Home Child GILBERT MUMFORD

[alicook]

Hi,

I have just found out that a member from my husbands side of the family was a Home Child...His name Gilbert Mumford b Wickham Market Suffolk 1898..sorry ......1897
He was sent to Canada at the age of 10 sailing on Empress of Britain. It seems he was at one of the Fegan Homes.There were 108 boys on the same Ship.

I see that there is a contact information on the net for the Fagans Homes One in Kent and the other in Canada.
Would anyone know if this is up to date?

I have found him in the 1911 census living Oakville Halton Ontario listed as a domestic.
Then I have his Attestation papers from 1916 living in Gavanlock Sask, occupation farmer. And thats all.

Gosh I can't imagine how you could send a poor child at the age of 10 off to another country.  I wonder why he would have been at the Fagan home ?
I know for a fact there there were another two children in the family who stayed with there mother.

 
I couldn't see Gilbert's name on the War Memorial I hope he survived.

I see that you can order the files on the war record but it seems that you don't know the cost until they send it back to you. All has to be done by post and I live in Australia.

Any advice on finding out more on Gilbert would be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you
 Ali

[atth2o]

Hi Ali,

I have found the location of the land that Gilbert lived on.  The website is:  http://www.saskhomesteads.com/home.asp

If you do a search for Gilbert, you will find his two lots of land.

3134750  Mumford, Gilbert SW  9  3  30  W3 
3139397  Mumford, Gilbert SE  9  3  30  W3

I would contact the Saskatchewan library to see if they could give you any further information about Gilbert his land or perhaps family information.  Go to this website to see your contact options:  http://www.lib.sk.ca/ask/index.html

Your other option would be to contact the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society at:  http://www.saskgenealogy.com/WebSite2.htm   

As for the war records, when I sent away for my grandfathers, it cost me about $20.00.  I sent them a cheque for $50.00 and they sent me back the remainder when the search was complete.  Options have changed since I sent my enquiry away and I see they now have an online secure option to pay for the records.  This would be your best option with you living in Australia.

I hope that helps,

Nancy

[alicook]

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much for all the information you have sent.

I will look into it and see how I go.


Thank you
Ali 

[jorose]

Home children were usually either orphans or kids from poor backgrounds who got in some small trouble (one I researched was picked up for hanging about on the streets of Bristol with some mates) and were put in one of the homes to 'straighten them out'. It was believed that sending them away would give them a fresh start in life - and indeed some did do well out of the situation. Others not so much - it very much depended on the attitude of the families who they were placed with.

His residence in Saskatchewan was probably Govenlock. It seems it is now a ghost town, but it had an interesting history!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govenlock,_Saskatchewan

Looking at freebmd, was he Gilbert Oliver Mumford? And from looking at the other info on this family, he might have used other surnames, such as Cook, or maybe Glanfield, the surname he gives his mother on his attestation papers.  He could well have gone over into the US.

I think he might be on findmypast coming back into Canada in 1919 (under G. Mumford, presumably having been serving overseas; he will be in the returning soldier's section of the manifest).

[alicook]

Home children were usually either orphans or kids from poor backgrounds who got in some small trouble (one I researched was picked up for hanging about on the streets of Bristol with some mates) and were put in one of the homes to 'straighten them out'. It was believed that sending them away would give them a fresh start in life - and indeed some did do well out of the situation. Others not so much - it very much depended on the attitude of the families who they were placed with.

His residence in Saskatchewan was probably Govenlock. It seems it is now a ghost town, but it had an interesting history!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govenlock,_Saskatchewan

Looking at freebmd, was he Gilbert Oliver Mumford? And from looking at the other info on this family, he might have used other surnames, such as Cook, or maybe Glanfield, the surname he gives his mother on his attestation papers.  He could well have gone over into the US.

I think he might be on findmypast coming back into Canada in 1919 (under G. Mumford, presumably having been serving overseas; he will be in the returning soldier's section of the manifest).

Hi,

Thank you for all the informatiom you have  given me.

I did google Govenlock yesterday so managed to find the Wikepedia info, Yes interesting!

Yes it Was Gilbert Oliver Mumford, I am guessing that he was born out of Wedlock. His Mother Ada Mumford married George Cook in 1898 they had two children, George died 1908 She married John Glanfield 1916.

I will have a look at find my past to see if I can find anything from that.


Thank you once again

Ali

Ps..Can you please tell me how I get to this section......( I think he might be on findmypast coming back into Canada in 1919 (under G. Mumford, presumably having been serving overseas; he will be in the returning soldier's section of the manifest).

[jorose]

Findmypast outgoing passenger lists are here:
http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action

If you pay to find out what ship he left on, you can find him entering Canada on these lists here, which might give where he was heading in 1919:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/001045-100.01-e.php

There is a trick, though - you can search with the ship name on findmypast, so use the Canada site to look for all the ships that arrived in Halifax from Liverpool in 1919, then use findmypast to work out which ship he was on. That should narrow it to, say, four or five sailings of that ship in 1919, and you can pin him down on the lists from there.

The Canadian lists seem to be split - returning Canadians and those going to the US in separate sections, and also around the end of WWI sometimes sections for family of soldiers or lists of soldiers returning to Canada.

In this case, this G. Mumford (b. 1897) appears to be on the Megantic, which came into Halifax a few times in 1919. You should be able to find him on one of those (if the manifest is readable).

[alicook]

Thank you!

Will give it a go.

Cheers
Ali 

[J.J.]

A Gilbert Mumford  on the St. George's Square WW1 memorial in Oakville Ontario:
http://www.oakville.ca/georgessquarememorial.htm

I don't see any other Gilberts under Mumford in cef signups....so may be him?
J.J.

[indiapaleale]

Home children were usually either orphans or kids from poor backgrounds who got in some small trouble (one I researched was picked up for hanging about on the streets of Bristol with some mates) and were put in one of the homes to 'straighten them out'. It was believed that sending them away would give them a fresh start in life - and indeed some did do well out of the situation. Others not so much - it very much depended on the attitude of the families who they were placed with.

I'm sorry but I must take the time to correct the record. I don't know where you got the information that the children were either orphans or kids that got in trouble.

The 7 British Home Childen that were my grandfather's cousins came from a very difficult background but were never in trouble. The first 4 were put in the Middlemore Home after their father died and their mother was unable to take care of them - she sold all of the furniture to try and feed them. She kept the little baby and remarried. She then had 2 more children. She then died, aged 42. Her husband put the other 3 children in Middlemore as he was ill and unable to work. All 7 ended up in Canada - the youngest was 4 1/2 when she left England. They were never in trouble. Many of the children that were sent to Canada, had at least one parent living and some spent years trying to get back to England to find their parents. The story of the British Home Children is a complicated one - and at times very sad.

India - proud 2nd cousin of 7 British Home Children