Re: Home Children to Canada

[audrey]

Just thought this might interest some of you

http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back%20Issues/CCHA1999/McEvoy.htm#_ftn8

audrey

[KarenM]

Thanks for that link Audrey.

Did it provide any clues to Edward for you?

Karen

[audrey]

Karen
not really but it certainly made me think I am beginning to understand  about a lot of things I am glad my mother never read the report it would of broken her heart to know her brother may have been subject to all that.  I just hope knowing the miserable life my mother had that some how Edwards turned out better I may never know , but one day I might just get a lead from some where

audrey

[Christopher]

I looked at the British Home Children website which says that there are four to five million Canadian/American descendants and that they have 20,000,000 British Grandparents, Uncles, and Aunts. That's a larger number than a million or so that you mention in your post but what's four million people between friends and lost relatives who people may never be able to find? As the British Home Children site says ... "How could this many people not know they are related to one another? Their mutual searches have been hampered by the unwillingness of the childcare organizations to readily release vital personal information." Since the children were still being sent to Canada until the 1960s there must be some records ... I wonder how far back the records may go and if they are stored somewhere why is no one doing something about the situation. Why has no one started an online petition asking for the release of these records?
http://bhc.kindredbond.com


Christopher

Christopher has chosen to respond to a post on RESOURCES board.  I've moved it here for any further responses.
Moderator.

[KarenM]

Hi Christopher,

They say 1 in 10 Canadians is descended from a Home Child.  I think Privacy would be a major issue for these records as alot of the home children do/did not want people to know as there was a stigma attached.

Now if you want to talk about the fees for the family obtaining this information, that is charged, that's a horse of a different colour, it's ridiculous I think 

Karen

[brendam]

Hello Christopher and Karen (and whoever might post before I get this typed  )

My paternal grandmother was a British Home Child along with her younger sister.  I didn't know that until a few years ago when Mom called and asked what I was doing, I told her I was watching an amazing show on British Home Children.  That was when I learned my grandmother was a British Home Child (and when I started researching).  I have made some progress in my research, especially this week.  Beatrice and Louisa came from Worcester Union thru Middlemore Home.  I have sent emails and have not received any replies.  Maybe I should send a registered letter, I don't know.  It would be so nice to know what happened that the two youngest children in the family ended up being sent to Canada. 

In addition, while researching Mom's side of the family I found that a British Home Child married into the family.  I am trying to research him also, because somewhere he has roots in England and maybe someone might be wondering what happened to him.

This is a long process and hopefully some of the homes will open up and provide records that won't cost a small fortune.  Everyone deserves to know where and who they came from.  We all have to 'take the bad with the good'.  Bad news or good news is better than knowing nothing at all.

Brenda

[waiteohman]

I can understand the records not being available to the general public when there are cases of illegitimacy and bigamy and these home children are fathers and grandfathers' of the living.

The release is and I feel it should be to next of kin only. In my case, my father whom is a pensioner and when you do currency exchange it is $100.00 Canadian. Who is going to pay that amount being told there is a file, but not knowing what, if any information is in it. This was 2 years ago. Disgusting on places like Barnardos.

Linda

[Christopher]

The release should be for the next of kin or possibly legal representatives of descendents. If a charge is to be made it should be kept as low as possible. People have a right to know about their background and not only for the purposes of researching their family history ... some of them may well require medical records relating to their families in Britain.

[brendam]

Hi Christopher,

I think a proven blood relative (with birth/marriage or whatever cert is required) should be able to obtain information on Home Children.  In my case, I am not next of kin, my Dad is still living at 83 (and I hope for many many more years).  He also has a sibling that is older.  I do not live in the same province as my Dad, but he does call me and ask me to look up stuff on "that computer thing"    He is very informed on the research I am doing on his Mom, but to ask him to order the information on my behalf would not be easy with the geographic distance between us (and have him worrying about fees that I woudl pay).  As for legal representative status, it would proably cost the sum of giving up my first born - even though at 16 she is a pain in the butt sometimes, I am not willing to give her up 

This is a research area that differs for so many.  As far as I am concerned, I know my grandmother had many older siblings.  If we make contact with someone who knew of her situation, we just want to say, Beatrice did OK, she had a family, she had 10 children and has grandchildren, greatgrandchilden and gg grandchildren. 

cheers
B