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Record #15872

Name :: : Edgar Albert SMITH (1906 - )
Father: :
Mother: :

BMD and other details

Date of Birth: : 1906 (approx.)
Marriage (1): :
Marriage (2): :
Date of Death: :

Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland

Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial

Sailing Information

Date of Arrival: : 9 Apr 1920
Country: : Canada
Ship: : Canada
Placement Family: :

Homes / Agencys

Institution (GB): :
Agency: : National Childrens Home

NotesIn 1920, Edgar Albert Smith, 14, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a group of 38 boys from the National Children's Home & Orphanage and en route to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

British Home Children share a bond at weekend reunion
By MICHELLE RUBY
The Expositor

Edgar Albert Smith didn't talk much about his childhood.

His daughter, Anita Nichol, said she always knew he was a British Home Child, one of more than 100,000 youngsters who emigrated from Great Britain to Canada between 1869 and 1939. Other than that, though, she didn't know much more.

A short discussion he had later in life with Nichol's younger sister may explain some of his reluctance to reminisce.

He told his daughter that he was among a group of boys being appraised by farmers some time after arriving in Hamilton from the National Children's Home in Great Britain. It was 1920 and he was 14.

The farmers were selecting boys to be their farm labourers.

"He was the last one standing," Nichol said of her dad. "He was short for his age. "The farmer looked at him and said, 'Well, I guess I got stuck with you.'

"But I think that was the worst of it. In his letters (obtained only recently) he never talked about any mistreatment. But I think he may have felt that his family back in England had abandoned him."

Nichol and her sister Jane Baynton were among hundreds of people, many of them descendents of British Home Children, who attended a reunion on the weekend at Smokey Hollow Estates.

The Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society hosted the two-day event. On hand was a wealth of historical information, records and expertise for those wanting to track their Home Child roots.

"These truly were not ordinary children or Canadians," said Brant MP Phil McColeman, who introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons to recognize 2010 as the Year of the British Home Child.

"They were heroes. They came to Canada and they made this country better. They were the salt of what this country is made of."

The majority of visitors who came to Smokey Hollow on Saturday were from outside Brant County. Some were armed with binders and envelopes filled with photos and documentation about their ancestors.

On display was a British Home Children memorial photo quilt made by Gail Collins of St. Catharines.

Each of the quilt's 56 squares is dedicated to a particular child, based on information and graphics submitted to Collins by descendents.

McColeman's late uncle, Kenneth Bickerton, an orphan sent to Canada at the age of 14, is commemorated in the lower left-hand corner of the quilt. Edgar Albert Smith is also honoured on a square.

While child migrants faced hardships in Canada, living conditions in their homeland were wretched. The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, from the 18th to early 19th century, caused a population explosion.

Living conditions for the poor, particularly in the east end of London, were deplorable and thousands of homeless children lived on the streets.

Homes for orphans and street children were established. They included Fegan Homes, Barnardo Homes, National Children's Home, and Maria Rye agency. Rye was the first person to bring a group of children to Canada.

"To say that Britain's loss was Canada's gain is an understatement," said Shirley Sturdevant, vice chair of the Ontario Genealogical Society, a guest at Saturday's event. Sturdevant's grandfather was a Home Child.

"You know there were sad times and mistreatment, but there were good stories, too. My grandfather was almost billeted at a farm (in Canada) where he was allowed to become assimilated."

Sturdevant said the Ontario Genealogical Society is considering the establishment of a special interest group related to Home Children.

Jan Coward came from Bradford on Saturday in the hope of making connections that could help her discover more about her great-uncle John Speed. He was 10 when he was sent from Britain to Canada in 1876.

Coward said he may have been aboard a steam ship for the month-long crossing of the Atlantic.

Coward is also tracking Fred Henry who was 15 when he came to live with her grandparents as a farm labourer in 1924.

"He finished his schooling and was considered part of the family.

"I never heard any bad stories from Fred. I think he was one of the fortunate ones. I know there are others who didn't have that experience at all."

ContributorsCreated : 2012-01-13 19:56:58 / From original database

Last Updated : 2015-07-02 11:32:22 / alanmack

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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 13 384 Entries

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
3023	ABBOTT, Charles	1884	ENG, ESS, Messing	Apr 1900 : Dominion	CAN	National Childrens Home
3033	ABBOTT, Frederick	1893	ENG, SRY, Kingston Upon Thames	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
3103	ABRAHAMS, Frederick	1876	ENG,	Mar 1891 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
3149	ACREMAN, Emily	1877	ENG,	Jul 1888 : Vancouver	CAN	National Childrens Home
3165	ADAM, Charles	1899	ENG,	Mar 1913 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
17047	ADCOCK, William	1892	ENG, NTT, Rolleston	Oct 1907 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
9832	ADKINS, Proctor Selby	1894	ENG,	Mar 1910 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
5358	AITKEN, Lawrence Gray	1909	SCT, LKS, Glasgow	Aug 1925 : Montnairn	CAN	National Childrens Home
5359	ALFORD, Stanley Victor	1910	ENG, HRT, Royston	Aug 1925 : Montnairn	CAN	National Childrens Home
22729	ALLAN, Alec	1876	ENG,	Mar 1889 : Vancouver	CAN	National Childrens Home
13096	ALLEN, Ernest John	1894	WAL, GLA, Pontypridd	Aug 1909 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
2735	ALLEN, Harry Edward	1898	ENG, LAN	Jul 1908 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
10434	ALLENBY, Edward	1908	ENG, YKS, Kirkbymoorside	Aug 1924 : Doric	CAN	National Childrens Home
9112	ALLISON, John Henry	1897	ENG, KEN, Sidcup	Mar 1910 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home	soutsc
14556	ANDERSON, Charlotte	1871	ENG, LAN, Liverpool	May 1885 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
11880	ANDERSON, Christine	1875	ENG,	May 1885 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
10452	ANDERSON, William	1906	ENG, LDN, London	Jul 1921 : Megantic	CAN	National Childrens Home
12754	ANDREWS, Gertrude	1879	ENG,	May 1889 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
12637	ANGLIS, Philip George	1886	ENG, LND, Lewisham	Apr 1904 : Southwark	CAN	National Childrens Home
5360	APOW, Leslie	1911	ENG, LDN, London	Aug 1925 : Montnairn	CAN	National Childrens Home
4390	ARGENT, Albert	1878	ENG,	Mar 1891 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
8614	ARGENT, Joseph	1892	ENG, YKS, Sheffield	Mar 1909 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home	Lyn 8
4389	ARGENT, William John	1878	ENG,	Mar 1891 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
12638	ASHDOWN, Pitman W	1890	ENG, , Edmonton	Apr 1904 : Southwark	CAN	National Childrens Home
6447	ASLETT, Ethel	1881	ENG,	May 1891 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
8180	ASPDEN, Joseph	1913	ENG, , Fulwood	Sep 1928 : Antonia	CAN	National Childrens Home
5361	ATKINSON, Thos	1910	ENG, YKS, Keighley	Aug 1925 : Montnairn	CAN	National Childrens Home
10454	ATTFIELD, Harry	1910	ENG,	Mar 1924 : Lancastria	CAN	National Childrens Home
14557	AUCKLAND, Harry	1882	ENG,	Apr 1894 : Labrador	CAN	National Childrens Home
5393	AULT, Ada May	1882	ENG, DBY, Derby	May 1891 : Sarnia	CAN	National Childrens Home
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links

Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 384 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

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