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Record #13584
Name :
: Mary Louisa Milsom Jones MORTIMER (1873 - 1971)
  aka : May Vosper, May McKay


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 21 Sep 1873

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 10 Feb 1971   Notes : pneumonia
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Bradfield

Midhope
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialUnited States of America, Santa Cruz, Capitola
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 2 Nov 1884
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Parisian

Placement Family
: McCarroll
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
: Maria Rye/Wortley Union

Agency
: Maria Rye
NotesMary Mortimer was born in Midhope Stones, a village 11 miles northeast of Sheffield, on September 21, 1873. She was the eldest of three children of Eliza Hannah (formerly Milsom) and Charles James Jones Frederick Mortimer, who was the village schoolmaster. Charles was also a Chelsea Pensioner with 20+ years in the Royal Engineers, where he was trained as a civil engineer. Mary's sister Emma (also a BHC) was about two years youner, and her brother, Freddy, four years younger. In 1881, the family seems to have fallen on hard times and moved to Leeds, where they occupied a small apartment near the public dispensary on New Briggate. In September 1881, Mary's mother died in childbirth, and her father turned to drink. According to family lore, their mother's family wanted to take Mary and Emma to live with them, but Charles, embittered by their treatment of him, insisted that the girls be sent to Canada to live with friends. We now know that Mary and Emma spent some time in the Wortley Union Workhouse and were in Miss Rye's party of 58 girls who sailed from Liverpool on the Parisian, arriving in Quebec on November 2, 1884. Mary and Emma were placed with different families in Ontario, Emma with Angus and Eliza McNaughton on a farm in Oxmead, and Mary with Thomas and MaryAnn McCarroll in Meaford. Thomas was a druggist. Emma stayed with the McNaughtons until and learned to be a dressmaker. Mary ran away, probably to Toronto or Buffalo. She lied about her age to work as a domestic servant. In 1896, she she met and married an Englishman, Alfred Vosper who was a head waiter at the Iroquois Hotel in Buffalo New York. Not too long after, they moved to New York City. Mary and Alfred worked waiting tables. Their daughter, Hazel, was born in Manhattan in 1898. Within a few years Alfred became ill and had to be hospitalized. He died in 1905. Mary moved to New Jersey. She sent her daughter to an Episcopal girl's boarding school in Asbury Park. With a friend, she opened a small tearoom. In about 1909, Mary came down with typhoid fever. Her doctor advised her to make arrangements for her daughter in case she didn't survive. She sent Hazel across the country to Pasadena, CA to live with her sister, Emma. She joined them in about 1912. There she met and married Glenn McKay, a marriage that lasted until Glenn passed away in 1964. Mary and Glenn lived in several places in California and Nevada. Glenn was a farmer, miner, and building contractor. Glenn and Mary lived in several places in California and Nevada. At one point, they took in Glenn's orphaned twin nephews and raised them as their own. Mary died in Capitola, CA in 1971 at the age of 97. She was survived by her sister Emma, daughter, Hazel McChrystal, three grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren and a nephew (Emma's son). Despite the barriers imposed by the BHC program, she managed to stay connected with her sister throughout her life, and, though she never saw him again, had written contact with her brother, Freddy. 
ContributorsCreated : 2011-02-26 11:15:26 / From original database

Last Updated : 2013-11-17 14:44:58 /

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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 28 832 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3047 ABBOT, William1878ENG,     Apr 1895 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3019 ABBOTT, Alfred1869ENG,     Aug 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3028 ABBOTT, Edith1887ENG,     Jul 1892 : Parisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3031 ABBOTT, Ernest1865ENG,     Nov 1882 : Parisian CAN Unknown  
8354 ABBOTT, Frederick Albert Prosper1885ENG, LND, Homerton Apr 1895 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3038 ABBOTT, Herman Henry1882ENG, MDX, Hoxton, London Apr 1895 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3046 ABBOTT, Lily1873ENG, YKS, Leeds Sep 1883 : Parisian CAN Maria Rye  
3088 ABRAHAM, Maggie1875ENG,     Jul 1888 : Parisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3094 ABRAHAMS, James1872ENG,     Apr 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3098 ABRAHAMS, Sam1872ENG,     Apr 1890 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3109 ACASTER, Ebenezer William1867ENG, BRK, Newbury, Stockcross Aug 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3123 ACKERMAN, Arthur Edward1877ENG, LND, Wandsworth Jun 1888 : Parisian CAN Louisa Birt  
3124 ACKERMAN, George Abraham1875ENG, LND, Wandsworth Jun 1888 : Parisian CAN Louisa Birt  
3138 ACKLAND, William1869ENG,     Jul 1884 : Parisian CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
3133 ACLAND, Arthur Edward1874ENG, MDX, Holloway Apr 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
3163 ADAIR, Millicent1880ENG, LAN, Liverpool Jul 1897 : Parisian CAN Louisa Birt  
16636 ALABASTER, George William1877ENG, SSX, Chichester May 1890 : Parisian CAN Rev. William J. Pady  
20305 ALBONE, Cornelius1875ENG, BDF, Biggleswade Mar 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
20306 ALCOCK, Daniel1877ENG, OXF, Sibford Gower Mar 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
23343 ALDRIDGE, Charles Henry1888ENG, LDN, London Jun 1901 : Parisian CAN Waifs & Strays lostgirl19  
8850 ALEXANDER, Kate1885ENG,     Jul 1899 : Parisian CAN Waifs & Strays  
8467 ALGER, Ada1876ENG, LND, St Olave Jul 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
9026 ALGER, Ellen 1872ENG, LND, St. Olave Jul 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
23754 ALLEN, Annie E1879ENG,     Jul 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
23757 ALLEN, Harriet L1875ENG,     Jul 1886 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
6522 ANDERS, Thomas1878ENG,     Jun 1888 : Parisian CAN Maria Rye  
12469 ANDERSON, Alfred1885ENG,     Apr 1895 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
23770 ANDERSON, Eleanor J1878ENG,     Sep 1888 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
4456 ANDERSON, Ethel Rows1884ENG, YKS, Normanby Aug 1890 : Parisian CAN Maria Rye  
13482 ANDERSON, George ENG,     May 1887 : Parisian CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
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 28 832 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