British Home Children

On the 24th February 2010, British PM, Gordon Brown apologised for Britain's Child Migrants Programme. British government records show that at least 150,000 children were sent to Commonwealth countries.

See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gordon-brown-says-sorry-to-child-migrants-1908833.html

On the 16th November 2009, Australian PM Kevin Rudd apologised to former Home Children for the abuse suffered in Australian orphanages. Around 7,000 children were sent to Australia from Britain as part of the 'Home Children' emigration policy that lasted until 1967.

See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6917867.ece

Some, but not all, of these children were orphans. Many were sent willingly by parents who believed they would have a better life. Others were taken from unmarried mothers and care homes.

Clients from around the world have contacted me, wanting to know more about their relatives' British homes and families. I can help with British - particularly English and London - records, but much information is still protected by privacy laws. Relatives thus need to access some records directly.

For academic articles on the subject, please see http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/welfare/articles/constantines.html

One Canadian client has kindly sent me a list of websites and contacts that she has found useful in the initial stages of her research. We hope they help other families in their search for the truth.

Another client has set up a facebook group [http://www.facebook.com] - Descendents of British Home Children-Lambton County Branch - where interested parties can get in contact.

The Barnardo Home for Boys was by far the largest sending agency and some of the smaller homes gave their case files to Barnardo's so they have a larger archive. An initial search of their archives costs 15 pounds. For more information on Barnardoes records see http://www.barnardos.org.uk/who_we_are/history/family_history_service/family_history_service_trace_your_family_history.htm

Another significant organisation was the Waif and Strays' Society [now the Children's Society - http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk]. For historical information see http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk

John Sayers (member of The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa) sayersji@sympatico.ca

helped my client to find records within Canada.

Government of Canada website- they have a section on British Home Children:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-908.009-e.html

Perry Snow is considered to be an authority on British Home Children. He has written a helpful book and website.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~britishhomechildren/

British Home Children in Canada

www.bifhsgo.ca

http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/children/tracers.html has a list of various Canadian "Home Children" websites and contact information in both Canada and Britian.

History of events and a list of sending agencies for different colonies:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4090030.pdf

Searchable part of the Government of Canada's library archives: on the left hand side of the page you can click on the "immigration record search". From there a page lets you fill in the child's information. The results page shows where the pages are located in the Library and Archives:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/index-e.html

Library and Archives of
Canada http://www.archives.ca/
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0N3
Canada
(613)996-7458
they also have Microfilm copies of Middlemore Home records are also available at the LAC.

Libraries with special collections on Home Children and juvenile immigrants. The ones listed are in Ontario.

Belleville Public Library
223 Pinnacle Street
Belleville, ON
K8N 3A7
Canada
(613)968-6731

The Belleville Public Library has collected items on Marchmont Home. They have a card index with the names of the children that were sent to Marchmont. This index is not complete.
Hamilton Public Library
55 York Blvd
P.O. Box 2700
Station A
Hamilton, ON
L8N 4E4
(416)529-8111
(416)529-5326
(Although Dr. Stephenson's home was in this city for some considerable time the library has very little information about the home. The city directory can be used to trace the home but they have no information on the children.)

St. Catharines Public Library
Special Collections
St. Catharines Public Library
54Church Street
St. Catharines, ON
L2R 7K2
(905) 688 6103 EXT 220.
Non-summer hours are 10-9 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,10-6 Friday and 9-5 Saturdays. Closed Monday.
Special Collections on Home Children include information on the Maria Rye home on Niagara-on-the-Lake; the most popular books on the topic (these are circulating books); and immigrant children passenger lists from the NAC. These are not available for loan and are on 4 reels of microfilm. (Thanks to Gail Benjafield, SPCOLL Librarian for this information.)

Other Libraries that may have information:

Kingston Public Library
London Public Library (Ontario)
Brockville Public Library
Sherbrooke Public Library (Quebec)

Here is a list of Provincial Libraries with Archives:

Provincial Archives of Alberta http://www.culture.alberta.ca/archives/12845 - 102nd Ave
Edmonton, AB
T5N 0M6
Canada

Provincial Archives of British Columbia http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/bcarchives/default.aspx
655 Belleville Street
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
(604)387-1952 or (604)387-5885

Provincial Archives of Manitoba http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/
200 Vaughan Street
Winnipeg, MN
R3C 1T5
Canada
(204)945-3971
The Archives has a book which was kept by the Superintendent of the Russell Farm. It does contain the names of some of the children that were sent to Manitoba. I have found nothing on the Children's Aid Society or the Girl's Friendly Society in the Archives although both sent emigrants to that province. I also checked out the Winnipeg Public Library but they do not have any material related to these organizations.

Provincial Archives of New Brunswick http://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/default.aspx?culture=en-CA
P.O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5H1
Canada
(506)453-2637 or (506)453-2122

Public Archives of Nova Soctia http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/
6016 University Ave.
Halifax, NS
B3H 1W4
Canada
(902)424-6060

Archives of Ontario http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/
134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard
Toronto, ON
M7A 2C5
Canada
(416)327-1600 or
1-800-668-9933 in Ontario or Quebec
Public

Archives of Prince Edward Island http://www.gov.pe.ca/cca/index.php3?number=1004626&lang=E
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PEI
C1A 7N8
Canada
Bibliotheque

Archives nationales du Quebec http://www.banq.qc.ca/portal/dt/accueil.jsp?bnq_resolution=mode_1024
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
Cite universitaire
2275, rue Holt
Montréal, PQ
H2G 3H1
Canada
(418)643-8904
Saskatchewan
Archives Board http://www.saskarchives.com/

P.O. Box 1665 (located at 3303 Hillsdale St)
Regina, SK
S4P 3C6
Canada
(306)787-4068
Canadian Pacific Archives (Railroad and Ships) http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Heritage/default.htm

Canadian Pacific Limited
Windsor Station
P.O. Box 6042, Station A
Montreal, PQ H3C 3E4
514-395-6962
and Pier 21 in Nova Scotia has a great museum with information on Home Children http://www.pier21.ca/research/collections/the-story-collection/online-story-collection/british-home-children/

Other archives which reearchers have found useful are the Peel Heritage Complex http://www.peelregion.ca/heritage/, Mississauga Central Library http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/centrallibrary, the North York Central Library http://www.nypl.org/ , Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html , and the Canadian Genealogy Center (who delve into ships lists, home children, immigration, ports of call, military etc.) http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html