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Record #13346
Name :
: James William BLANCE (1880 - 1913)
  aka : James Harris


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Sep 1880

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 7 Nov 1913   Notes : Creeping paralysis
Abode (1) : Place of BirthScotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh

38 New Street
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Escott
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 19 Jun 1884
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Buenos Ayrean

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Quarriers
NotesJames was 2 years old when he and his sisters and brothers were
placed in the Quarrier's Home in Bridge of Weir, Scotland. They were sent, likely by train, from Edinburgh to Glasgow and were first examined at the City Orphanage in Glasgow to determine their state of health. They were transferred after only 1 day because they were in good health. When James was 3 years old
he sailed to Canada and was taken from the
Marchmont Home in Belleville, Ontario by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Harris, who (
according to the orphanage records ) had recently lost their only son. Mr.
Harris was a builder and the
Harris's had a daughter named Ethel. Shortly, after they picked up James
at the Home, Ethel wrote the orphanage saying, " Mamma thought you would
like to know how Jamie is after his journey. He arrived safely. When
the cab drove up to the door, he put his head out of the cab window and
called out ' There's Papa ! ' He was very tired. Mamma put him to bed
about eight o'clock, but he would not stay without her. She laid down by
him; he said to her, ' Keep close to me, mamma. ' We thought him very
wise. Papa and I like him very much. We think he is a sweet little
fellow. I think I shall like him for my brother. Mamma would have
written herself, but she is so busy getting him some clothes. He is very
happy. Trusting you will not be anxious, Ethel Harris " The family
settled initially in St. Thomas, Ontario and the following are excerpts
from the Marchmont Home's records on James--Mrs. Harris came for him,
spent Sunday at the Home, and took him away Monday August 11, 1884. Mrs.
Harris writes Jamie is getting very fat, goes out walking 2 hours every
morning. Mrs. Harris writes James has had scarlet fever. Says his
little hymns. Dr. says out of danger. Enclosed photo with sister and
dog. Jamie is running about again and so happy. Ethel writes a nice
letter about Jamie. She is very fond of him. He weighs 38 lbs and has
grown 1 1/2 inches. Nice letter about our little sunbeam. Summer of
1885, Ethel writes Jimmy was jumping off the verandah and broke his leg
two weeks ago, otherwise he is well. We are going to the country in
August. Jimmy can walk around again. Miss Bilbrough of the Home spent
the day at Jamie's house, found him grown tall and rosy cheeks, nicely
brought up and parents and sister devoted to him. In 1888, wrote James
is doing very well at school. Is fat and well and growing such a big
boy. By November of 1889, the family had moved to Vancouver, British
Columbia and Ethel wrote, Jimmy is well and a good boy. When my mother
was at the point of death he did all he could to help me. At this time,
Ethel would have been 15 years old and James 9 years old. Five years
later in 1894, Ethel writes,I am now Mrs. MacKintosh. I thought you
would like to hear of Jim. He is now with father and my step mother at
Vernon, a town up in the mountains. They left Vancouver after mother
died. My step mother is very kind to Jim and he is very fond of her. He
has lately joined the Methodist Church for 3 months probation. He was
converted recently. I have a boy 9 months old and am very happy, but
should like Jim near me. He writes to me occasionally. " Our verbal
family history says that James did not learn until he was 18 years old
that he was adopted and what his true last name was and that he had 4
brothers and sisters. He had apparently become somewhat rebellious and had left school. After a run in over these things, Mr. Harris abruptly revealed that James was not his biological son. When James learned of his biological sisters and brothers, he, with the considerable help of Ethel Harris MacIntosh who contacted the orphanage and obtained information on where James siblings were last known to be living, set out to find them.
It is said that he advertised in newspapers and that Margaret Blance saw his ad
and answered it, being overjoyed to learn of her brother that she had
lost all contact with. James traveled all the way from British Columbia to
Ontario where his 4 siblings were still living. He got work at a resort in Rockport, Ontario. There he met Scillennia
Kirker, who was working in the kitchen at the resort. The Kirker Family asked him to stay
with them and he was thus able to locate and reunite with his long, lost siblings.
Scillennia's youngest sister, Annie, was still living when I began this
family research in the late 1970's and she told me her memories of James as being a very
well educated, gracious young man who was musically talented. She said
her whole family loved him ! James married Scillennia and they moved back to British Columbia where James had grown up. Shortly after their son, Harold, was born in British Columbia in 1908, James developed a progressive paralysis and the family returned to Ontario so that James might get the best medical care from doctors in Montreal, Quebec. Nothing was able to help him and he died in 1913. 
ContributorsCreated : 2011-01-21 12:10:40 / From original database


Last Updated : 2011-05-11 11:25:57 /

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  31 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
17306 AULD, Florence Christison1900SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jul 1910 : Southwark CAN Quarriers  
26654 BAGGETT, Amelia Williamina McBeath1889SCT, MLN, Leith, Edinburgh Jun 1906 :  CAN  Chiad Fhear  
14577 BLANCE, Andrew1875SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
13346 BLANCE, James William1880SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14576 BLANCE, John Hay1873SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14575 BLANCE, Margaret1871SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14578 BLANCE, Mary1878SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
5549 BOWRY, William Arthur1914SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Oct 1928 : Beltana AUS Fairbridge Homes  
14766 CRERAR, Susan Mein1887SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Sep 1895 : Sardinian CAN Barnardos  
16516 DALY, John 1876SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Mar 1888 : Manitoban CAN Emma Stirling  
16455 DELANEY, Annie1879SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1877 : - Unknown - CAN Emma Stirling  
16451 DELANEY, James1876SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Sep 1886 : Carthaginian CAN Emma Stirling  
16454 DELANEY, Robina Mowat1880SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1886 : Caspian CAN Emma Stirling  
26251 DICK, Alfred Lindsay1926SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jan 1937 : Oronsay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
10284 DURHAM, Matthew1895ENG, MLN, Leith Apr 1908 : Grampian CAN Quarriers  
16507 HARPER, Davina1877SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Sep 1892 : Hibernian CAN Emma Stirling  
16585 LEACH, Edward Kenneth1897SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1914 : Hesperian CAN Quarriers  
13355 MASON, Marion Elizabeth1875SCT, MLN, Edinburgh May 1888 : Corean CAN Quarriers  
3635 MENZIES, Hugh1895SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1906 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
3636 MENZIES, John1891SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1906 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
23520 ORMAN, James Alexander1897SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1910 : Hesperian CAN Quarriers  
23521 ORMAN, Mary Isabella1900SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jul 1910 : Southwark CAN Quarriers  
15995 PRYDE, Annie1897SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1913 : Grampian CAN Quarriers  
15994 PRYDE, Isabella1901SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1913 : Grampian CAN Quarriers  
15996 PRYDE, Nancy1901SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1913 : Grampian CAN Quarriers  
3712 RUSSELL, David Moffatt1893SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
3713 RUSSELL, Thomas1894SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Apr 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
23326 STEWART, George Sherlett1898SCT, MLN, Leith Apr 1912 : Scotian CAN Quarriers  
16522 STIRLING, James Brunton1874SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Sep 1886 : Carthaginian CAN Emma Stirling  
23299 TELFER, James1893SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Aug 1910 : Orthia CAN Cossar (George Carter)  
26416 WATT, William Anderson1920SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jul 1931 : Oronsay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  31 Entries