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Record #4165
Name :
: Arthur James OCKENDEN (1871 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 10 Aug 1871

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
: 28 Mar 1887
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Parisian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesA birth registration was found for Arthur James Ockenden: Year of Registration: 1870; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; District: London City; County: Greater London, London, Middlesex; Volume: 1c; Page: 55.

In 1871, Arthur Ockenden, 8 months of age, was shown residing at 33 Throgmorton Street, St. Bartholomew by the Exchange, London, England. Other family members included: general servant, Elizabeth Ashby, 20; Betsy Ockenden, 34; George Ockenden, 4; Kate Ockenden, 7; Lucy Ockenden, 8; and Walter Ockenden, 30, housekeeper in charge of offices. (Source: 1871 Census of England; Class: RG10; Piece: 435; Folio: 37; Page: 2; GSU roll: 823356.)

A death registration was found for Betsy Ockenden: Estimated Birth Year: abt 1836; Year of Registration: 1875; Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep; Age at Death: 39; District: London City; County: Greater London, London, Middlesex; Volume: 1c; Page: 48.

In 1881, Arthur Ockenden, 10 years of age, is shown residing at "Doct Barnardos Home", Teighmore, Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands, along with his brother, Ernest Ockenden, 9. (Source: 1881 Census of England; Class: RG11; Piece: 5618; Folio: 7; Page: 7; Line: ; GSU roll: 1342350.)

In 1887, Arthur Ockenden, 16, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, along with a group of 209 Barnardo boys, en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On February 16, 1897, at Grimsby, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada, a marriage was registered between Arthur James Ockenden, 26, baker, born in England to John and Mary Ockenden; and Edith Rosetta Neal, 23, born in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, to George Neal and Hannah Hughes.

In 1901, Arthur Ockendon, 29, baker, was shown residing at Grimsby (Village), Wentworth, Ontario, Canada, along with his wife, Edith Ockendon, 27; and children: Levema Ockendon, 3; and Stanley N. Ockendon, 1. His date of birth is shown as August 10, 1871, and his immigration year as 1891.

In 1911, Arthur Ockenden, 39, engineer in planing(?) mill, was residing at Elizabeth Street, Grimsby, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada, along with his wife, Edith Ockenden, 37; children: Leah Ockenden, 13; Stanley Ockenden, 11; Meldrum Ockenden, 9; Blanche Ockenden; 8; Harold Ockenden, 5; and Robert Ockenden, 2; and widowed mother-in-law, Annie Neal, 73. His date of birth is shown as August 1871 and his immigration year as 1888.

According to his granddaughter, Janice Harris:

Arthur was a dear old gentleman, who died when I was a child, and who is fondly remembered. He would sit on the chesterfield with his high lace-up boots, legs crossed, always sporting a black waistcoat with a pocket watch, joking and teasing. His mother died when he was four, and along with his brothers aged two and eight, he was placed in Barnardos, shortly after her death. Two older sisters, ten and twelve went into service. The father was in ill health, could not cope without his wife, and went back home to HIS widowed father, who also could not cope with the children. Arthur's father died not long after his wife. A kindly neighbour took the children in but could not afford to keep them very long. Evidently she was instrumental in placing the children with Barnardos, where she thought they would be well cared for.

Arthur stayed in contact with his siblings, his other relatives, and the neighbour, for the rest of their lives. I found the neighbour's funeral card among my grandmother's keepsakes. As a young man, in the 1890s Arthur went back to England to visit the family, including his elderly grandfather, and stopped in at two of the Barnardo homes for a chat and to make donations.

Although he obviously held Barnardos in high regard, his seven children seemed unaware of the connection. It wasn't a secret, though, as my mother, who married into the family, told me when I was very young that my grandfather had been a "barrow boy". If he was in Barnardos that could not have been the case, so she probably said "Barnardo Boy". It was not until his youngest daughter mentioned that he sent a yearly donation, and as a girl she was thrilled to be allowed to address the envelopes, that it dawned on me he must have emigrated through Barnardos. He was almost seventeen when he came to Canada, and was the only one of his family to do so. Arthur was sent to Grimsby, Ontario, where he was treated very well by his employers, assimilated into the community, and married into a large, closeknit English family.

Among my most precious possessions are photos of the family in England, including a large one of Arthur at about age two on his mother's knee, surrounded by his older brother and two sisters. Another photo is of his mother's family's cottage in an Essex village. The thatched cottage, hundreds of years old, is still occupied. How fortunate for us that Arthur knew his family, took an interest in them, and wrote (beautifully) on the backs of the photographs.

When I contacted Barnardos in the mid eighties, they sent twelve(!) wonderful photos of the three boys and a nephew, as well as some background information. Since then I've requested and received more, including photocopies of original documents, which were not available previously. 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-09-09 07:54:20 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-01-31 15:24:44 /

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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
20290 OCKENDEN, Arthur1871 Mar 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos  
4165 OCKENDEN, Arthur James1871ENG, MDX, London Mar 1887 : Parisian CAN Barnardos