Who Do You Think You Are - Lesley Sharp 14th Aug

[Merry]

Without that first-hand testimony I would not have made any assumptions, one way or the other about them though!

Exactly!!

I would have felt happier about the assumptions made about Charles if it was known that George had spoken of his childhood in their home, but George died young so he was probably never ready to reminisce.

I was waiting for a photo of Charles P to see if he had "the nose" but nothing materialised!! lol (I have a big nose, but no Essex ancestors!!)

[Ann from Sussex]

"Perhaps Barnardos recruited via the local C of E vicar? If he was helpful then they would farm out several children to one parish as this would be cheaper than sending just one or two to a particular village. "

I later found out that there was a Barnardo's home in a village close to where my great grandparents lived in Kent and that boys were sent to it from all over the country. I found this out from someone at my genealogy group whose father had been sent there from Manchester as a small boy. He had also been fostered by a local farming couple but in the 1920s.

[Shona]

Originally Posted by Ann from Sussex

There was no mention of the trauma and cruelty British Home children often experienced in Canada - http://canadianbritishhomechildren.weebly.com/ - or the fact that they were often viewed as cheap labour, not much more than slaves. However, I was interested in the information about fostering Barnardo's boys with older people, as my own great grandparents had two staying with them on the 1901 census when they were aged 60 and 61 which I always thought was a bit old to be doing that. The children were presumably brothers since they have the same surname, were aged 2 and 3 and both of them had their birthplaces listed as "Dr Barnardo's Home". I'm not sure if children were actually born in the homes but it tells me why these two (unrelated to my family) children were listed at my great grandparents' farm. It also explains a photo I have of my great grandparents, my grandmother aged about 20 (which would have been in 1901) and two small boys who no-one in the family recognised, outside the farmhouse. They must be these two Barnardo's boys. In the case of my great grandparents, I think it that they truly loved children and would have been kind foster parents. They brought up 12 of their own, took in and brought up two illegitimate grandchildren plus my father who, whilst not illegitimate, was deserted by his father as a baby and not much cared for by his mother. He adored his grandparents and said they gave him the only love he ever experienced until he met my mother. Without that first-hand testimony I would not have made any assumptions, one way or the other about them though! And it has never occured to me to try and find anythng out about the Barnardo's boys. Having more or less exhausted my own family research, perhaps I should start on them now!

This trailer for the Barnados Boy episode of the Trench Dectectives mentions the fact the children were often regarded as slaves.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFU_czqEdHo

There doesn't seem to be a download of be full episode, though.

[Merry]

I wonder if there was a reason they (apparently) didn't try to find other descendants of Charles P who might have known some personal info about him?

[Olde Crone]

I would be more convinced about the saintliness of the fosterers if there had been a few girls dotted about. I'm afraid my cynical mind says that it was expedient to foster BOYS with farmers and expedient for farmers to foster them (not to mention the five bob a week allowance). Once the boys were nicely trained up to farming they could be shipped off to Canada.

That's not to say that the foster parents were NOT wonderful, perhaps they were, in which case even more cruel to take the children away from a loving home and send them to Canada.

The British Home Child policy was yet another shameful episode in our history. I know it was the making of a few children, who landed on their feet in Canada (and the other colonies) but mostly it was a recipe for utter misery, if not a lot worse.

OC

[Shona]

This has got me thinking about my family history.

My great-great grandmother, Priscilla Williamson, had two illegitimate children, which she kept, before marrying three times.

Her sister, Mary, died at the age of 35 in 1897, leaving her husband, coal miner James Falls, to care for their five children. Two years after Mary's death, he was found drowned in the River Leven in Methil.

The youngest four children were taken into the care of Quarrier Homes. One boy, George, was sent to work on a farm in Ayrshire when he was 14. His sister, Agnes, remained in Fife, where she married.

In 1904, the two youngest boys, John and Andrew, were transported to Canada on the Corinthian.

Alexa, the oldest girl, who wasn't taken into care because she was of working age, wrote to Quarrier's in 1911, asking for a contact address for her brothers as she was going to Canada.

I haven't traced this branch before, but following last night's WDYTYA, I'm going to see if I can find out more.

[kiterunner]

Definitely sounds worth looking into, Shona. Let us know what you find out! And shout if you want help.

I wonder why WDYTYA didn't mention Norman Patient jr who died as a baby (see post #11). I would have thought it was quite significant to Norman sr? Or would it have messed up the story they wanted to tell?

[kiterunner]

Also I think The Genealogist may have messed up again with their article on the episode as they say that Norman and his wife had four children including a daughter Ann, but I think that Doris was originally registered as Ann and then her name was changed, since the birth registration details match apart from an a on the end of the page number for Doris.

http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/feat...2013_sharp.php

(not to mention them giving the surname of the "other" Barnado's boy as Keeir)

[Merry]

I agree with you about Norman jr, Kate.

You said maybe it would mess up the story, but I don't think they needed to worry about that as they could still twist the story whichever way they liked!

The Genealogist are not doing very well with their articles, are they?!!

[Shona]

Originally Posted by Merry

I agree with you about Norman jr, Kate.

You said maybe it would mess up the story, but I don't think they needed to worry about that as they could still twist the story whichever way they liked!

The Genealogist are not doing very well with their articles, are they?!!

The horrible layout and dreadful typefaces make their articles difficult to read - even if the facts were all correct.