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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 14 15 16 479 Entries

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
3033	ABBOTT, Frederick	1893	ENG, SRY, Kingston Upon Thames	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
3165	ADAM, Charles	1899	ENG,	Mar 1913 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home
23725	ADAMS, Lilian	1887	ENG,	Nov 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
22768	ADAMSON, Jeanie	1891	ENG,	Sep 1905 : Canada	CAN	Louisa Birt
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
6798	AINSLIE, Daisy Ann	1890	ENG, HAM, Portsmouth	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26133	ALDRIDGE, B	1895	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26134	ALDRIDGE, H	1894	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26031	ALEXANDER, Henry	1894	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26030	ALEXANDER, T	1895	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26007	ALLAN, M	1886	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
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
9112	ALLISON, John Henry	1897	ENG, KEN, Sidcup	Mar 1910 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home	soutsc
11504	ALLPORT, William Thomas	1907	ENG, , Shrewsbury	May 1923 : Canada		Waifs & Strays	ynaught
22783	ANDERSON, Francis L	1909	ENG,	Jun 1923 : Canada	CAN	Waifs & Strays
17075	ANDRES, J.	1893	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
13834	ANTWIS, Robert Luchesi	1891	WAL, PEM, Haverfordwest	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
9233	ANTWIS, Sidney Walter John	1893	WAL, PEM, Pembroke Dock	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
8614	ARGENT, Joseph	1892	ENG, YKS, Sheffield	Mar 1909 : Canada	CAN	National Childrens Home	Lyn 8
26029	ASHBY, W E	1893	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
23814	ASHDOWN, W	1887	ENG,	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
9732	ASHMORE, Amelia	1895	ENG,	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
23821	ASHMORE, Mary E	1897	ENG,	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
23836	ATKINS, Alice M	1897	ENG,	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
16734	ATKINSON, Robert	1889	ENG, WES, Kendal	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
5501	BABB, Frederick	1896	ENG, SOM, Axbridge	Oct 1905 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26109	BAKER, A G	1887	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
26183	BAKER, Albert	1892	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
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 14 15 16 479 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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