OTR was Catholic, Protestant, Other, or Unknown Religion
It is important to include as much information as possible to give us the widest net to cast while searching our database.
*This is for database name searches only. Research must be requested separately, see below.
Research Request
Paid.
If we do not currently have information on the Orphan Train Rider you are looking for, we offer research services. We utilize public records to find information such as when a rider rode the train, which agent they travelled with, and any news articles about their placement. To request research on a rider, please print and mail the Research Request Form along with the research fee to the address listed below. Research requests are generally completed within 3 months, but may take longer if we have a high volume of requests.
Our current research fee is $100 per name. A minimum of 2 hours will be spent researching each name. Once the total payment of $100 (per child) is received and research is complete, we will mail you all the information we found and then create a file for our archival file records or add to the Rider’s already existing file.
Note: No walk-in research will be conducted without prior reservation.
Please mail completed Research Request form and fee* to:
National Orphan Train Complex
PO Box 322
Concordia, KS 66901
[*You may pay over the phone with a credit/debit card. Please call (785) 243-4471 to arrange payment.]
***Research Request Form click here.***
Accessing the American Female Guardian Society (AFGS) Records
We are lucky to have many of the American Female Guardian Society’s records from their New York City orphanage, the Home for the Friendless, in our collection. These records include certificates signed by parents surrendering their children to the AFGS and books full of detailed accounts of children’s movements within the foster system. Many of these books are now available online through Family Search.
To access the AFGS records through Family Search, *click this link* or…follow these steps:
1. Log in or create a free account on Family Search.
2. Select “Search” along the top menu bar.
3. Select “Images” from the Search drop down menu, or from the secondary top menu bar.
4. Fill in the following information in the search fields:
Place – New York City, New York, United States (1898-Present)
Life Event – Legal
Record Type – Orphanage Records
Images can be downloaded from Family Search, and can be attached to family trees in Family Search.