Imagine the scene…you are 13 years of age and due to poor living circumstances, you and your siblings have been taken from your home and put into an institution. Months later you find yourself on a large ship as you take the three-week journey to a new country, Canada. When you arrive, you are placed in a home and are immediately thrown into the world of farming. You are among many other young people or children who collectively are called the “Home Children”.
In Britain, children were taken into care by many groups, such as churches, workhouse unions and charitable organizations. Some children were orphans, but most were from destitute families.
Between 1869 and 1932 over 100,000 children (under the age of 18, although most were aged between seven and 14.) were brought to Canada from the UK through assisted juvenile emigration. These children or young adults were called “Home Children” because most went from an emigration agency’s home for children in Britain to a Canadian receiving home. From the receiving homes they were then taken, for the most part, to the homes of farmers in the area. Rural families took the children in and agreed to send them to school as well as to bring them to church and Sunday school. Many home children went on to own farms themselves. About 70 percent of home children were settled in Ontario with approximately 250 being settled in Glengarry. This is a significant part of the history of Glengarry, yet it is still vastly unknown.
The Glengarry Historical Society’s very own Deborah Waddell has been studying the lives and families of the home children that ended up in Glengarry and is looking forward to sharing what she has learned with us.
Her presentation will be on Wednesday, March 5th at 7:00 p.m. at the Michel Depratto Hall of the Glengarry Sports Palace, Alexandria. For non-members, tickets are $10 and for members, $5. Light refreshments and treats will be available.
The next speaker of our series will be Willie Terry on Wednesday, April 9th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Michel Depratto Hall of the Glengarry Sports Palace. The presentation is titled; “My Life in Hockey – Part II”. Missed part I? No problem, but you won’t want to miss part II!
Note: Information was gathered from the following sources:
- https://www.britishhomechildren.com/
- https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/home-children-1869-1930/Pages/home-children.aspx
