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Record #8921
Name :
: Charles Henry HARVEY (1897 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Aug 1897

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Hampshire, Southampton
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 9 Mar 1911
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Sicilian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesA birth registration was found for Charles Henry Harvey: Year of Registration: 1897; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; District: Southampton; County: Hampshire; Volume: 2c; Page: 36.

In 1911, Charles Harvey died of pneumonia. Left with no money and faced with caring for eight children, one of them a three-month-old baby, his mother was forced to break up the family in order to keep her children alive. In 1911, Charlie traveled to London to live at Leopold House, one of the homes founded by Dr. Thomas Barnardo as a safe-haven for destitute children.

In 1911, Charles Henry Harvey, 13, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a group of 216 Barnardo children en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On his immigration record, his next of kin is named as Mrs Harvey, 40 Amor St, Southampton.

On Nov 10 1915, at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Charles Henry Harvey, 18, enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He declared that he was born in Southampton, England; that his next of kind was his mother, Sarah Harvey, who resided at 31 Canton St, Southampton, England; that his date of birth was August 1, 1897; that he was a farmer; and that he was not married. He was described as 5 foot 8 inches in height; fresh complexion; brown eyes; light brown hair. He was a member of the Methodist faith; he had three warts on the back of his left hand; and three vaccination marks high up on his left shoulder.

His daughter, Beryl Young, wrote a book about her father's life. Being a Home Child wasn't something her father talked about to her or her brother. She related to reporter Lori Gallagher of the Daily Gleaner:

"We knew my dad had come from England and we knew he'd been in the war because he had a hole in his arm from a bullet where a German shot him, and we knew, of course, that he had been in the Mounted Police, but I had no idea that he had been in a Barnardo home or that he was a Home (Child)," she says.

It wasn't until she went to live in England at the age of 21 that her aunt mentioned that her father had been in an orphanage.

"I said, 'Oh, my dad wasn't in an orphanage. He would have told me.'"

When her aunt insisted, Young called her parents in Canada.

"This was 1955. My dad said yes, he had been in an orphanage," she says.

When she asked why he had never told them, he replied, "'I knew you would blab it up and down the street,' and, he said, 'I just don't feel terribly proud of it.' I have since learned that's not unusual at all."

Being one of the Home Children is a history many haven't shared with their descendants.

"I thought it was romantic and dramatic that my dad had been a poor orphan," admits Young.

Time passed, however, and she never got around to discussing this with her father. "All that time, I think I was so busy with my own life, I didn't ask my dad (about this)," she says.

She was in her 60s before she learned her father was a Barnardo Boy. A cousin in England told her the information was online and she could find out if her father was an orphan there.

They confirmed Charles Henry Harvey had been in their orphanage and sent to Canada, they had records of everywhere he had worked and they sent her a lot of information, including a photo of him at 12.

"It was absolutely thrilling and I was amazed," she says.

She researched her father's life but thought long and hard before sharing his story.

"My dad went to so much trouble to keep his story quiet - he was ashamed of it. I talked to my brother about it and we feel proud of it," she says, so she decided to go forward with a children's book, complete with archival material including letters and photographs.

"He was courageous, all those Home Children were brave to come to Canada. They worked hard, made a life here and made a real contribution to our country."

Researching and writing this book gave Young the opportunity to get to know her father. She hopes the children who read it are inspired to ask their parents and grandparents questions about their pasts while they have the chance. 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-07-17 13:14:20 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-09-19 19:14:47 /

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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  35 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
7448 ADAMS, Ernest Alfred1889ENG, HAM, Southampton Jul 1901 : Numidian CAN Barnardos  
9986 ADDERLEY, Edward George1890ENG, HAM, Southampton Jul 1902 : New England CAN Barnardos  
10932 BAKER, George Edward Windsor1937ENG, HAM, Southampton May 1948 : Empire Brent (formerly Letitia II) AUS Fairbridge Homes  
7165 BLANDFORD, Elizabeth1856ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1871 : Prussian CAN MacPherson Homes  
7042 BLANDFORD, Frances Amelia1859ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1871 : Prussian CAN MacPherson Homes  
16647 BLANDFORD, Kate Jane1861ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1872 : Sarmatian CAN MacPherson Homes  
16646 BLANDFORD, Mria 1865ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1872 : Sarmatian CAN MacPherson Homes  
15301 BOLWELL, Eva1868ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1884 : Parisian CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
11006 BOUNDEY, Reginald Emmanuel1910ENG,    , Southampton Sep 1922 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
11007 BOUNDEY, Stephen James1912ENG,    , Southampton Sep 1922 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
4721 BROCKLEBANK, Jane May1899ENG, HAM, Southampton Apr 1912 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
12663 BROWN, Harry 1895ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1905 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
12502 BROWNING, Amy1894ENG,    , Southampton Aug 1905 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
12503 BROWNING, Maud1895ENG,    , Southampton Aug 1905 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
5053 BUCKLEY, James 1915ENG,    , Southampton Mar 1930 : Duchess of Richmond CAN Barnardos  
2987 CHANNON, Fanny1898ENG, HAM, Southampton Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
2986 CHANNON, Rose1896ENG, HAM, Southampton May 1911 : Victorian CAN Waifs & Strays  
9328 COX, Gladys1898ENG,    , Southampton Jul 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
8556 CRUTCHER, Clara1877ENG,    , Southampton Apr 1894 : Labrador CAN Bristol Emigration Society  
15193 GOVER, Emily Alice1867ENG, HAM, Southampton Aug 1884 : Parisian CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
8921 HARVEY, Charles Henry1897ENG, HAM, Southampton Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
12680 HENDRY, Thomas1881ENG,    , Southampton Jul 1894 : Sardinian CAN Barnardos  
2985 HERITAGE, Hilda1892ENG, HAM, Southampton May 1911 : Victorian CAN Waifs & Strays  
3963 JOHNSON, Felix Peter1909ENG, HAM, Southampton Sep 1921 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
15083 KENNETT, George W1871ENG, HAM, Southampton Sep 1884 : Circassian CAN Colonization Fund, London  
15081 KENNETT, John Dennis1872ENG, HAM, Southampton Sep 1884 : Circassian CAN Colonization Fund, London  
16713 MINTRAM, Charles Thomas1893ENG, HAM, Southampton Mar 1903 : Canada CAN Barnardos  
9927 OCKLEFORD, Ernest1889ENG,    , Southampton 1903 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
9932 OCKLEFORD, Rose1888ENG,    , Southampton 1903 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
5622 PENNY, Daisy May1896ENG,    , Southampton Sep 1907 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
23466 PETTY, Sidney Arthur1898ENG, HAM, Southampton Jun 1913 : Victorian CAN Waifs & Strays  
3825 SAVAGE, Lilian Kate1900ENG, HAM, Southampton Sep 1914 : Corinthian CAN Barnardos  
11033 SEED, Walter1880ENG, HAM, Southampton May 1891 : Mongolian CAN Louisa Birt  
8943 STICKLAND, Kathleen 1915ENG,    , Southampton Apr 1931 : Duchess of Richmond CAN Barnardos  
16236 WEBB, Daisy Hilda1894ENG, HAM, Southampton Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
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  35 Entries