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Record #12644
Name :
: Lily Louisa SMEES (1889 - 1985)


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 15 Aug 1889

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 20 Sep 1985
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Hampshire, Alverstoke, Gosport
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialCanada, Port Colbourne
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 28 Jul 1900
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Tunisian

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesIt was the ship, SS Tunisian, that brought Lily Smees & other Barnado children to Peterboro in 1900 & started me on this mission to discover what had become of her family. I have discovered that following her time at Hazelbrae she was found a placement & in 1904 she was living with Mr & Mrs Baker at Merrickville, Ontario, Canada.

As previously stated, I had contacted Barnado?s at their headquarters in Barkingside, England applied for their records of Lily. A lady from the organization called me back & said that all the offspring of Alfred & Louisa were Barnado?s children, Frederick Alfred, Henry William, Lily Louisa, Elizabeth May & William Robert. She said that theirs was not a nice history & that some of it might be disturbing. She then checked her records & found that a more direct descendant had applied for the records in 1992 & that therefore she was unable to release Lily?s details & photographs to me. I was so close to finding out more about her & even what she looked like. It was pure torture. What she did say was that she would write to the descendant of Elizabeth Smees & ask if they would contact me? She also mentioned that the records mention an uncle Edward Smees born about 1854, Which I think must be Robert Edward Smees born 1857 (Son of Robert Smees b. 1823 but looked after by his brother Henry). Unfortunately, the Barnado?s letter had been returned as undelivered. The lady therefore concluded that the relative must have moved.

I joined the British Home Children mailing list & posted a request for help in finding my family members. It surprised me that so many people wanted to give up their time to help me in my quest. I?ve found that the Canadian people have been warm & friendly towards a stranger & that gave me a warm feeling. These young children had had been separated from their families & each other. They left the familiarity of their mother country for an unknown acquaintance, with a culture, that they had no experience of. They must have been very frightened & anxious indeed. However, if they experienced a little of the kindness that I did from Canada, then It made me feel better about their lives.

I had help from ?The Home Children Society? who checked the ?Ups and Downs? magazine (The Barnado's Publication in Canada) for any mention of Lily and there were three entries:

October 1900 Lily Louisa SMEES Emigration Party of July 1900
December 1947 Lily L. SMEES Now Mrs. Ruggles Church, been in Canada 47 years.
December 1947 Lily L. SMEES Husband died 7 years ago - paratrooper.

Lily became pregnant & gave birth to a baby girl on the 19th March
1908 at Carleton, Ottowa, Ontario. Her daughter?s forename is not
recorded on the birth document but her surname is given as Smees.
There was also no father?s name mentioned on the birth certificate. I
wondered if this child became Gwen Church, I had previously found
in the course of my research. I have been unable to find a birth entry
for Gwen, even though she is clearly a daughter of Lily?s. The only
other facts known about Gwen was that she married a Mr Waines &
resided in Port Colbourne at the time of her mothers death. It is also
interesting to note that there was a Mabel Church also born 19 March
1908 another daughter belonging to Lily. However she died 31 Jul
1909 in Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario. Did Lily give birth to twins? If so,
why name one baby Smees & the other girl Church? The plot
thickens & I?m sure that in time, all will be revealed. That is what I
love about genealogy. It tests you all the time. It wouldn?t be half as
much fun if all the facts given to you on a plate. It is the sifting of facts
for the relevant entries, enquiries to far away places & the friends &
additional families members that you meet along the way, that
coupled with the telling of the long forgotten story, make everything
fulfilling & worthwhile.

One of the long elusive facts that escaped me for many years was a marriage reference for Lilly. Again, it was one of those ?Out of the Blue? events when I received a note from Gail Collins (Who has been a tremendous help, in pointing me in directions to get more information & add extra dimensions to my Home Children). She inquired if I was still intending to right this tale & that the deadline was looming for inclusion in the commemoration year of the British Home Child this year. I revisited several websites, & found that fresh Smees entries had been added. The first reference at the top of the FamilySearch site was the mysterious wedding ceremony record. It was with excitement that I added this information into Family Treemaker 2006 & pressed this piece of the jigsaw firmly into my British Home Child puzzle. It can now be told that Lily Louisa Smees married Ruggles Munson Church on 24 May 1909 at St Lawrence, New York.

Ruggles was the son of Mills Church & Amanda Merrick. He was born on the 14th Dec 1875 in Grenville, Ontario.

The 1911 Canadian census shows that the Church family lived at 49 Smith Street in Peterborough, Ontario. Ruggles was working at a Foundry.

The pair was presented with yet another daughter, Mable Elizabeth
Church. She was born on 23 May 1911, Peterboro, Ontario Canada. She was probably named Mable in honour of her deceased sister, however the spelling is different (Mabel). Her middle name was probably after her Aunt Elizabeth May (who?s tale is in the next chapter) On the 8th March 1929, Mable made a trip to visit an Uncle Alfred Bessie at 381 Rhode Island Street, Buffalo, New York, USA in order to seek a work permit. It is curious, but Mables grandmother re-married a Mr Bessey. Was Uncle Alfred his brother. Time will tell. Mable had visited the USA previously.

From the boader crossing document we are told a little about Mable?s appearance. She was seen to have a fair complexion, brown hair & blue eyes.

On the 22nd Feb 1937 she returned from her parents house to resume residence, presumably working as a domestic servant for Mrs Peter Running(?) at 99 Ruescan Av, Buffalo, New York, USA.

Mable married a Mr Gehm around about 1945, but no other details have yet been discovered.

At the time of her Mothers death, she was living in Tonawanda, New York, USA.

Lily?s next confinement produced a son Ernest Ray but surprisingly
she gave his surname as Smees. After all, shouldn?t he have been a
Church? She was married at this time to Ruggles. Had she had a
dalliance? Ernest was born 13 Dec 1912 in the Industrial Park region
of Crowland, Ontario, Canada. Sadly he didn?t survive long & died on
20 Feb 1913 at Wright Street, Industrial Park, Crowland, Ontario,
Canada. His cause of death was quoted a being because of
premature birth. His death was certified by William Smees (Lily's Brother) of Welland on 21st Feb 1913.

There was something strange about the arrival of Ernest. Did Lily kind of adopt him, I wonder? The situation that adds an element of doubt to the proceedings, is that just before the sad death of her son Ernest, Lily seems to have been blessed with the arrival of Muriel Emily Church. She was born 08 Jan 1913 at Crowland Township, Ontario, Canada. This is just short of a month before Ernest was born. Tragically, The joy that Muriel had bought to the family was short lived as she died at the early age of 16 on the 22 Jan 1929, at Welland, Ontario. There is an Obituary for this young lady in the Welland Port Colborne Tribune dated 24th Jan 1925 on Page 5

Obituary

Muriel Emily Church

The death occurred from pneumonia, Tuesday evening at the Welland County General Hospital at the age of 16 of Muriel. E Church, daughter of Mr & Mrs Ruggles M Church, Cooks Mills. The Funeral will be held on Saturday afternoon from the late residence at Cook's Mills to Doan's Ridge Cemetery

Her headstone Inscription reads:

MURIEL EMILY CHURCH

Born Jan. 8, 1913
Died Jan. 22, 1929
Waiting for the Resurrection

The burial took place on 26 Jan 1929 at Doan's Ridge Cemetery, Welland, Crowland, Ontario, Canada, Section D, Row 16, Grave 7.

The last of Lily?s children was born on 5th August 1918 He was
named Lloyd George Church. It appears that he held a variety of jobs
He was a Motorcycle Mechanic, A Packer of High Explosives
(Munitions worker, ammunition), AToolroom Keeper, A Stock Clerk &
A Stock Control Clerk. However he enlisted on the 7 Jan 1942 in Detroit, Michigan as a Private in the Air Corps. His service number was B/87217. His unit was 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, R.C.I.C.

Lily?s husband passed away on the 29th November 1941 in Brockville, Ontario. He was aged 62

His obituary in the Welland Port Colborne Tribune Monday on the 1st December 1941 read

Deaths

CHURCH - At Brockville, Ontario, on Saturday, November 29 1941, Ruggles M. Church beloved husband of Lillian Smees in his 63rd year. The Funeral will be held from the H.L. Cudney Funeral Chapel, 241 West Main Street on Tuesday December 2 1941 at 2:30pm. Interment Doan's Ridge Cemetery. Funeral private.

As if this wasn?t enough heartache for Lily & the fact that she had already lost enough Children in her lifetime, the 2nd World War claimed the life of her youngest son. Lloyd was taken on 15 Apr 1945 & died in the field of War in Germany. He is buried in the Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.



The WW2 Book of Remembrance



Lloyd?s grave

Despite all the grief, Lily actually lived to the ripe old age of 96. She died on the 20th September 1985 in the Port Colbourne Hospital. Her body was finally laid to rest with that of her husband in the Doan?s Ridge Cemetery in Welland. Their graves are located in Section D, Row 16, Grave 6. There is a headstone that marks the site. It simply reads:

RUGGLES M,
CHURCH,
1878-1941
His wife, Lily L Smees
1889-1985

Lily?s obituary appeared in the Port Colbourne Tribune on Saturday 21 Sep 1985.

CHURCH. Mrs Lily Church of RR 1 Port Colbourne passed away at the Port Colbourne General Hospital on Friday September 20 1985 in her 97th year. Wife of the late Ruggles Church, Dear mother of Gwen Waines of Port Colbourne and Mable Gehm of Tonowanda NY, the late Lloyd & Muriel. Also surviving are several grandchildren, Great grandchildren. Mrs Church was at the Davidson Funeral Home, Port Colbourne & was cremated. There will be a Memorial Service at the Kingdom Hall, 360 Killaly St, East, Port Colbourne on Sunday at 7pm. 
ContributorsCreated : 2010-08-09 05:05:37 / From original database

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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  3 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
12645 SMEES, Elizabeth May1890ENG, HAM, Portsea Oct 1903 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
12644 SMEES, Lily Louisa1889ENG, HAM, Alverstoke, Gosport Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
12646 SMEES, William Robert1893ENG, HAM, Portsea Mar 1903 : Canada CAN Barnardos