William Gray and Bertha Forbes, Clinton County

Adam Ringer took two New York orphans into his home and found that not all orphans are alike. In 1883 Bertha Forbes came to live with the Ringers, and by 1894, when Adam Ringer wrote to report on his charges, Bertha was twenty years old and a great success in his eyes. Bertha had taken a teacher's certificate in Clinton County and was teaching at the Keysport School. Bertha wrote in 1895 and said that she was teaching in the primary department. My search for teaching certificates in Illinois did not meet with success, but a collection of Iowa teaching certificates illustrate the concept. A teacher would have to qualify for her certificate every school year, and be tested in a variety of subjects.

Bertha cannot be positively identified in the census or any other records that would tell the rest of her story, but the letter she wrote in 1895 rings with confidence. She revealed in her independence and wrote:

"Perhaps the children who read my letter will think I am one of the lucky ones, but I want to assure them that if I had not helped myself and made the most of my opportunities, I would not be where I am today -- an independent young woman."

William C. Gray was the second orphan housed by Mr. Ringer. Mr. Ringer's letter of 1894 indicated his impatience with a boy who acted a great deal like a young boy who was rebelling and feeling his oats. William C. Gray could not be traced in the census either and may have moved on to another family. But we can observe that Mr. Ringer's home was not the first that Bertha lived in, because she says she was first placed in Winchester, Illinois. Even a well behaved child was not safe from the revolving door of the orphan train placement system.