Margaret Winifred HealeyIn 1912, Margaret Healey, 11, arrived at Quebec, Canada, in a group of 17 girls from the Catholic Emigration Association en route to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She was taken to the St. Georges Home in Ottawa.
A Margaret Healey is found on the 1911 Census of England living with her mother Georgina Healey (nee Jones) and siblings Thomas, Rose and John. Georgina is listed as a widow and a clothing hawker. The family is living at 41 Ocean Street, Stepney, London, England. In Canada Margaret worked as a nurse maid at the home of a Dr. Law and his wife. She would leave their employment and not heard of at the St. Georges Home until her death. On July 25 1917, seventeen year old Margaret Healey along with her 30 year old friend, John Potter, rented a boat on the Ottawa River. When leaving the boat house, he did not take his coat or hat and she did not take her sweater. Later on that day, the empty boat was found right side up and partly full of water. It was felt that the occupants were lost while going over the Deschenes rapids. The bodies of Rose and John were found after the recovery of the boat. There was nothing on the bodies to identify the couple and they were later identified through the "poor quality" clothing which Margaret was wearing. They belonged to a girl chum of hers. Margaret was originally buried in the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa but after identification of her remains her body was transferred to the Notre Dame Cemetery there. Her name is inscribed on the St. George's Home Memorial there. |
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