From 1854 to 1929, over 250,000 orphaned, homeless, or abused children were taken from New York and other large eastern cities and transported by train to new homes across America. Orphanages partnered with various railroads that gave reduced fares to the children and the adults accompanying them. In the 1800s, mass immigration into the U.S. left many families stricken with poverty, sickness, and unemployment, and thousands of children ended up on the streets because their parents had died or could no longer care for them. The Children's Aid Society responded by removing these children from dangerous city influences and taking them to rural settings where work, family, and education might help shape them into productive adults. Modern research indicates that one in every twenty-five Americans is connected to an Orphan Train Rider, and the Orphan Train was the beginning of documented foster care in America.