Dixie Roots: The Emma Ferrer Letters, Part 9: A Boy for Rev. McCoy

Bishop James Henry McCoy

On 30 August 1899, almost one year after the previous letter, Judge Wood writes to Emma on behalf of Reverend James H. McCoy. McCoy is looking for a “boy” and Wood strongly encourages Emma to give her consent for her oldest son, Olin, to accept the position. “Perhaps he will never have another opportunity as good as this one.”

Based solely upon accounts of his career, Rev. James Henry McCoy appears to have been a decent fellow. In 1899, he was a traveling Methodist minister just like George W. Ferrer. Although names and numbers vary depending upon the source, he was a married man who had several children of his own. In 1910, McCoy was ordained bishop. Five years later in the death announcement of his wife, we read that, “Her husband, Bishop McCoy is one of the most beloved men in Alabama.”

Without specifications from the Alabama Children’s Home itself, it’s hard to tell what the extent of this offer is. During the 19th century, it was fairly common for wards to be indentured to foster families. This set up is a win-win for the Alabama Children’s Home. It obviously makes one less mouth to feed. Meanwhile, Olin would be with a respectable member of the church, working in exchange for food and shelter. Wood promises Emma he will “fare well in every way.”

The question is – is this a fostering arrangement or an adoption?

Next Week: All of My Hopes and Ambitions are Centered in Him

Interesting note: The Ferrer children probably weren’t the only ones in the home who had a living parent. According to Dale Keiger’s article, “no more than 10 to 20 percent of the children in orphanages were actual orphans. Most had one or two living parents who were unable (usually due to poverty), unwilling, or had been deemed unfit to care for them.”

Between 1853 and 1929, “orphan trains” became popular. Orphaned and homeless children from crowded North Eastern cities would be loaded onto trains and shipped to the Mid-West where they could be adopted by farming families in need of extra hands.