Zemke to share story of orphan train rider

Talk about it

Bethany Community is proud to present author and quilter, Ann Zemke.

Zemke’s presentation, “The Brave Journey of an Orphan Train Rider,” is a heartwarming story of an orphan train rider as told through the blocks of a quilt.

From 1854 to 1929 an estimated 250,000 children rode trains from New York and other overpopulated areas of the U.S., mostly to the Midwest, to find new homes.

Some of these children were orphans, others were abandoned, while others were put on trains by their parents hoping they would have a better life. The trains were called “orphan trains.”

Zemke gives a 60-minute performance using a quilt she made in memory of her grandmother, Marjorie Peterson, an orphan train rider.

Zemke has captivated audiences across the U.S. at museums, schools, quilt guilds, senior residences, hospitals, libraries and churches with this fascinating story and the remarkable quilt it inspired.

Her book, They Named Me Marjorie, about her grandmother’s life journey was published in June 2006.

Better Homes and Gardens spotlighted Zemke and her book in their “I Did It!” feature in the March 2007 issue. An article that Zemke wrote regarding the orphan trains and her grandmother’s special story was published in Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine in January/February 2005.

Her sewing pattern for the GREAT BIG Bag, a travel bag she designed for quilters, but with many other uses, was published in 2009.

The Alexandria community is invited to meet Zemke and hear her story on Thursday, September 17 at 10:30 a.m. in the Bethany Community Chapel. She will be available after the presentation for book signing and answering questions.

For more information, call Bethany Community at (320) 762-1567.

Tags: orphan train, life, features, quilt, zemke