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Record #8921
Name :
: Charles Henry HARVEY (1897 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Aug 1897

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Hampshire, Southampton
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 9 Mar 1911
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Sicilian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesA birth registration was found for Charles Henry Harvey: Year of Registration: 1897; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; District: Southampton; County: Hampshire; Volume: 2c; Page: 36.

In 1911, Charles Harvey died of pneumonia. Left with no money and faced with caring for eight children, one of them a three-month-old baby, his mother was forced to break up the family in order to keep her children alive. In 1911, Charlie traveled to London to live at Leopold House, one of the homes founded by Dr. Thomas Barnardo as a safe-haven for destitute children.

In 1911, Charles Henry Harvey, 13, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a group of 216 Barnardo children en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On his immigration record, his next of kin is named as Mrs Harvey, 40 Amor St, Southampton.

On Nov 10 1915, at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Charles Henry Harvey, 18, enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He declared that he was born in Southampton, England; that his next of kind was his mother, Sarah Harvey, who resided at 31 Canton St, Southampton, England; that his date of birth was August 1, 1897; that he was a farmer; and that he was not married. He was described as 5 foot 8 inches in height; fresh complexion; brown eyes; light brown hair. He was a member of the Methodist faith; he had three warts on the back of his left hand; and three vaccination marks high up on his left shoulder.

His daughter, Beryl Young, wrote a book about her father's life. Being a Home Child wasn't something her father talked about to her or her brother. She related to reporter Lori Gallagher of the Daily Gleaner:

"We knew my dad had come from England and we knew he'd been in the war because he had a hole in his arm from a bullet where a German shot him, and we knew, of course, that he had been in the Mounted Police, but I had no idea that he had been in a Barnardo home or that he was a Home (Child)," she says.

It wasn't until she went to live in England at the age of 21 that her aunt mentioned that her father had been in an orphanage.

"I said, 'Oh, my dad wasn't in an orphanage. He would have told me.'"

When her aunt insisted, Young called her parents in Canada.

"This was 1955. My dad said yes, he had been in an orphanage," she says.

When she asked why he had never told them, he replied, "'I knew you would blab it up and down the street,' and, he said, 'I just don't feel terribly proud of it.' I have since learned that's not unusual at all."

Being one of the Home Children is a history many haven't shared with their descendants.

"I thought it was romantic and dramatic that my dad had been a poor orphan," admits Young.

Time passed, however, and she never got around to discussing this with her father. "All that time, I think I was so busy with my own life, I didn't ask my dad (about this)," she says.

She was in her 60s before she learned her father was a Barnardo Boy. A cousin in England told her the information was online and she could find out if her father was an orphan there.

They confirmed Charles Henry Harvey had been in their orphanage and sent to Canada, they had records of everywhere he had worked and they sent her a lot of information, including a photo of him at 12.

"It was absolutely thrilling and I was amazed," she says.

She researched her father's life but thought long and hard before sharing his story.

"My dad went to so much trouble to keep his story quiet - he was ashamed of it. I talked to my brother about it and we feel proud of it," she says, so she decided to go forward with a children's book, complete with archival material including letters and photographs.

"He was courageous, all those Home Children were brave to come to Canada. They worked hard, made a life here and made a real contribution to our country."

Researching and writing this book gave Young the opportunity to get to know her father. She hopes the children who read it are inspired to ask their parents and grandparents questions about their pasts while they have the chance. 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-07-17 13:14:20 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-09-19 19:14:47 /

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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  27 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
9679 HARVEY, Agnes1903ENG,     Apr 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
9668 HARVEY, Alice May1896ENG,     Jun 1911 : Carthaginian CAN Middlemore  
9879 HARVEY, Arthur S1893ENG,     Jul 1902 : New England CAN Barnardos  
19923 HARVEY, Ben1887ENG,     Apr 1897 : Labrador CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
4027 HARVEY, Charles1900ENG,     Jun 1909 : Carthaginian CAN Middlemore  
4028 HARVEY, Charles1899ENG,     Jul 1907 : Kensington CAN Barnardos  
9645 HARVEY, Charles1899ENG,     Jun 1911 : Carthaginian CAN Middlemore  
8921 HARVEY, Charles Henry1897ENG, HAM, Southampton Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
15945 HARVEY, Edward1876ENG,     Aug 1886 : Parisian CAN Catholic Protection Society  
18195 HARVEY, Edward1878ENG,     Apr 1889 : Sardinian CAN Waifs & Strays  
2856 HARVEY, Elizabeth1900ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
14553 HARVEY, Eric1914ENG,     Jun 1930 : Duchess of York CAN Crusade of Rescue  
8375 HARVEY, Florence M 1908ENG,     Jul 1923 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
16927 HARVEY, Frank S 1881ENG, NTT, Nottingham 1900 : - Unknown - CAN Barnardos  
22711 HARVEY, Fred1889ENG,     Apr 1900 : Dominion CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
13433 HARVEY, George1873ENG,     Sep 1887 : Nipigon CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
21222 HARVEY, Henry1890 Apr 1905 : Kensington CAN Barnardos  
24602 HARVEY, Henry1894 Jun 1906 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
19706 HARVEY, J1887ENG,     Jun 1897 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
23132 HARVEY, Leslie1900ENG,     Apr 1912 : Empress of Ireland CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
25629 HARVEY, Norman Thomas1923ENG, WAR, Aston Aug 1932 : Oronsay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
2857 HARVEY, Rose1902ENG,     Mar 1911 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
15522 HARVEY, Victor James1910ENG,     Apr 1923 : Melita CAN Barnardos  
20213 HARVEY, W. H.1886ENG,     Jun 1897 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
9211 HARVEY, Walter1887ENG, LDN, London Oct 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
16928 HARVEY, Walter1885ENG, GLS, Bristol - Unknown - CAN Unknown  
4410 HARVEY, William (Willie) Patrick Curtis1907ENG, MDX, Edmonton May 1921 : Minnedosa CAN Father Hudsons Homes  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily 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  27 Entries