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Record #2909
Name :
: Arthur EDWARDS (1896 - 1976)


Father
: William EDWARDS
Mother
: Mary Emma CLAYTON
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 3 Oct 1896

Marriage (1)
: 2 May 1922   Spouse/Notes : Mary BATE (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia)
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 4 Sep 1976   Notes : Natural Causes
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Warwickshire, Birmingham

Dec qtr, 6d 134 (FreeBMD), 14 Court 2 House Unett St
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Nova Scotia, Halifax
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 23 Jun 1906
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Siberian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Middlemore
NotesOn the 3rd October 1904, Mary Emma's son, Arthur Edwards was placed in the Middlemore Home in Birmingham. Arthur's son, Ralph Edwards, told his father's story:

"From the Middlemore records that I have been able to view, it appears that William and Emma and their children had fallen on 'hard times' and were having trouble providing for their children and themselves. When my father went into the Middlemore Home on 3rd/4th October 1904, this is what was on the application:

Name and address of Parent: William Edwards, 3 House 10 Court Lower Tower Street.
Members of family: Mother and father and five children eldest 10 years the youngest 8 months.

It goes on to say that the father (William) has been out of regular employment for fourteen months but has done odd jobs for his nephew who is a shoe finisher. Then it states that my father was "sleeping out' and also has been in trouble at the markets for apparently stealing things. It also states that when the mother was interviewed she said her husband had spent time in jail for assaulting people and being drunk. She also told the interviewer that they moved often to avoid paying rent so that they would have money for food. It also said that one of the children had spent time in the Shustoke Industrial School.

The report on admittance does not give names of any of my fathers siblings and only uses his name (Arthur) and the father's name (William). Nor does it give any name of the mother. She is referred to as "mother". I know that life was hard in Birmingham in the late 1800s and early 1900s. My father's family was much better off than a lot of the family admittance reports that I have seen in the Middlemore records. There were a lot of "horror stories" in that era.

In June of 1906 my father was sent to Canada with many other children from the Middlemore Home. He came to Canada on a ship called Siberian in 1906.

I don't know if you are aware of the child care agencies that were operating in England in the late 1800s and up until about 1930 but there were quite a number bringing children to Canada to work on farms. Dr Barnadoes organization was probably the largest. He worked primarily in London, saving destitute children. Middlemore Homes of Birmingham brought approximately 5000 children to Canada. Many of the children after they were placed on farms here were mistreated and treated like slaves. In fairness there were many who were placed in good homes and treated as their own children.

My father was placed on a farm here in the province of New Brunswick, with a farmer who did not treat him very well. In 1915 he left the farm and joined the Canadian Army which was known as the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He went back to England and served in France during World War 1."

"William Edwards senior died on the 15th August 1917 aged 51. He died from (1) Phthisis (Pulmonary Tuberculosis) and (2) Haemoptysis (coughing up blood) at 63 Benson Road in Winson Green, which may have been a hospital for TB patients, being in close proximity to the City Fever Hospital. His home address was given as 1 Back of 172 Farm Street (Newtown) and his 'rank or profession' given as Ex 4003 Private 6th Royal Warwick Regiment. His wife Mary Emma was present at William's death and her address was also 1 Back 172 Farm Street."

Ralph Edwards explained that his father must have had direct contact with his parents during this period as on his army records he gives the family's home address at 1 Back 172 Farm Street as a contact address. It was also where his pay assignment went to during the time he was in England and France:

"My father arrived in England on 6th October 1916 and was in England and France until April 1919, when he was returned to Canada. He was not far away when his father died in Birmingham.

After returning from the war he married my mother in 1922. My mother was also immigrated here with Middlemore Homes of Birmingham. She arrived here in 1910. My mother, whose name was Daisy Bate, was born in Woodsetton, Staffordshire. They settled in Nova Scotia, about one hour drive from Halifax and raised five children, three boys and two girls."

On May 2, 1922, at Presbyterian Manse, Louisburg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, a marriage was registered between Arthur Edwards, 24, labourer, born in Birmingham, England, to William Edwards and Emma Clayton; and Daisy Bates, 21, servant, born in Staffordshire, England, to Samuel Bates and Elizabeth Fones.

(More can be found on this and the family genealogy here {website}bignbostin.com/clayton2.html -- all copyright remains with the owner of this website) 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-01-23 15:18:24 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : mollipops1

Last Updated : 2009-03-29 20:34:04 /

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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 12 343 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
5126 ABBOTT, Emily1886ENG,     May 1898 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3011 ABBOTT, Frederick1896ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3012 ABBOTT, George1893ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3058 ABBOTT, Herbert William1893ENG, WAR, Aston, Erdington Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3164 ADAM, Allan Devrix1885SCT,    , Govanhill, Glasgow Apr 1897 : Siberian CAN Quarriers  
3175 ADAM, William Butter1884SCT,    , Govanhill, Glasgow Apr 1897 : Siberian CAN Quarriers  
7357 ADDISON, Hugh1876SCT,    , Jamestown Apr 1887 : Siberian CAN Quarriers  
10057 ADIE, Henry1896ENG, WAR, Aston Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
10056 ADIE, Mary1895ENG,     Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
17060 ALLEN, Edward1887ENG,     Jun 1899 : Siberian CAN Middlemore hlomiller  
3860 ALLEN, Florence Elizabeth1891ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1902 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3804 AMES, Frank1894ENG, WOR, Redditch Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3805 AMES, Henry1896ENG, WOR, Redditch Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3803 AMES, Lizzie1893ENG, WOR, Redditch Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3806 AMES, Sarah1890ENG, WOR, Redditch Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
17073 ANSCOM, John1891ENG,     Jun 1902 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3699 ANSON, John1889ENG,     Jun 1902 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3698 ANSON, Kate1887ENG, STS, Stoke on Trent Jun 1902 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
11066 ASTLEY, Emma1891ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
11065 ASTLEY, Rosina1887ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
2880 AUSTIN, Frederick George1883ENG, WAR, Aston, Birmingham Jun 1894 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
2881 AUSTIN, James1879ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1894 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
17100 BAGGALLAY, Arthur Rodney1884ENG,     Jun 1900 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
16771 BAGLEY, Annie Dorothy1894ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
16774 BAGLEY, Leonard 1899ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
16772 BAGLEY, Richard Charles1889ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
16773 BAGLEY, Walter Ambrose1892ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
16770 BAGLEY, William Henry1896ENG, WAR, Birmingham Jun 1903 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
17273 BAILEY, Thomas1889ENG,     Jun 1899 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
3696 BALL, George Alfred1891ENG, NTH, Northampton Jun 1906 : Siberian CAN Middlemore  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 343 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