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Record #16087
Name :
: Lilian GRIFFIN (1902 - 1923)


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 25 Jul 1902

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 16 May 1923   Notes : Phthsis Pulmonalis
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, , London
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, York, Weston Sanatorium, Toronto
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 13 May 1912
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Corsican

Placement Family
: Harris; McCreight; Gibson
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: MacPherson Homes
NotesStory from The Promise of Home
{website}littleimmigrants.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/lillian-griffin-a-life-remembered-by-rose-mccormick-brandon/

May 14, 1912 was a significant day for 9 year-old Lillian Griffin. On that day, Lily and her sister Grace, boarded the S.S. Corsican in Liverpool. Lily?s parents had both died ? her father in 1903 and mother in 1911.

But Lily wasn?t boarding a ship because her parents had died. When Lily?s mother, Emily, remarried her new husband, William Kelly, took his 3 children and Emily?s 3 (Edward, Lily and Grace) to the MacPherson Home for Children in London. He returned for his children but the Griffins remained in the Home. Lily, age 3 when she last saw her mother, left England with no memories of any home other than the one established by Annie MacPherson.

Lily and Grace hoped all the way to Halifax that they would remain together in Canada. Child immigrants seldom went to the same home as a sibling. In Canada, the sisters were separated for the first time. Lily went to Woodham, Ontario to work in the home of a Mrs. Harris. Soon after, she was moved to the Alex McCreight home in Toronto. Meanwhile, Grace went first to Thamesville, then to Manitoulin Island, an impossible distance for either girl to travel for a reunion. Lily and Grace kept in touch by letters which wasn?t an easy task since both girls moved frequently.

Lily moved again, to the Gibson home, where she was employed as a mother?s helper. At age 16, she went back to the McCreight home in Toronto. It seems she had a lasting connection with this family. While with them, Lily attended business college. After graduation, she landed a stenographer?s position at the Provincial Parliament Buildings in Toronto.

Lily wrote to Grace often. The two sisters shared their different lives ? Lily a career girl and Grace a young mother. Grace sent photographs of her husband and children. The sisters wrote of their hope to see each other again.

At 22, Lillian contracted tuberculosis, the disease that had killed her mother. She went to Weston Sanatorium in Toronto for treatment. After 4 months of rest and medical attention, Lillian Griffin died on May 16, 1923.

?I miss Lily?s sisterly letters,? wrote Grace to a step-sister back in England. Lillian didn?t live long enough to reunite with Grace and her brother Edward. About the time she died, Edward, who had more money than his sisters, started to search for them. He found Grace in 1924. Undoubtedly he would have also found Lily.

The contact name on Lillian?s death certificate is H. N. Patton. My family has no idea who this person is. Lily?s letters, if some of them had survived, might have given us this information.

Lily?s life, though short, wasn?t forgotten. My grandmother, Grace, told her children about her sister and placed her photograph in a prominent place in her home. Grace?s children then passed on what they knew about Lily to their children. Today, my mother refers to her as Aunt Lily. This photograph of Lily is the only one in existence. It was taken in the sanatorium and Lily sent it to Grace with a letter.

This only surviving photo of Lillian Griffin has been treasured for decades. Her lovely face, in youth?s pretty glow, shines through her sickness. We remember Lily as a child of unfortunate circumstances who became an independent woman at a time when few women did. She was a loved sister with hopes and dreams that sadly went unfulfilled. 
ContributorsCreated : 2012-03-06 13:36:45 / From original database

Last Updated : 2012-05-09 10:28:23 /

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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  11 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
16088 GRIFFIN, Edward1900ENG, LDN, London Aug 1912 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
2730 GRIFFIN, Elizabeth1888ENG, YKS, Middlesbrough May 1901 : Tunisian CAN Catholic Emigration Society Soltown  
15123 GRIFFIN, Emma1900ENG,     Oct 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
16086 GRIFFIN, Grace Esther Emily1904ENG, LDN, London May 1912 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
23392 GRIFFIN, Henry V1904ENG,     Jun 1915 : Carthaginian CAN Middlemore  
3695 GRIFFIN, Hilda1895 Jun 1906 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
24984 GRIFFIN, John Sidney1900 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
12738 GRIFFIN, Leslie Harold ENG,     Mar 1907 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
16087 GRIFFIN, Lilian1902ENG, LDN, London May 1912 : Corsican CAN MacPherson Homes  
13192 GRIFFIN, Sydney1912ENG, SSX, Hastings Jun 1923 : Regina CAN Louisa Birt glendag  
14605 GRIFFIN, Thomas W.1877ENG,     Jul 1887 : - Unknown - CAN Middlemore