Archibald William Cheesman
Archie, was born in Canada on January 20 1913, shortly after the marriage of his parents Annie and William. He was the oldest of their six children. His father William was a British Home Child brought to Canada in 1894 by the Dr. Barnardo Homes, his mother was a "mail order bride" who came in 1912 to be married. For several years the family would live on William's homestead property just outside of Rosetown, Saskatchewan. Siblings Ralph, twins Gwen, Mary and Sidney would all be born in Canada. Archie was two months shy of his seventh birthday, when the family, after suffering a fire at their farm, left for England in 1919. His father only stayed with the family in England for just over four months before returning to continue farming in Canada. They would not see him again for a year and a half. Archie would have been eight when his father returned.
Annie became pregnant which the couple's last child immediately after William's return in the fall of 1921. William had returned to England to collect his family and bring them back to Canada. For reasons we will never know, the plans changed. William would return to Canada alone and this time for good. Archie was only nine his father left again. The family would never see their father again. Archie was nine when his mother gave birth to his sister, Muriel, alone.
Very shortly after the birth of Muriel in June of 1922, Annie unable to support the family alone admitted the family to the Kington Union workhouse in Herefordshire, England where they would live until Archie was eleven and a half. He would have had his tenth and eleventh birthday in that workhouse. We can only just begin to imagine the horrors they experienced there and just how magnified that would have been to a child who was not even allowed to see his mother and not allowed any measure of comfort or support. Archie being the oldest of the children and for sometime the “man” of the house we can only wonder what responsibility for what had happened to them he heaped upon himself as impressionable young children can. With nobody there to console him or to tell him that none of what happened was his responsibility, one can only imagine the scars it placed upon his soul.
Archie was brought to Ontario, Canada at eleven years of age. His siblings were also brought at this time, all British Home Children under the care of the Salvation Army. Their mother was allowed to come with them but she was told that as condition of their paid passage, she would have to place them up for adoption in Canada as she clearly couldn't afford to support them. When they arrived children were farmed out to different foster homes. Archie was shuffled from place to place before being placed in an orphanage there. For what it was worth, his mother had left him too. He would turn twelve in the orphanage. Archie, at one point, had even spent a short period of time with Muriel at her adoptive home. Although Muriel was very young she remembers him being there. In early 1925, Archie, twelve years old now, along with his brother Sidney were taken back out west by their mother. Before the fall of that year, they had been moved to at least three different homes as their mother worked her way across the country. She moved them into the McCord area in late 1925 when she began to work for Jesse James Rule. Annie and Jesse were married in early 1926 and for the first time in years, this seemed to provide Archie with somewhat of a stable home. However, Jesse was known to be "rough" with Archie and it was not too long before Archie would leave to work on a neighboring farm.
Archie eventually married and would have three sons, Billy, Daniel and Ralph. Tragically all three of these children would die at young ages. Archie and his wife bitterly divorced and although she never remarried, she went on to have eight more children. Although these children were not Archie's she would give them the Cheesman name. Of these children, three boys and five girls, the three boys would also die before her. Archie went on to a common law relationship of which a daughter was born. This too was a rocky relationship and their child was soon placed with another family. After one failed attempt at a reunion, Archie would not see his surviving daughter again. He lived out his remaining life as a recluse, moving from place to place.
All his life, the tragic events of his childhood seemed to haunt Archie. We can only hope now that his story is known, he can rest in peace.
Annie became pregnant which the couple's last child immediately after William's return in the fall of 1921. William had returned to England to collect his family and bring them back to Canada. For reasons we will never know, the plans changed. William would return to Canada alone and this time for good. Archie was only nine his father left again. The family would never see their father again. Archie was nine when his mother gave birth to his sister, Muriel, alone.
Very shortly after the birth of Muriel in June of 1922, Annie unable to support the family alone admitted the family to the Kington Union workhouse in Herefordshire, England where they would live until Archie was eleven and a half. He would have had his tenth and eleventh birthday in that workhouse. We can only just begin to imagine the horrors they experienced there and just how magnified that would have been to a child who was not even allowed to see his mother and not allowed any measure of comfort or support. Archie being the oldest of the children and for sometime the “man” of the house we can only wonder what responsibility for what had happened to them he heaped upon himself as impressionable young children can. With nobody there to console him or to tell him that none of what happened was his responsibility, one can only imagine the scars it placed upon his soul.
Archie was brought to Ontario, Canada at eleven years of age. His siblings were also brought at this time, all British Home Children under the care of the Salvation Army. Their mother was allowed to come with them but she was told that as condition of their paid passage, she would have to place them up for adoption in Canada as she clearly couldn't afford to support them. When they arrived children were farmed out to different foster homes. Archie was shuffled from place to place before being placed in an orphanage there. For what it was worth, his mother had left him too. He would turn twelve in the orphanage. Archie, at one point, had even spent a short period of time with Muriel at her adoptive home. Although Muriel was very young she remembers him being there. In early 1925, Archie, twelve years old now, along with his brother Sidney were taken back out west by their mother. Before the fall of that year, they had been moved to at least three different homes as their mother worked her way across the country. She moved them into the McCord area in late 1925 when she began to work for Jesse James Rule. Annie and Jesse were married in early 1926 and for the first time in years, this seemed to provide Archie with somewhat of a stable home. However, Jesse was known to be "rough" with Archie and it was not too long before Archie would leave to work on a neighboring farm.
Archie eventually married and would have three sons, Billy, Daniel and Ralph. Tragically all three of these children would die at young ages. Archie and his wife bitterly divorced and although she never remarried, she went on to have eight more children. Although these children were not Archie's she would give them the Cheesman name. Of these children, three boys and five girls, the three boys would also die before her. Archie went on to a common law relationship of which a daughter was born. This too was a rocky relationship and their child was soon placed with another family. After one failed attempt at a reunion, Archie would not see his surviving daughter again. He lived out his remaining life as a recluse, moving from place to place.
All his life, the tragic events of his childhood seemed to haunt Archie. We can only hope now that his story is known, he can rest in peace.
Billy and Daniel Cheesman, sons of Archie
The grave site of Archie's three sons. Only Billy's is marked
Three brothers, Archie, Sidney (raised in Saskatchewan) and Ralph (raised in Ontario)
