My Ancestor Went On An Orphan Train?

Two blog articles within 24 hours! It probably won't happen again, at least for a while.

More insight into this mystery. I have had the help of experienced genealogists working with me today, and here is what I have found:

(Remember, this is still theoretical).

It looks like Capitola Grinlinton Guth may have gone on an orphan Train sometime after her birth but before she was 14. There is no logical reason that a person would start out in New York, and end up living with another family that doesn't even appear to be related, in a state far away. So, a couple of people have suggested that I look into the Orphan Train History.

Lots of children were sent on Orphan Trains during this time period. Life must have been very hard for families who lived in this time period. When we read about the History in America during the 1800s, we don't hear about Orphan Trains and the difficult life people had to live through each day.

Someone else also has access to the records in Essex County, NJ., and has found that according to a record, George William Guth had been married once prior to his marriage to Capitola. This is also a surprise to me. I will look into this tomorrow when I have some time.

If Capitola did indeed go on an Orphan Train, this explains a lot. It helps explain why we can't find her in any census records of New York or New Jersey until she gets married. It explains why, on her death certificate, it says she was born in Illinois. It helps us to understand that if she is truly the child of Robert Grinlinton and Julia Carnrike, then why her name never appears in the census records of this family, when they were taken.