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Record #13346
Name :
: James William BLANCE (1880 - 1913)
  aka : James Harris


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Sep 1880

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 7 Nov 1913   Notes : Creeping paralysis
Abode (1) : Place of BirthScotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh

38 New Street
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Escott
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 19 Jun 1884
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Buenos Ayrean

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Quarriers
NotesJames was 2 years old when he and his sisters and brothers were
placed in the Quarrier's Home in Bridge of Weir, Scotland. They were sent, likely by train, from Edinburgh to Glasgow and were first examined at the City Orphanage in Glasgow to determine their state of health. They were transferred after only 1 day because they were in good health. When James was 3 years old
he sailed to Canada and was taken from the
Marchmont Home in Belleville, Ontario by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Harris, who (
according to the orphanage records ) had recently lost their only son. Mr.
Harris was a builder and the
Harris's had a daughter named Ethel. Shortly, after they picked up James
at the Home, Ethel wrote the orphanage saying, " Mamma thought you would
like to know how Jamie is after his journey. He arrived safely. When
the cab drove up to the door, he put his head out of the cab window and
called out ' There's Papa ! ' He was very tired. Mamma put him to bed
about eight o'clock, but he would not stay without her. She laid down by
him; he said to her, ' Keep close to me, mamma. ' We thought him very
wise. Papa and I like him very much. We think he is a sweet little
fellow. I think I shall like him for my brother. Mamma would have
written herself, but she is so busy getting him some clothes. He is very
happy. Trusting you will not be anxious, Ethel Harris " The family
settled initially in St. Thomas, Ontario and the following are excerpts
from the Marchmont Home's records on James--Mrs. Harris came for him,
spent Sunday at the Home, and took him away Monday August 11, 1884. Mrs.
Harris writes Jamie is getting very fat, goes out walking 2 hours every
morning. Mrs. Harris writes James has had scarlet fever. Says his
little hymns. Dr. says out of danger. Enclosed photo with sister and
dog. Jamie is running about again and so happy. Ethel writes a nice
letter about Jamie. She is very fond of him. He weighs 38 lbs and has
grown 1 1/2 inches. Nice letter about our little sunbeam. Summer of
1885, Ethel writes Jimmy was jumping off the verandah and broke his leg
two weeks ago, otherwise he is well. We are going to the country in
August. Jimmy can walk around again. Miss Bilbrough of the Home spent
the day at Jamie's house, found him grown tall and rosy cheeks, nicely
brought up and parents and sister devoted to him. In 1888, wrote James
is doing very well at school. Is fat and well and growing such a big
boy. By November of 1889, the family had moved to Vancouver, British
Columbia and Ethel wrote, Jimmy is well and a good boy. When my mother
was at the point of death he did all he could to help me. At this time,
Ethel would have been 15 years old and James 9 years old. Five years
later in 1894, Ethel writes,I am now Mrs. MacKintosh. I thought you
would like to hear of Jim. He is now with father and my step mother at
Vernon, a town up in the mountains. They left Vancouver after mother
died. My step mother is very kind to Jim and he is very fond of her. He
has lately joined the Methodist Church for 3 months probation. He was
converted recently. I have a boy 9 months old and am very happy, but
should like Jim near me. He writes to me occasionally. " Our verbal
family history says that James did not learn until he was 18 years old
that he was adopted and what his true last name was and that he had 4
brothers and sisters. He had apparently become somewhat rebellious and had left school. After a run in over these things, Mr. Harris abruptly revealed that James was not his biological son. When James learned of his biological sisters and brothers, he, with the considerable help of Ethel Harris MacIntosh who contacted the orphanage and obtained information on where James siblings were last known to be living, set out to find them.
It is said that he advertised in newspapers and that Margaret Blance saw his ad
and answered it, being overjoyed to learn of her brother that she had
lost all contact with. James traveled all the way from British Columbia to
Ontario where his 4 siblings were still living. He got work at a resort in Rockport, Ontario. There he met Scillennia
Kirker, who was working in the kitchen at the resort. The Kirker Family asked him to stay
with them and he was thus able to locate and reunite with his long, lost siblings.
Scillennia's youngest sister, Annie, was still living when I began this
family research in the late 1970's and she told me her memories of James as being a very
well educated, gracious young man who was musically talented. She said
her whole family loved him ! James married Scillennia and they moved back to British Columbia where James had grown up. Shortly after their son, Harold, was born in British Columbia in 1908, James developed a progressive paralysis and the family returned to Ontario so that James might get the best medical care from doctors in Montreal, Quebec. Nothing was able to help him and he died in 1913. 
ContributorsCreated : 2011-01-21 12:10:40 / From original database

Last Updated : 2011-05-11 11:25:57 /

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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  5 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
14577 BLANCE, Andrew1875SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
13346 BLANCE, James William1880SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14576 BLANCE, John Hay1873SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14575 BLANCE, Margaret1871SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers  
14578 BLANCE, Mary1878SCT, MLN, Edinburgh Jun 1884 : Buenos Ayrean CAN Quarriers