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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        
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 31 926 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3021 ABBOTT, Alice1899ENG,     May 1912 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
3022 ABBOTT, Bertie1894ENG, SFK, Ipswich May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos sharonmx5 , patty_in_ms  
3057 ABBOTT, Harold Lancelot1895ENG, SSX, Steyning Jul 1911 : Corsican CAN Labourers & Domestics  
3059 ABBOTT, James1896IRL, MEA, Trim May 1911 : Corsican CAN Labourers & Domestics  
3155 ACTON, Laura1892ENG, WAR, Aston May 1911 : Corsican CAN Labourers & Domestics  
10055 ADDISON, Annie 1900ENG,     Apr 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
3970 ADDISON, Florence1893ENG, LAN, Liverpool May 1908 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
17049 AFFLECK, Adelaide Mary1897ENG, LND, Camberwell Jun 1910 : Corsican CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
25704 AFFORD, Lily1901ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
10891 AITKEN, Donald1901ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
2851 ALCE, William Henry1894ENG, SSX, Seaford May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
9623 ALDRICH, Francis Vincent1900ENG, SSX, Brighton May 1910 : Corsican CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
10218 ALEXANDER, Edward Bubbings1901ENG, SSX, Rye May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
10219 ALEXANDER, Kathleen1904ENG, KEN May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
10217 ALEXANDER, Leslie1902ENG, KEN May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
8696 ALLABUSH, George1899ENG, LND, Canning Town May 1908 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
23751 ALLEN, Ada1896ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
8529 ALLEN, Daniel1898ENG, LDN, London Jul 1913 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
20448 ALLEN, Esther1895ENG,     May 1908 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
20467 ALLEN, Janette1896ENG,     May 1908 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
25649 ALLEN, John1895ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Society  
22547 ALLEN, Thomas1897ENG,     Jun 1913 : Corsican CAN Waifs & Strays  
6398 ALLEN, William1897ENG,     Jul 1910 : Corsican CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
20154 ALLEY, Clara Celia1894ENG, LAN, Liverpool May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
20159 ALLEY, Emma1891ENG, LAN, Liverpool May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
6312 ALLEY, Henry Herbert1896ENG, LAN, Liverpool May 1910 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
20204 ALWAY, Reginald Wilfrid1896ENG, GLS, Barton Regis May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
13127 AMBROSE, James1900ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
22781 ANDERSON, Jane1901ENG,     May 1913 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
20141 ANDREWS, James1896ENG,     May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
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 31 926 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