In Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the author and her brother, Bailey, arrive in the "musty little town" of Stamps, Arkansas, at the ages of three and four respectively.
They're sent by their parents on a train from Long Beach, California, with wrist tags stating their full names, guardian's name and destination. Their guardian is to be their grandmother on their father's side, Annie Henderson, who owns a general store in Stamps. Maya and Bailey's parents "decided to put an end to their calamitous marriage," and as a result, the children are temporarily sent to live with their grandmother.
Maya, who was called Marguerite at the time, states that their train tickets were "pinned to my brother's inside coat pocket." A train porter was tasked with looking after them, but leaves them to travel on alone after departing in Arizona. However, once the siblings reach the South, other black passengers on the train take pity on them and make sure they're well fed with "cold fried chicken and potato salad."
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