Families of Cook children

[Grandma5]

Hello,  I could use a bit of guidance.  My grandmother and 2 siblings were left in care of Quarriers home for children back in 1883.  In 1884, they were transported with a group of children to Canada.  At that time Susan (g'mother) was 6, sister Anne 8, and brother Robert was 4.  There were about 120,000 children sent to Canada over the years, known as "British Home Children".  Been able to trace the children in Canada and my g'mother to the US...now trying to find information on their parents.  What I know, from Quarrier's intake records:

 Parents: Robert Cook and Susan McGinlay.  Children:  Susan Cook, born July 12, 1877, Anne born Jan 27, 1876 and Robert born May 1, 1879.

Quarrier records indicates parents separated, Susan McGinlay was living in the P.H. as she could no longer stay with her mother on Renfrew Lane, and could no longer care for the children.  

G'mother's death certificate claims mother as "Susan Fraser", so she apparently married along the way.  

I don't know where children were born, or which areas to access.  Any thoughts or directions for research you might suggest?  Thank you so much for any assistance.  

[runner]

Hello Grandma 5

If you have been in touch with Quarriers they will have given you every scrap of info they had so you need to go to other sources.

After 1855 in Scotland all Births, Deaths and Marriages were supposed to be registered and can be accessed through scotandspeople.gov.uk.
They should have a record of Robert & Susan's marriage around 1875 (+/- 3 years) I know this takes the date to after the birth of their first child but in Scotland  this was acceptable if the clear intention to marry was there!
Birth Certificates (actually Register entries ) for the children should be available too.
The marriage entry can be downloaded for a reasonable cost and would give additional information about  Robert & Susan's parents.
The Mitchell Library in Glasgow has Poorhouse records which might give additional information not available to Quarriers.
The 1881 census can also be accessed through scotlandspeople which would tell you where they lived.
The Brockville records will offer nothing additionally.

Scottish records are usually quite good in terms of accuracy and detail.
Purchasing 30 credits for scotlandspeople enables 5 certificates to be accessed. I don't know how the exchange rate translates that but it certainly cheaper than the access costs to English records.

Hope this gives you some new directions to follow.

Russell

[runner]

Back again grandma5

Just an afterthought. You should concentrate your search on parishes in Glasgow and the immediate outlying areas as nearly all Quarriers children were from the city itself.

Russell

[Grandma5]

Thanks, Russell, appreciate your input.  Quarriers were extremely helpful in sharing what info they had.  I gleaned the parents were unmarried.....Susan's brothers' offered to pay for the marriage, but Cook would not agree.  Apparently she left and went to her mother's home in Glascow. Brothers provided funds for Cook to "come through". He acknowledged receipt of funds, then disappeared.  I interpreted  "come through" to mean transportation from wherever he was located.

I will give Scotland's people a try....again, thank you!

[runner]

Just been doing a quick map search and Renfrew Lane still exists right in the centre of Glasgow. The city is an odd mix of business premises on the lower & ground floors with residential accommodation above. Or at least it was then. Renfrew Lane is a narrow place which now gives access to delivery vehicles but would have been fairly squalid 'closes' with umpteen families living in quite inadequate accommodation.

I wonder if 'come through' was just another way of saying 'make an honest woman of her'?

Have you looked for Susan's possible marriage under Fraser with Cook as an option?

Fingers crossed for a result.

Russell

[Grandma5]

Researching is very new to me....when I found g'mother and siblings Canadian placements, concentrated on following them into adulthood and their family lines.  Just turning to Scotland....and did not know quite how to begin.  Your thoughts are most helpful, Russell, and I will follow through.  Interesting sidebar....the children went from Renfrew Lane to Renfrew County, Ontario!

[runner]

What I find even more fascinating is that I actually work for Quarriers in the village and can see where they lived from my office window so if you want any more info let me know!   

Oddly, I have just added a bit about Qurriers first home to an entry in the 'Sheildhall cottage' thread.

Russell

[Grandma5]

Russell, 

Just got back to my computer....how very interesting to find your Quarrier connection.  Sound like a fine group there.  I was more than pleased with the material they sent me, and so quickly.  A few things I didn't understand, like the medical condition leaving the children's mother unfit for work, and also the location of her two brothers...one Plantation, the other Helenburgh.  Can you identify what area they might be in? 

Should you ever find time to take a look...they were on page 136 of a journal with admission date of Sept. 1883...Mother Susan McGinlay.

Good to hear from you....with great appreciation, Millie

[runner]

Hello Millie

I was planning on visiting the Quarriers archive in the next few days. I am retiring and wanted to know as much as possible about the archive so I'll see what there is.

Plantation is an area close to Govan where lots of tenement buildings were built to house the workforce for the shipyards across the road on the Clydeside so he would probably have gone into the shipyards to work. They are all closed down now and their records archived but workers were only taken on as needed and I doubt if any records survive of indivdual employees

Helensburgh is on the north side of the Clyde 10 -15 miles away and is quite a small town. why he was sent there would be pure guesswork unless you can find a record of him there on the census perhaps.

You do appreciate that this genealogy thing becomes addictive. Once started you must find answers. There are new things to be learned as well as the joys of finding your own ancestors.

I'll let you know if I find anything

Russell