Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc.
Headquartered in Bolivar, Missouri, United States of America

President's Corner

Orphan Train comes to Bolivar

The Children’s Aid Society of New York was founded in 1853. The mission being that they could take
children from the streets and orphanages of New York and send them to a better life in the Midwest. The
orphan trains, which ran from 1853-1929, were designed to transport orphans and half-orphans to a better
life in the Midwest. This must have been a culture shock to children that had never experienced the hills and
hollows of the Ozarks. Most had never seen such wide-open spaces, cows, deep woods, orchards and ticks.

In December of 1889, the first train of orphans from New York arrived in Bolivar. The trip was a success
with seventeen of the children being placed in homes around Polk County. The process for taking in the
children was, as follows: committees of men were chosen by the Society to screen potential families. The
Polk County committee consisted of D. W. Faulkner, T. H. B. Dunnegan, J. J. Akard, J. W. Ross and F. A.
Affleck.

The families had to agree to the following conditions: children fifteen years old are expected to work until
they are seventeen years old for their board and clothes; then they are at liberty to make their own arrangements.
Children between twelve and fifteen are expected to work for their board and clothes until they are seventeen,
but must be sent to school for a part of each year, and after age fifteen they should receive some wages. Children
under twelve are expected to remain until they are eighteen and must be treated by the applicants as their own
children.

When the train reached Bolivar they had seventeen children on board, thirteen boys and four girls, ranging in
age from seventeen to four years. An agent accompanied them from the Children’s Aid Society of New York,
Mr. E. Trott. The citizens of Bolivar, who met the train, were pleasantly surprise by the appearance of the children.
Instead of being rough, uncouth and ignorant the children appeared well-dressed and intelligent-looking. The
newspaper reported "It is to be feared that the impression made upon the children by the citizens was not so
favorable, for one little fellow exclaimed, as he stepped from the car and looked at the crowd, "Well, is this
Bolivar’s best! "

The children were transported to the courthouse and seated in a row of chairs within the railing of the courtroom.
When applications for children were called for by the Mayor, the responses were so numerous that it soon became
evident that there were not enough children to go around. The names of the applicants were given to the local
committee whose approval had to be obtained before a child could be awarded. The approved applicants were
then allowed to make their choices. It fell to Mr. John F. French of Rondo to make the first choice. He picked
out a "bright thirteen year old boy" named Henry J. Smith.

The following is a list, as it appeared in the Bolivar Free Press, of the children spoken for:

Robert Hicks, ten years old, taken by S. S. Carrier, of Bolivar;
Mary Hicks, nine years, taken by R. J. Gage, of Bolivar;
Sarah Hicks, ten years, taken by W. R. Spoon, of Bolivar;
Mary Hicks, eight years and six months, taken by F. W. Adams, of Bolivar.

(The first two children named above are brother and sister, and the next two are sisters, and cousins of the first.)

Willie Gardner, nine years, taken by H. F. Caldwell, of Bolivar;
James Gross, seven years, taken by W. W. Lusk, of Halfway;
Frank Buck, aged five, taken by C. M. Bowman, of Bolivar;
Geo. A. Owens, aged six, taken by E. S. Bronson, of Bolivar;
James Devine, aged six, Ira P. Warren, of Bolivar;
Wm. J. Brooks, aged seventeen, E. F. Mayfield, of Goodnight;
James Jackson, aged sixteen, taken by S. A. Griffin of Shady Grove;
John L. Davis, twelve, R. B. Lee of Bolivar;
Arthur Van Orden, aged ten, W. H. Branham of Halfway;
Annie Schlinder, eight years and three months old, taken by Alexander Griffin of Brighton;
Freddie Wodruff, four years, taken by W. J. Wallace of Bolivar;
and Jacob Good, aged six, taken by Rev. J. F. Martin of Bolivar.

After the children were awarded to a local family, they were encouraged to write to the Society about their
care and could be removed if it was not adequate. The Society also planned yearly trips to check on the children.

Since the children were dispersed in 1889 and the 1890 census does not exist anymore, I turned to the 1900
Federal Census of Polk County to try and find these children. I did not have much luck but did find three of
them still living in the county in 1900. One of them was embraced by the family and even took their surname.
The other two were listed as laborer and servant under different families than the ones that originally took them
in.

I found it interesting how small towns like Bolivar helped a huge city like New York take care of their
cast-off children. I can only hope they found peace and happiness in our Ozark Hills.

Susan Sparks

Fossils and Footprints (See The Rest of the Story below)

Bolivar's first streets were made of mud and crushed rock. At each of the crosswalks around the
square there were large flat rocks so that people using the rudimentary sidewalks of the time would
not have to dirty their feet, or the ladies their long dresses, while crossing the dirt street. The streets
surrounding our courthouse were paved for the first time in 1912. The entire project cost $9,000,
with the county paying $5,300 and the business owners on the square picking up the remaining amount.
As soon as the paving was completed, the city crew started tearing up the crosswalks so that they could
also be cemented. While tearing up the crosswalk on the northwest side of the square, a geological
discovery, of great importance at the time, was made. When one of the large flat stones was turned over,
the underside was found to contain two impressions of a child's foot. One of the tracks, the one made by
the right foot, was very distinct. All that remained of the other was the heel mark, the balance having
eroded away or having been chipped off when the stone was quarried. The footprints were shod in
moccasins and were as clear as if they had just been made. The stone was quarried about 20 years
previous to its discovery. This stone was taken to a local expert, J. M. Leavitt. Leavitt had been a
collector of Indian artifacts for years and had a house full of items that he had collected in Polk County
during his lifetime. Local photos were taken of the stone and then the U. S. Geological Survey was
alerted to the find. Where are these today? No one knows but they may have been sent to Washington,
D.C. or used as a doorstop until lost to time.

Susan Sparks

THE REST OF THE STORY

By Jean Pufahl Vincent

I received my monthly edition of the Polk County Genealogical Society's newsletter and, as usual, read
it with great interest. I found Susan Sparks' article about the "Moccasin Rock" to be the most interesting
thing I had read for some time. She mentioned that the rock had been given to J. M. Leavitt and that no one
knows where the rock is today. However, David and I do know where the rock is, and here's the "rest of the
story."

I grew up in a neighborhood populated by many family members. My Grandparents Pufahl lived across the
street in one house, and my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin lived next to them. They all lived in wonderful, big old
houses--ours wasn't nearly as big as theirs, but we all had free access to the houses, the yards, and the fields
out behind. My uncle, Pete Leavitt (son of J.M. Leavitt), had marvelous things in his back yard-all kinds of
animals in cages (including skunks) that he took in when they were injured and 'doctored' them, and he also
had a fascinating rock. It had a depression in it that looks just like what a moccasin-clad child's footprint
would look like if the child stepped in the mud. I always thought the rock was a wonderful thing.

When Uncle Pete and Aunt Helene died and my cousin, Lorraine, moved to a smaller home she took the rock
with her. In time, the rock came in to my possession. I've tried to keep it under the eaves and protected from
the weather. When I moved to Maryland the rock stayed here on the farm. The folk who rented the place also
cared for the rock until we moved back in 2006. The rock was in residence when we moved back; there was
a lot of remodeling and landscaping still going on at that time. David and I were afraid the rock would get
covered up, and talked about moving it to a safer place. Then we went back to Maryland to conclude some
business and pick up our car. We didn't think about the rock for some time except to wonder, now and then,
"where could it be?". Then we read Susan's article and that set things in motion. Up to that time I had no idea
about the history of the rock… I only knew it hadbelonged to Uncle Pete. I went out and dug a trench around
the porch where I thought the rock should be. It wasn't there. Uncle (Mynatt Scott) brought out a probe, and
between Uncle, David and myself we probed the whole flower bed and dug up about half of it. We found
bricks, rebar, all kinds of rocks and several sections of the foundation of the house that used to be here, but
no moccasin rock. We were all afraid it was gone forever.

Later that same day, David and I were walking across the barn lot when a particularly square-shaped rock
caught our eye. Susan had mentioned that the rock had been quarried. We walked over to it. David turned
it over, and there was the moccasin print! Rarely has such excitement ensued in Polk County over the location
of a rock! After we found the rock David remembered moving it to keep it safe before we went back East. As
soon as he said it I remembered him telling me about it while we were on the trip. We shall use the excuse
of having too much on our minds at the time. We're just glad this piece of Polk County History is still safe
and secure.

Note : The rock is now on display at the PCGS library for all to see. Come visit us!

SPECIAL ITEMS FOR SALE

Limited Edition Postcards are now available from PCGS! Two versions--one with a picture of
the PCGS Library; the other stating "Greetings from Polk County, Missouri" with a picture of the
Polk County Courthouse in the background. Postcards are 50 cents each or five for $2.00.
More information and pictures coming soon.

Polk County
Souvenir Historical
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $10.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.





Polk County
Souvenir Military
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $10.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.

Polk County Souvenir
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $12.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.

A set of all three decks is available for $25.
That is a $7 discount off buying them separately.
This is a limited time offer, so buy yours today.
Shipping charge on the set of 3 card decks is $5.
For more info., please contact the PCGS at info@pcgsmo.com or 417-777-2820

Polk County Courthouse Centennial Print . . . $25.00 + $10.00 s/h
(For more information on the Courthouse print, click here

Will Book Index new April 2009
To see the list of wills, click the link above.

This is an indexed list of the wills that have been filed in the Polk County Probate Court from the mid-1880s to 1979.
The books contain a transcribed copy of the will. PCGS has microfilm of Probate Records that may or may not include
an actual copy of the will.
For a digital image of the will book page or a complete transcription, the charge is $5.00.
WE WILL NOT PHOTOCOPY FROM THESE BOOKS AS IT WILL DAMAGE THEM. For more information,
please contact PCGS at info@pcgsmo.com

INDEXES OF LIBRARY HOLDINGS AND OTHER RESOURCES
UPDATED APRIL 2009
Library holdings, archival holdings, obituary files, microfilm--all updated.
Includes new sections on archival finding aids and index to Polk County History Book
To see the updated listings, click here

PCGS Library Hours : 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat.