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Record #7691
Name :
: Daniel George CLAYTON (1903 - 1949)
  aka : Daniel Claydon, Daniel Cl


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 7 Apr 1903

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 26 Jan 1949   Notes : unknown
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Derbyshire, Derby
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialUnited States of America, Wayne, Detroit
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 28 Aug 1913
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Corsican

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Catholic Emigration Society
NotesMy grandfather, Daniel Clayton (1903-1949) was born in Derby, a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the River Derwent and is located in the south of the shire county of Derbyshire. The oral tradition that has been passed down is that Daniel and his siblings were placed in an orphanage after their mother died and their father was unable to take care of them himself. It is clear that Daniel was, in fact, in an orphanage in England. It was in Coleshill, near Birmingham, and was called the St. Edward's Home for Boys, also known as the Father Hudson Home. Research is ongoing to try to find out the exact circumstances under which he came to be there.

What we do know as fact is this: Daniel and his brother, James Claydon (1898-?), were transported aboard the RMS Corsican in 1913 from Liverpool, England to Quebec, Canada as part of the child emigration scheme of the time. They sailed on 20 Aug 1913 and landed in Quebec on 28 Aug 1913. On the ship passenger list, their surname is spelled CLAYDIN, and they are listed among 34 boys labeled the 'Roman Catholic Party' who were sponsored for the voyage from England by the Catholic Emigration Society. From Quebec, they were taken by train to the St. George's Home in Ottawa, Ontario, which was the main receiving and distribution center for Roman Catholic children from about 1895 until the last British Home Children arrived in the early 1930s. The boys were then separated - James being sent to Ellaton, Norfork County, Ontario, and Daniel to the farm of Alex D. St. Louis in Tecumseh, Essex County, Ontario. He was 10 years old.

In Canada, James signed up to serve during WWI in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force, and on his attestation paper, he listed his place of birth as Derby, England, and his full name as James Anthony Claydon. He named my grandfather as his next-of-kin. His residence at that time was Ellaton, Norfolk County, Ontario. Daniel seems also to have used the Claydon spelling until about the time he married my grandmother, then started using Clayton.

The family story goes that the farmer to whom Daniel was sent was abusive to Daniel, and that he was, for all intents and purposes, slave labor. Daniel ran away from this farm at age 15, snuck into the U.S. and was an illegal immigrant here.

This story lines up perfectly with what little my father's family knew about his father. Daniel could speak French, according to family members. He had some papers written in French in his wallet at the time of his death. Tecumseh is an area of Ontario with a large French-speaking population. 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-05-03 17:46:57 / From original database

Last Updated : 2016-04-30 14:46:36 /

Family History ResearchersRootsChatters with family connections to Daniel George CLAYTON:

wetipquin , Janibou

 
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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  2 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
7692 CLAYDON, James Anthony1898ENG, DBY, Derby Aug 1913 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Society wetipquin , Janibou  
7691 CLAYTON, Daniel George1903ENG, DBY, Derby Aug 1913 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Society wetipquin , Janibou