I met David Emmert because I knew I wanted to write a novel based in my husband’s hometown. Well, “met” is a bit of a stretch, but after reading about Mr. Emmert and his life’s work, I felt as if I knew him.
I imagine David Emmert to be an amazing man. He taught art at Brethren’s Normal College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in the late 1800s. But he not only taught his college classes. He also had some hand in a Sunday school class of college students who desired to follow after God and to help those in their community. The little group banded together to form an Aid Society and were often found ministering to the needs of impoverished children. In 1881, they came up with a plan to establish a “Home” for the most needy of the children. The plan was proposed at a mid-week prayer meeting, and when they left that night, they had twenty cents in the collection plate, a promise of twenty-five dollars more, and a committee given the task of finding a house. In 1883, they established the Home for Orphan and Friendless Children in Huntingdon, PA.
The minute I discovered this story, I knew I had to write about it. I fell in love with this man, this place. A man who not only saw a need and sought to fulfill it, but one who led by example, pouring himself into the establishment and maintenance of the Home for many years. A man who encouraged not only the participation of his students in the work–he “recruited” the first matron of the home from the college students, a woman preparing for ministry in South America, and asked her instead to take on a role as “missionary to children”–but who brought together an entire community in the effort as well. In fact, the Board of Directors of the Home consisted of a member selected from each church in town, a real example of unity in the Body of Christ.
Of course, all this did not mean that the effort was easy. First, the Home was not was situated on the usual orphanage model. In thecharter of the Home they state as their objects “To afford a temporary refuge for homeless and dependent children. To secure good homes for children in private families.” While this foster/adoption model would become more normal as the Progressive Era took root, they were a bit before their time, which meant, I’m sure, a lot of trial and error. Second, as with any charitable endeavor, money was an issue. In 1894, just a decade after its establishment, The Daily News reported about the Home that “the financial outlook, we regret to say, is not very encouraging.” But Mr. Emmert and others persevered. By 1909, the Home affiliated with the Pennsylvania Children’s Aid Society of Philadelphia and Mr. Emmert represented the board of managers in enlarging the scope of the Home to include children in the surrounding Juniata Valley area.
The actions of Mr. Emmert’s life show his heart for children and for God. He lived out James 1:27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. I don’t know about you, but people like David Emmert make me look more closely at those around me and listen more intently for the voice of God to show me where I can be His hands and feet. Writing the story in A Home for My Heart is a small piece of that journey. And while much of the story in A Home for My Heart is fiction, I pray it captures Mr. Emmert’s heart in a way that would make him smile.
(Thank you to Nancy Shedd and the Huntingdon County Historical Society website for information about the Home for Orphan and Friendless Children.)
Melanie Backus
This is a beautiful post. People are amazing and the gifts, talents, and abilities they are blessed with and then put them to good use are among the best. We look around and see things and can or need to be done. Let’s all follow Mr. Emmert’s example. Thank you!
Anne Mateer
I’m so glad you loved his story, too, Melanie! I think stories like this encourage all of us to be who God created us to be!
Bonnie Wilt
So we’re on this bus trip with Standing Stone (Huntingdon) Senior Center group and you’d be amazed at the number of older (75+) Huntingdonians who’ve never heard of the children’s home. I’m having a ball educating them and of course selling them on “A Home for My Heart” which I finished in a day and a half and Lorraine is up to Chapter 15. Tell Jeff Mr. Hudy is on our bus and even he (a HAHS history teacher) had never heard of the home. He suggests that we get April to do a human interest story on him also, sort of a local boy does good story. I’m going to get in touch with April and see what she think.
Anne Mateer
That isn’t really surprising. The Home opened in 1883 and was absorbed into the state child welfare system somewhere in the 20s or 30s, so even a 75 year old wouldn’t know much about it. But it had such an interesting history that I’m so glad we get to share with others now.