206.1167.4-5

The New York Juvenile Asylum, an orphanage and school, in 1904. This photo shows the girls division around the time Celina Beranger (Brekke) was a resident. Celina, whose parents were alive but unable to care for her, had been placed in the home by her father in when she was six years old. At the age of ten, she was placed on an "orphan train" that travelled to the midwest. The orphan train, a project of the state of New York, was an effort to relieve the crowding in state institutions for indigent children. Celina lived with several families in Illinois and Iowa. At the age of nineteen, she married Jacob Brekke and lived for two years in Nevada, Iowa. In 1911, Celina and Jacob began farming in the Roland area. For more information, see Appendix B, "Looking for Home in Iowa: the Orphan Train Experience," by Carol Kenealy in "Ames in Wor and Picture, Book Three: Tales from Two Old-Timers," 2003. (See also: 206.1168.1-5)