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Record #14733
Name :
: Annie MYHILL (1892 - 1940)
  aka : Annie Thompson


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 28 Dec 1892

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 20 Oct 1940   Notes : Complications following bowel surgery
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Swansea, Glamorgan

20 Brook St
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Norfolk, Simcoe
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 6 Jun 1902
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Tunisian

Placement Family
: Alfred Scott - Thorndale, Ontario
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: MacPherson Homes
NotesAnnie Myhill 1892 - 1940

My Grandmother ? Annie Myhill

Little Annie Myhill was listed as only 8 years of age when a ship, bound for Canada, steamed out of Liverpool, England, with 56 children on board, including her and her younger brother, Freddie, age 6. It was the last time Annie would ever see her homeland, her father or her 10 year old sister, Sarah. These 2 children were among the 100,000 Young People sent to Canada in the late 1800 and early 1900?s as part of a program now called ?Home Children?.

Annie was my paternal Grandmother. She was born in South Wales, the middle of 3 children: Sarah, Annie and Freddie. Neither Annie nor Freddie ever knew their actual birth dates. For the rest of her life, Annie celebrated her birthday as May 1, 1894. Subsequent research and the eventual finding of her birth record revealed that she was actually born on Dec 28, 1892.

One day my mother said that she wished we knew more about my grandmother?her mother in law. I began the research and found a great deal of information in a short period of time. Unfortunately I waited too long to ask my Dad for anything he could provide about his mother as he had already passed away and any information that he might have offered was lost forever.

Here is the story as I have discovered it.

Annie was the daughter of Mary (Lucy) and Frederick Myhill. Mary died in June 1898 when her 3 children were quite young. She died shortly after the birth and death of a fourth child ? a son William. Frederick, a fisherman, was often away at sea and therefore unable to care for his three children. Following Mary?s death, the children lived with their Grandmother (Hannah Lucy) in Swansea, Wales, until she became ill in 1901, at which time she put the 2 little girls in a Catholic orphanage in Cardiff. There is no record of where young Freddie was sent during this time. When their father found out where the girls were, he immediately removed them and put them in The Fisherman?s Institute in Milford Haven, Wales, on the same street as he was boarding. Again there was no record of Freddie.

The following year, on May 29, 1902, Annie and Freddie were put aboard the S.S. Tunisian and sent to Canada, arriving on June 6, 1902. The ship?s manifest stated that Annie was 8 and Freddie was 6. Annie, Freddie, and 54 other children, ultimately arrived in Stratford Ontario at the Annie MacPherson Home. Following their arrival in Stratford, these 2 small children were immediately separated and placed on separate farms.

Although the children never saw their father again, they did have sporadic correspondence with him and his new wife. Their father Frederick had re-married in 1903, after which 3 more sons were born ? 3 brothers that Annie never got to meet.


The MacPherson home reports about Annie, retrieved from Barnardo?s in London England, indicate that in her placement, she was deemed to be too small and the foster family wanted a larger girl. But in a later reference, after she had learned to milk, they decided to keep her. When she became ill in 1907, she was returned to the MacPherson Home in Stratford. When she had recovered, Annie was sent to Simcoe, Ontario, this time to work for a small salary. It was here that she met the man who was to become her husband, Carl Thompson.

At some point after Annie became a ?Thompson? by marriage, we understand that Freddie changed his name to Thompson as well. Unfortunately we have been unable to find out anything regarding Freddie?s later life. We believe he married and lived for a time in the New Jersey/New York area and had a daughter, Rose Annie. It is possible that after a time in New Jersey he and his family moved to France

The mystery of why Annie and Freddie were sent to Canada while their sister, Sarah remained behind in Wales was subsequently revealed during research. Sarah had very poor eyesight and was not considered suitable for a placement in Canada. She remained in Wales and eventually married and had a family of her own.

Annie died very suddenly in 1940 of complications following a bowel obstruction. She was only 47 years old. Her first grandchild (my father) was born just 2 months after her death. As a home child, she never saw her family again, never knew her actual birthdate and the answers to many questions died with her. Her brother Freddie?s descendents are out there somewhere, possibly seeking to connect with their genealogy as well.

In the summer of 2009 we journeyed to Wales and met almost 40 relatives ? some of whom had never even met each other. They were the descendants of Annie?s sister Sarah and her half-brothers from her father?s second marriage. While in Wales, we found the birth and marriage record for their mother Mary (my great grandmother) and also the birth records for both Annie and Freddie. It was in these birth records that we finally discovered the actual birth dates for these 2 children ? something they never knew.

I urge anyone with access to knowledgeable family members to ask questions, while those people are still able to provide answers. Encourage those folk to tell what they know and remember, and record their information before that history is lost forever. There is nothing better than personal stories to fill in the blanks. I only wish I had done this while my father was alive.



Maxine (Thompson) Byerlay,
Brantford, Ontario. 
ContributorsCreated : 2011-06-06 20:55:24 / From original database

Last Updated : 2011-11-26 17:49:11 /

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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  2 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
14733 MYHILL, Annie1892ENG,    , Swansea, Glamorgan Jun 1902 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
14734 MYHILL, Frederick1895ENG,    , Swansea, Glamorgan Jun 1902 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes