HOME      FORUM      HELP      SEARCH      
News : The Surname Interests Table (SIT), the Database for Special Interests Groups (DBSIG) and Ancestral Anniversaries
are now "mobile friendlier" more here ...
The RootsChat Reference Library

RootsChat.Com »  RootsChat Reference Library »   Database for Special Interest Groups (DBSIG) »   British Home Children : Quick Search

Record #3633
Name :
: Mary Elizabeth CORKILL (1860 - )
  aka : Mary Elizabeth Corkhill


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1860

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Lancashire, Liverpool
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: Aug 1875
Country
: Canada

Ship
: - Unknown -

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Louisa Birt
NotesMary CORKILL's was one of the oldest of 7 children born to Evan and Elizabeth CORKILL in Liverpool, England. Elizabeth died in 1873, and she and her younger siblings went to the Liverpool Sheltering Homes in 1873 (when it opened). One of their older brothers had died as a child; their oldest brother went to a "Reform Ship" in Liverpool. He left for England, reportedly on his own, in 1873. He seemingly went directly to British Columbia, Canada. I do not know how he got there, or where he first arrived in Canada.

The 4 youngest siblings were sent to Canada in 1874. They were Julia CORKILL, Esther CORKILL, John CORKILL (5) and Robert "Robbie" CORKILL (3). Mary has misbehaved in 1874, so she wasn't allowed to travel with them. She pleaded with the officials to let her join them, and she was sent in 1875. They all went to different families in Nova Scotia.

Because of my 5-6 years of research, I have found out about their lives in Nova Scotia. Julia married and remained in Nova Scotia; she had 10 children, but her husband died shortly after the last was born. Esther married in Nova Scotia to a man from Nantucket, MA; she reportedly had almost 10 children, but I think only 2 lived to adulthood. They went to MA, and went to Nantucket later on. John married later in life, married an older woman, and then he died before she did. He did not have children. Robert never married; he died while in his 60's, still living in Nova Scotia.

Mary married another "home child," "Stanley" LEWIS, in 1879 in Nova Scotia. They had their first child there and then migrated to Massachusetts. They settled in Stoneham, MA, and raised 13 children. My grandfather was one of the youngest.

I have a picture of the family.

So, the 3 sisters did OK for themselves; the younger brothers didn't do so well, but they were only 5 and 3 when they arrived in Nova Scotia. I have been in contact with 2 descendants of Julia (CORKILL); I have not been able to locate Esther's descendants.

The older brother, Edward CORKILL, seems to have gone correctly to British Columbia on his own. He married near Vancouver a couple years later, and had at least 4 children. I have heard from descendants of his 2 daughters. One son died young; the older son did live and did marry, but I have not yet found out if he had children.

Oh, I forgot to say that the father of these children was a Master Mariner and sailed around the world. The mother died in 1873, and the father could not take care of them. He lived for maybe another 20 years, and remarried. I have no idea whether he ever saw his children again. And, I have no idea whether they corresponded, or whether the children knew that their father had remarried (still in Liverpool).

Betty (near Lowell, MA, USA) 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-04-15 12:54:13 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-02-04 20:58:02 /

Family History ResearchersRootsChatters with family connections to Mary Elizabeth CORKILL:



 
Readers Comments

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
13196 CORKILL, Esther1867ENG,     Apr 1874 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
13197 CORKILL, John1870ENG,     Apr 1874 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
13195 CORKILL, Julia1863ENG,     Apr 1874 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
3633 CORKILL, Mary Elizabeth1860ENG, LAN, Liverpool Aug 1875 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt  
13198 CORKILL, Robert1872ENG,     Apr 1874 : - Unknown - CAN Louisa Birt