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Record #4141
Name :
: Mary Lily MAITLAND (1897 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 11 Jun 1897

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Middlesex, London
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 31 May 1907
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Virginian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Father Hudsons Homes
NotesAgnes Sullivan born June 11, 1897 (parents Timothy Sullivan and Honora McCarthy) in London England in the district of St. Olave. Parents: Timothy Sullivan and Annie McCarthy.

Agnes Sullivan/Lillie Maitland's story is told by her granddaughter, Shannon:

"It was discovered during the research of the McKnight Family that Lillian Maitland was not her real name. On June 11th, 1897, a child was born to Timothy Sullivan and his wife Annie Sullivan (maiden name McCarthy) in London England. She was born not in a hospital but in her home at 14 English Ground on Tooley Street on the London docks.

Tim was a foreman on the wharf and Annie was a servant. The couple named the girl Agnes Sullivan and she was baptized under that name at St. Peter's Woolwich Church by Reverend Joseph Weeks. Then for some unknown reason on April 2nd 1900 the little girl was admitted into Nazareth House, Southland by the sea, a home for abandoned children under her real name Agnes Sullivan. The following year she was moved to Madam Louvet to adopt.

It is not known if Madam Louvet changed Agnes' name, but two years later in 1903 she presented the child now known as Lillian Louvet into the care of the Mother Superior at the Convent of Notre-Dame in Worthing England as a boarder. Lilly as she was now called stayed in the Convent until 1906. In 1906 the Mother Superior was transferred to to the Convent of Notre-Dame in Hollowly London. It seems that the Mother Superior at Worthing could not see her way to keep the little girl at the Convent in Worthing.

She requested the Mother Superior to take Lilly to the Convent at Hollowly and to consult a Mr. Hunter, an Adviser to the Arch Bishop to discuss Lilly's future. Mr. Hunter decided to send Lilly to Canada and for some unknown reason had her Baptized again under the name of Lillian Maitland. On May 31st 1907 along with other children the ship Virginian left Liverpool for Quebec Canada. It was after this that the Mother Superior at Worthing found out that Madam Louvet was not the mother of Lilly as stated when given into her care. She ascertained that Lilly was the illegitimate child of a servant named Honora Sullivan. It was only after she passed away that it was discovered that [Lily] did have parents who were married. Tim Sullivan was her father and Annie McCarthy, his wife, was her real mother. Why she was placed into the care of the Church as the child of not Annie Sullivan but Honora Sullivan? Why did Madam Louvet say that the child was hers?

What was the reason her name was changed to Lillian Maitland and baptized again under that name before being sent out of the country? Further research is required into this part of Lillian's life.

On May 31st 1907 nine year old Lilly Maitland alone with other Home Children as the were called, arrived at Quebec City to work as labourers and servants on farms. She was part of Rev. Hudson's party and left for Ottawa. She was placed with a Mrs. J.S. Wilson on 256 Kent Street in Ottawa. Later as she grew up she worked on farms as a servant. It is well documented that working conditions were hard for these children. In 1915 a friend of Lillian's girlfriend Tommy Hawthorne arranged for Lillian to meet his friend William John McKnight. Lillian's children recall that they met on Somerset Bridge in Ottawa and were later married."

In 1907, Mary Maitland, 9, arrived at Quebec, Canada, along with a group of 6 Catholic girls from Birmingham, England, en route to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

On September 11, 1919, at St. Marys, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a marriage was registered between Mary Lily Maitland, 21, servant, born in England to John and Mary Maitland; and John William McKnight, 30, labourer, born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to James McKnight and Anna Brown.

Granddaughter, Shannon, continued:

"The family lived around the Preston and Carling street areas of Ottawa. John as he was called and Lillian had six children. Margaret born Feruary 19, 1916, George born December 6, 1921, William Allen born August 5, 1925, Francis Murial born March 4, 1928, James Edward born June 16, 1933 and Gerald born in 1937. All the children were baptized at St.Mary's church.

John was not a religious person, that part was left to Lillian who was very religious. One Christmas the family went to Midnight Mass, John discovered that the Priest was selling the good seats to people who could afford them. John along with friend Edward Woods walked out in the middle of Mass, creating a disturbance as the left. On Sundays when Lillian took the children to church he went over to his mother Hannah's house for tea.

During the Depression when families were being evicted onto the streets, John and the other men who lived in the area would all run over to the family who was being evicted, surround the house, link arms and not allow the bank and the police to go in and put the family out. John was battling Kidney disease all of his life and on March 29, 1941 he died at the age of 52. John was buried along with his mother Hannah and father James Patrick in Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa. His grandson William Allen Earnest McKnight visited the grave in 1984 and when he revisited the grave in 1997 the marker was destroyed.

After John's death Lillian married Thomas Hawthorne, a family friend. It is interesting that Tommy was the person who introduced Lillian to John years earlier. They eventually moved with Lillian's children James and Gerald to Hamilton, Ontario, where Tommy got work in the Steel Company of Canada. Tommy later took part in the Steel Strike of 1946 on the side of the Union. Tommy passed away in 1981, and Lillian in 1984, both are buried in White Chapel Cemetery in Hamilton.

Their oldest child Margaret married George Shields in Ottawa. They had seven children Ronny, Robert, Heather, Victoria, Colleen, Jerry, Natalie. The family lives in the Hamilton Ontario area. George married Lena Concordia in Ottawa, and had two children Billy and Donna (1949-2000). The family lives in Hamilton where George died in 1997 and Lena died in 1993. They are buried in Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton.

Francis married Garnet Stratford in Ottawa and had five children Linda, Wayne, Rodney, Deborah and Cindy (1960-1973). Both Francis (1988) and Garnet passed away in Hamilton and are buried in Woodland Cemetery. William Allen married Geraldine Boicey and had six children William Allen, David, Ken, John, Ted and Elizabeth. All live in the Hamilton area. James married Patricia Pollit in Hamilton and had six children, James Jr., Robert, Cheryl, Penny, William, Brian. James died in 1995 and is buried in White Chapel Cemetery in Hamilton. The family lives in the Hamilton area. Gerald married Gladys Beattie and had two children Jason and Kevin. They live in the Hamilton area."

William and Lillian Maitland McKnight story copyright Shannon McKnight ({website}bytown.net/mcknight.htm) 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-09-03 08:10:38 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-01-31 12:59:52 /

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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  2 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
20979 MAITLAND, A.1888ENG,     Apr 1898 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
4141 MAITLAND, Mary Lily1897ENG, MDX, London May 1907 : Virginian CAN Father Hudsons Homes