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Record #3890

Name :: : Caroline DAVIDSON (1889 - 1973)
Father: :
Mother: :

BMD and other details

Date of Birth: : 5 Mar 1889
Marriage (1): :
Marriage (2): :
Date of Death: : Sep 1973

Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Durham, Gateshead

Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Edmonton

Sailing Information

Date of Arrival: : 25 Jul 1898
Country: : Canada
Ship: : Labrador
Placement Family: :

Homes / Agencys

Institution (GB): :
Agency: : Barnardos

NotesA birth registration was found for Caroline Davidson: Year of Registration: 1889; Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun; District: Lanchester (1875-1938); County: Durham; Volume: 10a; Page: ?03. (Parents: Henry Davidson and Caroline Graham.)

In 1891, Caroline Davidson, 2 years of age, was shown residing at the West Side of Road, Flint Hill, Dipton, Collierly, Durham, England. Other family members included: Caroline Davidson, 37; Elizabeth Davidson, 4; Henry Davidson, 38, general laborer; Henry Davidson, 6; James Davidson, 8; John J. Davidson, 16, brick yard laborer; Mary A. Davidson, 11; Pearce Davidson, 1 month; and Rubert Davidson, 13. (Source: 1891 Census of England; Class: RG12; Piece: 4088; Folio 141; Page 52; GSU roll: 6099198.)

Her daughter, Fay Braithwaite, relates Caroline's story (in Pier 21 - Canada's Immigration Museum {website}pier21.ca/research/collections/the-story-collection/online-story-collection/british-home-children/):

First of all, I am the daughter of Caroline and had three brothers. We grew up in a small town near Edmonton, Alberta and our Father died when I was six years old. I knew names of my mother's brothers and sister. James and Elizabeth remained in Ontario, while my mother and her brother Henry came to Alberta, so I met my farm cousins; Alec, Jane, and another brother. I knew my Davidson grandparents had died while the children were young and all my mother would say, the family came to stay with an uncle but would not give a name, other than they lived in Ontario.

Since the work of my husband took us to many areas of Canada and when we lived in Brampton, Ont. In the 1960's, I started to locate my aunt Elizabeth's family. She had been married twice, Culp and Hamilton, and had run the Post Office in the now ghost town of Ballycroy, about 10 miles north of Brampton. History buffs there were able to point me in the direction of finding two cousins, one from each family. Elizabeth's eldest daughter also had a daughter living in Brampton, and her children and my two daughters went to the same high school. It was about this time that I first heard of Home Children and thought my mother might have been one of them, but did not start inquiries until 1997.

I received this information from Barnardo Homes, London , England in 1998:

These four orphan children were admitted temporarily to our Newcastle - Ever Open Door - on an application by the Rev. G. R. Taylor, Vicar of Byker. After a report on the case by our local inspector, they were granted permanent admission to the Homes. James and Henry are thirteen and ten years of age, respectively. Elizabeth and Caroline eight and six.

The facts of the case are few and simple, but sad enough. The parents, Henry and Caroline Davidson were steady, respective working people, who brought up their children well. On 9th January, 1892, the Father, a labourer, died at St. Cuthbert St., Gateshead of bronchitis. The mother and children then went to two rooms at 115, Harvey Street in Byker, and received out-door relief from the parish: the mother, in addition, goes out to work at washing and charring. About two years ago, the mother's health began to fail, and owing to an internal malady, and after getting worse she entered the workhouse infirmary in January last. An operation was preformed, and a tumor removed, and the mother remaining two months in the infirmary was taken home. The operation proved unveiling to save her, and after lingering for a few weeks, she died. The death occurred on the 9th at the above mentioned address. The little home was sold to defray the funeral expenses, and to save from entering the workhouse, Mr. Taylor asked that he might bring these children to our shelter.

Of the six children left surviving, the eldest (Robert) is able to support himself. The next (Mary) is in a very weak state, consequently on long privation and attendance upon her mother. She is about to be sent away by the local Country Holiday Committee for a month, and a situation will probably be found for her afterwards. For the children now admitted no home, or the workhouse was available. They have no relatives, save an aunt and a cousin. Both these persons have done what they could for mother and children in the past, but were not prepared to offer a home to any of the orphans. The aunt declined to do so, and did not even attend the funeral. The cousin has five children of his own. All the children are delicate, but not ailing. They are respectful and well behaved.

Relatives:

Brother, Robert-17, apprentice at a ship yard, 114-Harboy Street, Byker, Newcastle
Sister, 14, at present sheltered by a neighbour
Aunt (maternal) Maria Phillips, wife of a carpenter, New Road, Walker,
Newcastle

The 5th Sept. 1895 - on this date James and Henry were sent to Canada, to Hazelbrae Home, Pererborough, Ont.

The 14th July, 1898 --- on this date Elizabeth and Caroline, aboard the SS Labrador, arriving in Quebec on 23rd(or 25th) July 1898. They also went to Hazelbrae Homes. (EDITORS NOTE: In 1898, Carolina Davidson, 9 (along with her sister, Elizabeth Davidson, 11), arrived in Quebec, Canada, with a group of 127 Barnardo girls en route to Peterborough, Ontario.)

I have some information from Hazelbrae Homes. My mother was sent to a Toronto family as a playmate for a 9 year old daughter and was well liked and sent to school. It is hard to tell how long this lasted, and it appears that Hazelbrae was always trying to keep her happy. She wrote letters to find her brothers and did ask to be place near to Henry. She spoke of being in Southern Ont. And I believe may have lived with her sister and her first husband. My mother learned to play the piano, could read and write well, and also knew nursing, which was useful during the 1918 flu.

Henry and my mother came to Edmonton Alberta in 1908 when Henry was able to purchase land, West of Edmonton. Elizabeth and James came from Ont. for a visit, but did not like the early conditions of the city, growing quickly and had many muddy roads. I believe my mother worked in the Edmonton Laundry (though she would not admit it) she met my father Jerry Beauchamp who was a partner in the business.

They married on January 22nd 1915. There was a family of four, three boys and I was the third child. During the year of 1927, my father left the laundry, and our Edmonton home sold to buy 10 acres in the town of Beverly, which is adjacent to Edmonton. My father loved gardening and although the house was old, we had many fine things; good linens and silverware, a piano and rugs. He made the gardens so beautiful that people drove out from Edmonton to see them. We also had a small fruit and vegetable market, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and a horse. These were happy times until the 30's and father could not sell the garden produce for a living. My father had been a marathon runner had we had silver cups for successful races, but he had a heart attack in Nov. 1932 when I was six years old and my younger brother was four. This was a very sad time for the family--- I recall hearing my mother telling her brother Henry that she had less than twenty dollars in the bank after his funeral. She was hoping to sell the property, but with out a will and a mortgage on the land, she could not sell until all the children were of age, so we stayed there with the Mother Allowance. We managed to survive. We should have attended Beverly school but mother thought we would do better in the Edmonton system. After one year they told us that we have to pay for it, so off to the town school but only for one year. During that time, mother saved and bought an Edmonton lot for $25 and back we went to the city school only having to pay a small amount of property tax each year. It was a walk of one and a half miles.

With a sow pig we raised, the piglets and sold them in the fall and had the sow butchered for winter meat along with chickens as they stopped lying, rebuying sow and baby chicks in the spring. Mother seemed to know all the tricks of providing good health. She sewed and knit and older brother did any kind of work they could get. I remember one job paying four dollars a week. Gideon just covered his carfare, a four pound of peanut butter as his board, and a little left over. We all finished high school and life improved when my brother Lynn joined the air force and sent money home. Also, better jobs came along too.

My elder brother had a ruptured ear drum so was not allowed to join-up. Out mother developed an early dementia and had to be cared for, for many years until her death in September 1973 at the age of 84. I believe mother had many happy years, she worked hard to give each of the children a fair chance in life, but her end was sad, not knowing many of her wonderful grandchildren.

Caroline Davidson Beauchamp died in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada.

ContributorsCreated : 2008-07-14 10:06:28 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-02-04 14:48:43 /

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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

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ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
3004	AARON, Alfred Robert	1899	ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool	Mar 1911 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
3003	AARON, John Richard	1895	ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool	Mar 1911 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
3007	ABBEY, Bertha	1890	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Jul 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3006	ABBEY, John	1887	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Oct 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3161	ABBEY, Thomas	1892	ENG, DUR, Stockton on Tees	Oct 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3020	ABBOT, Alice	1877	ENG, MDX, Islington	Oct 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3047	ABBOT, William	1878	ENG,	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
3019	ABBOTT, Alfred	1869	ENG,	Aug 1887 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
23669	ABBOTT, Alice	1877	ENG,	Oct 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3022	ABBOTT, Bertie	1894	ENG, SFK, Ipswich	May 1909 : Corsican	CAN	Barnardos	sharonmx5 , patty_in_ms
3025	ABBOTT, David Henry	1891	ENG, ESS, Grays	Mar 1901 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3055	ABBOTT, Douglas Groves	1910	ENG, HAM, Hartley Wintney	Apr 1924 : Montclare	CAN	Barnardos
3858	ABBOTT, Emily Jane	1886	ENG, YKS, Guisborough	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
8354	ABBOTT, Frederick Albert Prosper	1885	ENG, LND, Homerton	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
3036	ABBOTT, George	1894	ENG, MDX, London	Jul 1904 : Southwark	CAN	Barnardos
3038	ABBOTT, Herman Henry	1882	ENG, MDX, Hoxton, London	Apr 1895 : Parisian	CAN	Barnardos
10624	ABBOTT, John	1913	ENG,	Apr 1929 : Duchess of York	CAN	Barnardos
3045	ABBOTT, Leslie	1883	ENG,	Mar 1893 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
3060	ABBOTT, Lilian	1903	ENG,	Jun 1912 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3026	ABBOTT, Mary	1888	ENG, ESS, Maldon	Oct 1902 : Colonian	CAN	Barnardos
3049	ABBOTT, Penelope	1901	ENG, KEN, Sidcup	Jun 1912 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
5046	ABBS, Bertie Cecil John	1914	ENG, LND, St. Pancras	Mar 1930 : Duchess of Richmond	CAN	Barnardos
3061	ABDALE, John George	1873	ENG, NBL, Newcastle Upon Tyne	Mar 1891 : Norwegian	CAN	Barnardos
3063	ABEL, Albert Edward G.	1901	ENG, ESS, West Ham	Aug 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3066	ABEL, Charles	1891	ENG,	Mar 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3065	ABEL, Florence	1902	ENG, ESS, West Ham	Aug 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3067	ABEL, Frederick	1889	ENG,	Jul 1900 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
3068	ABEL, George	1887	ENG,	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3069	ABEL, George	1897	ENG,	Mar 1907 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
3071	ABEL, John	1886	ENG,	Jun 1897 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family 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 30 Entries

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