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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        
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IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3014 ABBOTT, Adelaide1872ENG, LAN, Manchester Jul 1876 : Sardinian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3021 ABBOTT, Alice1899ENG,     May 1912 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
3028 ABBOTT, Edith1887ENG,     Jul 1892 : Parisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3030 ABBOTT, Ellen1893ENG,     Aug 1906 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3070 ABELL, George1870ENG,     Apr 1886 : Sardinian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3087 ABRAHAM, John 1873 Apr 1884 : Circassian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3088 ABRAHAM, Maggie1875ENG,     Jul 1888 : Parisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
6354 ABREY, William Roger1901ENG,    , Croydon Aug 1911 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3116 ACHURCH, Florence Daisy1901ENG, LND, Fulham Sep 1913 : Virginian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3141 ACKROYD, James1854ENG,     Jun 1871 : Prussian CAN MacPherson Homes  
7076 ACLAND, Walter Frederick1859ENG, GLS, Bristol Aug 1871 : Prussian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3167 ADAM, George1861ENG,     Jul 1874 : Phoenician CAN MacPherson Homes  
15500 ADAMS, Reuben Stanley1893ENG,     May 1907 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
22564 ADEY, W S1909ENG,     Jul 1922 : Montrose CAN MacPherson Homes  
2852 AIRD, Arthur1895ENG, LAN Apr 1911 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
6348 ALDCROFT, George Herbert1896ENG, CHS, Altrincham May 1909 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
6386 ALDCROFT, John Arthur1898ENG, CHS, Altrincham May 1909 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
17052 ALDRED, Eric Woodman1894ENG, LAN, Manchester  Apr 1910 : Victorian CAN MacPherson Homes  
10218 ALEXANDER, Edward Bubbings1901ENG, SSX, Rye May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
10220 ALEXANDER, Jack1908ENG, KEN, Hoo Jul 1921 : Minnedosa CAN MacPherson Homes  
10219 ALEXANDER, Kathleen1904ENG, KEN May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
10217 ALEXANDER, Leslie1902ENG, KEN May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
17055 ALLEN, Hilda May 1901ENG,     Jun 1909 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
18951 ALLEN, Jessie1898ENG,     May 1905 : Bavarian CAN MacPherson Homes  
18964 ALLEN, Nellie1899ENG,     May 1905 : Bavarian CAN MacPherson Homes  
18980 ALLEN, William1895ENG,     May 1905 : Bavarian CAN MacPherson Homes  
6805 ALLISON, James1863SCT,     Jul 1875 : Waldensian CAN MacPherson Homes  
2754 ALLNUTT, Ernest Raymond1877ENG, KEN, Bromley Apr 1887 : Circassian CAN MacPherson Homes 14Germain  
22778 AMBROSE, Sarah1879ENG,     May 1885 : Sardinian CAN MacPherson Homes  
10383 AMERY, Thomas Richard1864ENG, LND, Whitechapel May 1881 : Sardinian CAN MacPherson Homes  
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 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 1340 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