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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 /

Family History ResearchersRootsChatters with family connections to Arthur EDWARDS:

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 55 Entries

ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links
27092	EDWARDS, Alfred William	1918	ENG, STS, Wolverhampton	Jun 1929 : Largs Bay	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
9755	EDWARDS, Alice M	1904	ENG,	Mar 1914 : Sicilian	CAN	Barnardos
12376	EDWARDS, Aline	1912	ENG, , Portsmouth	Sep 1922 : Minnedosa	CAN	Barnardos
22099	EDWARDS, Ann	1875	ENG,	Apr 1895 : Sardinian	CAN	Liverpool Sheltering Home
9966	EDWARDS, Annie E	1889	ENG,	Oct 1902 : Colonian	CAN	Barnardos
2909	EDWARDS, Arthur	1896	ENG, WAR, Birmingham	Jun 1906 : Siberian	CAN	Middlemore
22046	EDWARDS, Arthur C.	1879	ENG,	Apr 1897 : Labrador	CAN	Barnardos
11661	EDWARDS, Charles	1891	ENG,	May 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
6240	EDWARDS, Charlotte	1897	ENG,	Aug 1905 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
13186	EDWARDS, Eliza	1878	ENG,	Oct 1892 : Sardinian	CAN	Barnardos
20420	EDWARDS, Eliza	1897	ENG,	May 1908 : Corsican	CAN	Louisa Birt
11696	EDWARDS, Flo	1892	ENG,	May 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
8705	EDWARDS, Frederick	1916	ENG,	Mar 1930 : Nova Scotia	CAN	Salvation Army
26641	EDWARDS, Frederick George	1924		Dec 1934 : Baradine	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
12485	EDWARDS, Frederick Thomas	1892	ENG,	Jul 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
26127	EDWARDS, G	1893	ENG,	Mar 1903 : Canada	CAN	Barnardos
20408	EDWARDS, George	1893	ENG,	Oct 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
24613	EDWARDS, George	1895		Jun 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
14331	EDWARDS, George B	1887	ENG,	Jul 1898 : Scotsman	CAN	Bristol Emigration Society
7195	EDWARDS, Grace	1898	ENG,	Oct 1908 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
11711	EDWARDS, Harriet	1892	ENG,	May 1902 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
27662	EDWARDS, Harry	1903	ENG, MDX, London, Enfield	Jul 1914 : Empress of Britain	CAN	Salvation Army
24614	EDWARDS, Henry	1895		Jun 1906 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
6884	EDWARDS, James	1892	ENG,	Oct 1903 : Dominion	CAN	Barnardos
14359	EDWARDS, James	1887	ENG,	Jul 1898 : Scotsman	CAN	Bristol Emigration Society
7897	EDWARDS, James A V	1914	ENG, , Hammersmith	Mar 1930 : Baltic	CAN	Waifs & Strays
20169	EDWARDS, Jane		ENG,	May 1911 : Corsican	CAN	Louisa Birt
23258	EDWARDS, John	1869	ENG,	Jun 1876 : Austrian	CAN	MacPherson Homes
24153	EDWARDS, John	1852	ENG,	May 1870 : Scandinavian	CAN	Boy's Home Great Queen Street, London
24961	EDWARDS, John	1900		Mar 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
15141	EDWARDS, John H	1889	ENG,	- Unknown -	CAN	Unknown
5006	EDWARDS, Joseph	1916	WAL, , Wrexham	Sep 1930 : Duchess of Bedford	CAN	Barnardos
15310	EDWARDS, Joseph	1873	ENG,	Jun 1884 : Polynesian	CAN	Catholic Protection Society
12623	EDWARDS, L F	1880	ENG,	Oct 1896 : Scotsman	CAN	Barnardos
8279	EDWARDS, Leslie	1913	ENG, CHS, Birkenhead	Apr 1928 : Montclare	CAN	Barnardos
9349	EDWARDS, Lilian	1904	ENG,	Mar 1913 : Corinthian	CAN	Barnardos
27232	EDWARDS, Malcolm Eric	1925	ENG, NTT, Worksop	Nov 1935 : Balranald	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
21813	EDWARDS, Minnie	1889	ENG,	Jun 1895 : Carthaginian	CAN	Middlemore
12375	EDWARDS, Norah	1910	ENG,	Sep 1922 : Minnedosa	CAN	Barnardos
8652	EDWARDS, Olive	1910	ENG, LAN, Liverpool	Jul 1925 : Athenia	CAN	Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)
26828	EDWARDS, Reginald	1922		May 1934 : Ballarat	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
24960	EDWARDS, Robert	1898		Mar 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
18297	EDWARDS, Robert H	1879	ENG,	Apr 1895 : Numidian	CAN	Barnardos
23579	EDWARDS, Roderick	1909	ENG,	May 1924 : Demosthenes	AUS	Barnardos
5973	EDWARDS, Ronald	1897	ENG,	Mar 1910 : Tunisian	CAN	Barnardos
22886	EDWARDS, Rupert	1891	ENG,	Apr 1908 : Lake Champlain	CAN	Fegan Homes for Boys
15332	EDWARDS, Slina	1862	ENG,	Jun 1871 : Prussian	CAN	Maria Rye
17558	EDWARDS, Sophie	1893	ENG,	May 1909 : Tunisian	CAN	MacPherson Homes
21814	EDWARDS, Sydney	1885	ENG,	Jun 1895 : Carthaginian	CAN	Middlemore
24154	EDWARDS, Thomas	1852	ENG,	May 1870 : Scandinavian	CAN	Boy's Home Great Queen Street, London
25963	EDWARDS, Violet	1919		Nov 1929 : Ballarat	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
20971	EDWARDS, W	1922	ENG,	Oct 1935 : Otranto	AUS	Fairbridge Homes
5087	EDWARDS, William	1911	ENG, , Fulham	Aug 1926 : Montrose	CAN	Barnardos
16175	EDWARDS, William	1882	ENG,	Apr 1893 : Vancouver	CAN	Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)
27661	EDWARDS, William	1905	ENG, MDX, London, Enfield	Jul 1914 : Empress of Britain	CAN	Salvation Army
ID	Name	DOB	Place of birth	Arrivals & Ships	Dest.	Agency	Family links

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 55 Entries

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