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Record #8921
Name :
: Charles Henry HARVEY (1897 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Aug 1897

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Hampshire, Southampton
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 9 Mar 1911
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Sicilian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesA birth registration was found for Charles Henry Harvey: Year of Registration: 1897; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; District: Southampton; County: Hampshire; Volume: 2c; Page: 36.

In 1911, Charles Harvey died of pneumonia. Left with no money and faced with caring for eight children, one of them a three-month-old baby, his mother was forced to break up the family in order to keep her children alive. In 1911, Charlie traveled to London to live at Leopold House, one of the homes founded by Dr. Thomas Barnardo as a safe-haven for destitute children.

In 1911, Charles Henry Harvey, 13, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a group of 216 Barnardo children en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On his immigration record, his next of kin is named as Mrs Harvey, 40 Amor St, Southampton.

On Nov 10 1915, at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Charles Henry Harvey, 18, enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He declared that he was born in Southampton, England; that his next of kind was his mother, Sarah Harvey, who resided at 31 Canton St, Southampton, England; that his date of birth was August 1, 1897; that he was a farmer; and that he was not married. He was described as 5 foot 8 inches in height; fresh complexion; brown eyes; light brown hair. He was a member of the Methodist faith; he had three warts on the back of his left hand; and three vaccination marks high up on his left shoulder.

His daughter, Beryl Young, wrote a book about her father's life. Being a Home Child wasn't something her father talked about to her or her brother. She related to reporter Lori Gallagher of the Daily Gleaner:

"We knew my dad had come from England and we knew he'd been in the war because he had a hole in his arm from a bullet where a German shot him, and we knew, of course, that he had been in the Mounted Police, but I had no idea that he had been in a Barnardo home or that he was a Home (Child)," she says.

It wasn't until she went to live in England at the age of 21 that her aunt mentioned that her father had been in an orphanage.

"I said, 'Oh, my dad wasn't in an orphanage. He would have told me.'"

When her aunt insisted, Young called her parents in Canada.

"This was 1955. My dad said yes, he had been in an orphanage," she says.

When she asked why he had never told them, he replied, "'I knew you would blab it up and down the street,' and, he said, 'I just don't feel terribly proud of it.' I have since learned that's not unusual at all."

Being one of the Home Children is a history many haven't shared with their descendants.

"I thought it was romantic and dramatic that my dad had been a poor orphan," admits Young.

Time passed, however, and she never got around to discussing this with her father. "All that time, I think I was so busy with my own life, I didn't ask my dad (about this)," she says.

She was in her 60s before she learned her father was a Barnardo Boy. A cousin in England told her the information was online and she could find out if her father was an orphan there.

They confirmed Charles Henry Harvey had been in their orphanage and sent to Canada, they had records of everywhere he had worked and they sent her a lot of information, including a photo of him at 12.

"It was absolutely thrilling and I was amazed," she says.

She researched her father's life but thought long and hard before sharing his story.

"My dad went to so much trouble to keep his story quiet - he was ashamed of it. I talked to my brother about it and we feel proud of it," she says, so she decided to go forward with a children's book, complete with archival material including letters and photographs.

"He was courageous, all those Home Children were brave to come to Canada. They worked hard, made a life here and made a real contribution to our country."

Researching and writing this book gave Young the opportunity to get to know her father. She hopes the children who read it are inspired to ask their parents and grandparents questions about their pasts while they have the chance. 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-07-17 13:14:20 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-09-19 19:14:47 /

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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 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 1238 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
3004 AARON, Alfred Robert1899ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
3003 AARON, John Richard1895ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
3131 ACKERS, Victor Roy1904ENG, DEV, Plymouth Sep 1915 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
3159 ADAIR, Henry Bower1895SCT,    , Dumfries Apr 1906 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
3173 ADAM, Robert Goulay1895ENG,     Apr 1911 : Sicilian CAN Labourers & Domestics  
23724 ADAMS, Lizzie1898ENG,     Jul 1909 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
17045 ADAMS, Mary 1896ENG,     Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
6389 ADAMSON, Christina Alison1894SCT, LKS, Glasgow Jun 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
6256 ADDIS, Herbert1897WAL, MON, Newport Jul 1909 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
12583 AIRY, Frederick1900ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
4595 AITCHESON, Edith1906ENG,     Mar 1920 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
3156 AITON, William Lyle1888SCT, LKS, Glasgow Apr 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
19366 AKEHURST, Wilfred John Kelly1896ENG, SRY, Chertsey Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
23738 ALBURN, Doris1903ENG,     Sep 1915 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
9622 ALDERSON, John Robert1899ENG,     Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
8683 ALDERTON, Frederick1902ENG, SFK, Thingoe Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
9626 ALDERTON, Walter Isaac1904ENG, SFK, Thingoe Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
8813 ALDERTON, William1900ENG, SFK, Thingoe Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
16550 ALDRIDGE, Ada Florence1900ENG, LND, Clapham Jul 1911 : Sicilian  Barnardos Niksmum  
6358 ALEXANDER, William1893SCT,     Apr 1906 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
12600 ALFORD, Stephen1900ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
23226 ALLAN, Jane1891SCT,    , Larbert Jun 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
23225 ALLAN, Joan1895SCT,    , Larbert Jun 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
19153 ALLDER, Alec William Alfred1902ENG, LND, Marylebone Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
10893 ALLEN, Albert Edward1904ENG,     Sep 1915 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
5694 ALLEN, Albert Ernest1904ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
5695 ALLEN, George1903ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
26755 ALLEN, Herbert1899 Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
23047 ALLEN, Lily1897ENG,     Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
23762 ALLMARK, Florence1901ENG,     Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
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 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 1238 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