Genealogy Chat

Was there any specific criteria by which Home Children were defined? Details in next post for formatting reasons.

In the early 1900s my great grandparents and my grandfather`s 4 sisters and a brother plus a half sister emigrated to Canada, leaving my grandfather in the UK. Thanks to findmypast supplying passenger lists, I have now found all of them except the half sister, but the time line seems rather odd. In 1912 I have one sister Alice travelling alone age 19 and listed as a domestic. In 1913 I have another sister Gertrude travelling alone aged 19 also listed as a domestic. In 1919 I have another sister Elizabeth and the brother John travelling together In 1920 I have the parents along with the remaining sister Caroline Annie travelling together. I have found all 5 childrens marriages in Canada on Ancestry and the deaths of some of them from Cemetery records and obituaries. I originally found Gertrude on a Home Children Passenger List site then found the rest later on findmypast. Is it possible that Alice also went as a Home Child, followed by Gertrude a year later and the rest of the family followed as and when they were able. As to why my grandfather stayed here, I have heard 2 versions. Dad said that he was unable to afford the passage and my aunt said that he wanted to stay here to marry grandmother. It is possible that both were right, that he couldnt afford the passage at the time and decided to save it up, and in the meantime met grandmother, got her pregnant with my dad and had to get married. (I know this to be fact as they married 3 months before dad was born) Does anyone else have anything similar where facts can be sourced and verified, but the reasons behind them were in the minds of the individuals concerned and can only be guessed.

I can't see that any of these people, with the exception of your grandfather, could be classed as Home Children? Adults would travel under their own steam (lol, forgive the pun), in other words, THEY would decide to go and fund their passage, either themselves, or through some assisted passage scheme. Domestic servants were much sought after, as were single women of marriageable age, and there were all sorts of assisted, or free, passage schemes for these. As none of the children were in a Home, then they would not have been shipped out under the scheme, and if they HAD been, they almost certainly would not have been reunited with their family. Dos this help? OC

My mums half sister was a home child aged 10 in 1909. She and her younger brothers were in a McPherson Home in london because their Mum .grandads first wife,had died aged 29 in 1905. Grandad had to put them in a home becuse he had no relatives that could take the children. He courted Gran for about 6 months & they married 31st Aug but when they went to collect the children in early Sept 1909 they found that the eldest child Nellie had been dispatched to Canada end July. he was never asked for his permission and was only allowed visits every month ,so between visits she was gone. Home children were only sent from childrens homes. Shirley

Thank you for your replies. Looks like Alice decided to go to Canada on the strength of domestics being sought after, same with Gertrude a year later. They both married about a year after arrival in Canada They actually married 2 brothers whose family went to Canada in 1889. The others would probably have gone earlier, but the war got in the way. I think that a lot of the emigrant ships became troop ships Thank you again for your help on this.