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Record #16087
Name :
: Lilian GRIFFIN (1902 - 1923)


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 25 Jul 1902

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 16 May 1923   Notes : Phthsis Pulmonalis
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, , London
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, York, Weston Sanatorium, Toronto
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 13 May 1912
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Corsican

Placement Family
: Harris; McCreight; Gibson
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: MacPherson Homes
NotesStory from The Promise of Home
{website}littleimmigrants.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/lillian-griffin-a-life-remembered-by-rose-mccormick-brandon/

May 14, 1912 was a significant day for 9 year-old Lillian Griffin. On that day, Lily and her sister Grace, boarded the S.S. Corsican in Liverpool. Lily?s parents had both died ? her father in 1903 and mother in 1911.

But Lily wasn?t boarding a ship because her parents had died. When Lily?s mother, Emily, remarried her new husband, William Kelly, took his 3 children and Emily?s 3 (Edward, Lily and Grace) to the MacPherson Home for Children in London. He returned for his children but the Griffins remained in the Home. Lily, age 3 when she last saw her mother, left England with no memories of any home other than the one established by Annie MacPherson.

Lily and Grace hoped all the way to Halifax that they would remain together in Canada. Child immigrants seldom went to the same home as a sibling. In Canada, the sisters were separated for the first time. Lily went to Woodham, Ontario to work in the home of a Mrs. Harris. Soon after, she was moved to the Alex McCreight home in Toronto. Meanwhile, Grace went first to Thamesville, then to Manitoulin Island, an impossible distance for either girl to travel for a reunion. Lily and Grace kept in touch by letters which wasn?t an easy task since both girls moved frequently.

Lily moved again, to the Gibson home, where she was employed as a mother?s helper. At age 16, she went back to the McCreight home in Toronto. It seems she had a lasting connection with this family. While with them, Lily attended business college. After graduation, she landed a stenographer?s position at the Provincial Parliament Buildings in Toronto.

Lily wrote to Grace often. The two sisters shared their different lives ? Lily a career girl and Grace a young mother. Grace sent photographs of her husband and children. The sisters wrote of their hope to see each other again.

At 22, Lillian contracted tuberculosis, the disease that had killed her mother. She went to Weston Sanatorium in Toronto for treatment. After 4 months of rest and medical attention, Lillian Griffin died on May 16, 1923.

?I miss Lily?s sisterly letters,? wrote Grace to a step-sister back in England. Lillian didn?t live long enough to reunite with Grace and her brother Edward. About the time she died, Edward, who had more money than his sisters, started to search for them. He found Grace in 1924. Undoubtedly he would have also found Lily.

The contact name on Lillian?s death certificate is H. N. Patton. My family has no idea who this person is. Lily?s letters, if some of them had survived, might have given us this information.

Lily?s life, though short, wasn?t forgotten. My grandmother, Grace, told her children about her sister and placed her photograph in a prominent place in her home. Grace?s children then passed on what they knew about Lily to their children. Today, my mother refers to her as Aunt Lily. This photograph of Lily is the only one in existence. It was taken in the sanatorium and Lily sent it to Grace with a letter.

This only surviving photo of Lillian Griffin has been treasured for decades. Her lovely face, in youth?s pretty glow, shines through her sickness. We remember Lily as a child of unfortunate circumstances who became an independent woman at a time when few women did. She was a loved sister with hopes and dreams that sadly went unfulfilled. 
ContributorsCreated : 2012-03-06 13:36:45 / From original database

Last Updated : 2012-05-09 10:28:23 /

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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  30 Entries        
Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 596 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3036 ABBOTT, George1894ENG, MDX, London Jul 1904 : Southwark CAN Barnardos  
3082 ABEL, Walter John1869ENG, MDX, London Aug 1884 : Sarmatian CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
4994 ADAMS, Edward1915ENG, LDN, London Sep 1930 : Duchess of Bedford CAN Barnardos  
8695 ADAMS, James1884ENG, LDN, London Sep 1896 : Mongolian CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
8751 ALDGATE, Esther1880ENG, LDN, London Jun 1891 : Circassian CAN Maria Rye  
23343 ALDRIDGE, Charles Henry1888ENG, LDN, London Jun 1901 : Parisian CAN Waifs & Strays lostgirl19  
6531 ALEXANDER, Edward1913ENG, LDN, London Apr 1930 : Duchess of Bedford CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
16732 ALEXANDER, Frederick1899ENG, LDN, London Mar 1907 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
6640 ALEXANDER, John1913ENG, LDN, London Mar 1927 : Montrose CAN Barnardos  
8529 ALLEN, Daniel1898ENG, LDN, London Jul 1913 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
12790 ALLEN, Ernest1916ENG, LDN, London May 1930 : Duchess of Bedford CAN Crusade of Rescue  
6259 AMEY, Elizabeth1904ENG, LDN, London Oct 1913 : Corinthian CAN Barnardos  
6594 ANDERSON, Leslie1913ENG, LDN, London Jul 1927 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
10452 ANDERSON, William1906ENG, LDN, London Jul 1921 : Megantic CAN National Childrens Home  
8858 ANNESS, James Edward1901ENG, LDN, London Jul 1914 : Empress of Britain CAN Salvation Army  
5360 APOW, Leslie1911ENG, LDN, London Aug 1925 : Montnairn CAN National Childrens Home  
5468 ARBOURNE, Frederick A1890ENG, LDN, London Jul 1902 : New England CAN Barnardos  
5073 ARMSTRONG, John 1912ENG, LDN, London Aug 1926 : Montrose CAN Barnardos  
11881 ASH, Charles1885ENG, LDN, London Apr 1894 : Sarnia CAN Barnardos  
8755 ASH, Chris1883ENG, LDN, London Apr 1894 : Sarnia CAN Barnardos  
17119 ATKINS, Percy1895ENG, LDN, London Aug 1907 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3080 AUBURN, John George1855ENG, MDX, London May 1872 : Varuna CAN Shoe Black Brigade  
6643 AUSTIN, John1913ENG, LDN, London Mar 1927 : Montrose CAN Barnardos  
6585 AVES, Rose1912ENG, LDN, London Jul 1927 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
5321 AXFORD, John1913ENG, LDN, London Aug 1930 : Duchess of York CAN Salvation Army  
10504 AYOUB, Richard1908ENG, LDN, London May 1922 : Montcalm CAN Catholic Childrens Emigration Service of London  
5322 BACKLER, John1914ENG, LDN, London Aug 1930 : Duchess of York CAN Salvation Army  
15784 BAKER, Edgar Frank1896ENG, LDN, London Jul 1909 : Scotian CAN Barnardos  
4896 BAKER, Ernest F1913ENG, LDN, London Mar 1925 : Aurania CAN Liverpool Sheltering Home  
4899 BAKER, Lilian E1911ENG, LDN, London Mar 1925 : Aurania CAN Liverpool Sheltering Home  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 596 Entries        
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  30 Entries