Document Trail of Barnardo's Emigration
With thanks to these two special collections, Cecil's donated by Wilda Hay and Winifred Payne - purchased from e-bay, we have been able to put together a document trail of the process of admission, emigration and placement of the Barnardo Children. Both collections will be on loan to the Museum of Canadian History (formally the Museum of Civilization) for 20 years for an exhibit on the Home Children scheduled to open late 2016.
Cecil Bennett's story |
Winifred Payne |
October 27th 1903 Letter to The Rev. MacDonald regarding the death of her mother & admittance into the home. Stating that Winifred cannot be admitted until her eldest brother signs the agreement. This agreement would have contained a clause which once signed, gave the family's permission to emigrate Winifred.
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 about Elizabeth Jane Payne
Name: Elizabeth Jane Payne
Estimated birth year: abt 1853
Registration Year: 1903
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death: 50
Registration district: Islington
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1b
Page: 157
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 about Elizabeth Jane Payne
Name: Elizabeth Jane Payne
Estimated birth year: abt 1853
Registration Year: 1903
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death: 50
Registration district: Islington
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1b
Page: 157
After sailing notice from Winifred Payne. Notifying the family that without any further notice to them, she had been shipped to Canada. It does not give any chance for the family to retrieve Winifred if their circumstances had changed or a chance to say good bye to her. This is a standard form with her information written in suggesting that this was standard practice for Barnardo's.
Given Name(s): Cecil
Surname: BENNETT Age:10 Gender:M Ship: KENSINGTON Port of Departure: Liverpool Date of Departure: 1905-03-30 Port of Arrival: Portland Date of Arrival: 1905-04-11 Year of Arrival: 1905 Party: Barnardo Homes Comments: The ship docked at Halifax, then Portland, where 269 boys disembarked. The original list was lost and a list prepared in 1934 appears on the reel. Type of Records: Passenger Lists |
Given Name(s):W.
Surname:PAYNE Age:11 Gender:F Ship:DOMINION Port of Departure:Liverpool Date of Departure:1905-08-03 Port of Arrival:Quebec Date of Arrival:1905-08-12 Year of Arrival:1905 Party:Barnardo Homes Destination:Toronto and Peterborough, Ontario Comments:433 children, males to Toronto and Winnipeg and the females to Peterborough. There were nine adults on the end of the list who were travelling with the group. Frederick Franks, a boy aged 7, was listed as going to Peterborough. Type of Records:Passenger Lists |
Application in Canada for a boy. I have often read that each application had to come with a $3 application fee, but have not seen proof of this until the Cecil Bennett Collection.
This $3 fee documents was the fee charged for Barnardo's for each application accepted for a child. Not to be confused with the government bonus paid for each child.
1911 Census of Canada about Winnifred Payne placed with Curtis D Beemer and family.
Name: Winnifred Payne
Gender: Female Marital Status: Single Age: 18 Birth Date: Sep 1892 Birthplace: England Relation to Head of House: Domestic Immigration Year: 1905 Tribal: EnglishProvince: Ontario District: Welland District Number: 132 |
Sub-District: Pelham
Sub-District Number: 17 Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Curtis Beamer 34 Ellen E Beamer 34 Doris A Beamer 7 Charles M Beamer 11 Winnifred Payne 18 Samuel Stephen 19 |