Wednesday, January 29, 2025

British Home Children

British Home Children arriving in New Brunswick, Canada [1]


As I'm sure has happened to most people who do genealogy research, I occasionally get sidetracked by interesting events in the lives of the people I am researching. At times it is annoying because it slows me down, but most of the time I enjoy learning something that I might not otherwise have had a chance to learn. I recently experienced this while researching British and Canadian Ackley families in pursuit of data for the Ackley One-Name Study that I have started. I came across an Ackley family from England who wound up in Canada, and as I dug into the details of their immigration, I stumbled upon the story of over 100,000 British children who were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. I will tell the story of the Ackley children at the end of this post, but first some details about the British Home Children program.


What Was the British Home Children Program?

The British Home Children Program was a scheme that operated in England between 1869 and 1948 to find homes for impoverished children living in England's workhouses (poor houses) and charitable institutions. The first Industrial Revolution in England caused a huge migration of people from rural locations to the larger cities in search of work. There were not enough jobs for the influx of people, housing was scarce, and lack of sanitation allowed disease to run rampant. These conditions created a pauper class in England that the government responded to with the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. According to the "Who Do You Think You Are?" website, "The government’s answer to this situation was to put the poor into the workhouse, and to make the experience so unattractive that people would do anything rather than go there. However, this was no real choice and the destitute would end up living on the streets and often resorting to crime to subsist."[14]

Between the poor conditions and the sheer number of people needing assistance, the work houses were overwhelmed, and charities stepped in to try to fill the gap. British Home Child Group International describes the situation thusly:

"Moving to urban areas, families were cut off from this traditional support system, and when death, illness or abandonment of one parent forced the remaining parent to look for alternative help, philanthropic organizations sprang up all over the country to help these needy children. There were no governmental institutions in place. Contrary to popular opinion, most of the children were surrendered to these institutions by their parents and were not found on the street.

Started with good intentions, Annie MacPherson, Barnardo’s, Quarriers, The Salvation Army, The Liverpool Sheltering Homes, and The Church of England, to name but a few of the over 50 organizations, were quickly overrun with impoverished children.

An appealing solution was quickly found – send these children to the colonies to fresh air and hard work on farms and domestic jobs in a new country. Farmers, some poor themselves, were all too happy to pay low wages for help. Canada was especially marketed to the parents and young, as a safe haven amidst the storm of their lives."[15]

As the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." However well-meaning Annie MacPherson, Dr. Barnardo, and others were, the program was flawed from the beginning and caused life-altering trauma to many of the children who were sent to Canada. According to the BBC, "Although the incentives were to give these young children a better life, the reality was very different. Children were unpaid and had no choice in their move. They were separated from family, and many were abused or neglected by those that took them in as cheap labour."[13]

It is estimated that about 4 million people (about 10% of Canada's population) are descendants of children brought to Canada under the program.[13] Below is the story of an Ackley family whose children were sent to Canada under the British Home Children program.


Ackley British Home Children


The family I was researching when I stumbled on the British Home Children information was from the Stoke-on-Trent area in Staffordshire. A large number of the Ackley families I have found in my British Ackley research came from this area. I found many variations on the surname spelling during this research, from Ackley to Hackley to Ackerley. In many cases all three spellings were used for the same family in different records.

Map of Stoke-on-Trent, England



The earliest known ancestors of this Ackley family are William and Mary Ackley.  Records for their birth dates and locations are not consistent. Dates for William's birth range from 1784 to 1790, and his birth place is given as either Penkhull or Newcastle, which are both districts in the city of Stoke-on-Trent and are about 3 miles from each other. Mary's maiden name is unknown, and her birth date ranges from 1776 to 1796 in various records. Her birth place is given as either Monmouthshire, Wales or Staffordshire, England. 1776 seems very unlikely; her last known child was born in 1837, which would have put her at 61 years old at the time of birth.

William and Mary are found in the 1841, 1851, 1861, and 1871 England Census residing in Longton, Staffordshire (another district of Stoke-on-Trent) in all four time periods. William's occupation is given as iron works laborer or iron furnace laborer. William died on 4 Dec 1873 in Longton, Staffordshire. The home address given on his death certificate is 46 Edensor Road, Longton. A possible death certificate for Mary (last name given as Hackley) gives her death date as 20 August 1873 at age 97 (giving a birth year of 1776), living on Edensor Road, Longton, wife of William Hackley, coal miner. Edensor Road is the address given for William and Mary on the 1871 Census. William and Mary had 4 children: Harriet Ackley (1825-1884), Mary Ann Ackley (1829-), Elizabeth Ackley (1837-), and

William Ackley, who was born between 1816 and 1824, most likely in Monmouthshire, Wales. He married Hannah Monks (1825-1890) probably before 1844, the birth year of their first child. William and Hannah were found together in the 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1881 England Census, while William is listed as a widower in the 1891 England Census. William and Hannah lived on Edensor Road in Longton, Staffordshire for many of those years. William's occupation is given as coal miner in 1851, laborer in 1861, and furnace man in 1871. Hannah died in 1890 in Longton; William's death date is not known, but it must be after 1891 since he was counted in the census for that year. William and Hannah had 6 children: Emily Ackley (1849-), James Ackley (1850-), Hannah Ackley (1858-), William Charles Ackley (1860-), Thomas Ackley (1871-), and

Richard Ackley, who was born about 1844 in Longton. He was found in the 1871 England Census still living in Longton with his parents and siblings, but also with his wife Mary Turner (1845-1913) and their son Samuel. In the 1881 England Census, Richard and Mary are found living in Longton with their children Samuel, Jane, and William. In 1871 Richard's occupation is given as furnace man (same as his father) and in 1881 it is iron furnace labourer. Richard died on 25 May 1886 in Longton. His cause of death was given as asthma and bronchitis. Although I could find no official death records for Mary, the British Home Children Registry gives her date of death as 1913 in the Essex County Asylum.[2] Essex records office says this about Essex County Asylum: "Essex County Lunatic Asylum, known later as Brentwood Mental Hospital and finally as Warley Hospital, was built as a result of the Lunatic Asylums Act of 1845, making it compulsory for all counties to build an asylum."[6] I could find no census records for Mary in 1891, 1901, or 1911; she seems to have disappeared from public view. This is only speculation, but it is possible that after Richard's death in 1886 Mary may have been committed to the asylum, leaving her children with no means of support, necessitating their stay at the workhouse in Stoke-on-Trent and eventual inclusion in the British Home Children Program detailed below.

Richard and Mary had 7 children:

Sarah Ackley was born in the 4th quarter of 1866 (Oct-Nov-Dec) and died during the same quarter. She was buried in Edensor, a district of Stoke-on-Trent, on 4 Dec 1866.

Samuel Ackley (1871-1923) would have been 17 years old when his siblings were sent to Canada. He was probably old enough to fend for himself, but too young to care for his four young siblings. Samuel married Sarah Harris in 1891, and they had 6 children: John (1890-), Mary Jane (1892-1961), Hannah (1894-1916), George (1899-1961), Samuel (1902-1935), and William James (1904-1963). 

John Ackley (?) The British Home Children directory for Jane Ackley [4] lists a sibling John Ackley with no other information, but I haven't found any information for him yet.

The other 4 children from this Ackley family were sent to Canada under the British Home Children program. They were in the workhouse in Stoke-on-Trent when they were taken in by the Liverpool Catholic Children's Protection Society as part of the British Home Children program.[12] They left the port of Liverpool on the ship Polynesian on April 30, 1888, and arrived in Quebec on May 11, 1888. A note in their records at the Library and Archives of Canada states: "Party of 117 Souls from the Catholic Protection Society of Liverpool. Mrs. Lacy in charge. Males 13 and over listed as 'labourer'; females 13 and older listed as 'domestic'; those 12 and under listed as 'child'."[11]

S.S. Polynesian [7]

The children were brought to the House of Providence in Kingston, Ontario, which was run by the Sisters of Providence. 

House of Providence in Kingston, Ontario [8]


Jane Ackley (1874-) was initially placed with the John Hogan family in Kingston Township, Ontario.[4] She is found living with the family in Kingston in the 1891 Canada Census. She married William Charles Hogan, son of John Hogan and his wife Mary Craig, on 16 March 1897. [25] William and Jane had 6 children: John Hogan (1897-), Mary Kathleen Hogan (1899-1987), Mabel S. Hogan (1901-), William James Hogan (1904-), Thomas Hanley Hogan (1907-1912), and Henriette Frances Hogan (1909-1909). Jane and William and all of the children except Frances (who died of cholera 2 months after she was born) are found in the 1911 Canada census living in Kingston. Jane and William and their son John were found living together in Toronto in the 1921 Canada census. William died in 1925 [26]; I have not yet found a death record for Jane. 

William Ackley was born 28 November 1878 in Longton. He was initially placed with the Barrett family in Latimer, Loughborough Township, Ontario.[3] He was found still living with the William Barrett family in the 1891 Canada Census, living in Kingston. By 1901 he had moved on, living with the Spooner family in Kingston working as a farm servant. In 1909 he married Mary McClusky in Jefferson, New York. I did not find them in the 1911 census, but he and Mary were probably living in Kingston at that time as they were mentioned in the 1910 obituary of their infant daughter Loretta.[23] William and Mary had two other children: William Richard Ackley (1912-1961) and Rose Ellen Ackley (1915-1931). The family is found living together in Kingston in the 1921 Canada Census. Rose Ellen died in 1931 at the young age of 15. William, Mary, and their son William were found living together later in the 1931 Canada Census in Kingston. I could not find a death record for William, but it must have been after 1937 because Mary is listed as "married" on her death certificate dated 2 August 1937.[24]

Margaret Ackley was born 28 April 1881.[5] Her initial placement upon her arrival in Canada is not mentioned in the British Home Children Registry, and evidently she did not stay long in Canada. She is found in the 1891 England Census living with her aunt Hannah (Ackley) Harding and Hannah's husband George in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Margaret married John Bryan on 4 February 1900 in Longton, and they are found together living in Longton in the 1901 and 1911 England Census. John and Margaret had five children: Noe (1904), George (1907), William (1910), Hannah (1911), and Margaret (1914).

John Bryan enlisted in the Army and died on 19 Sep 1915 from wounds sustained in combat in Calais, France. Margaret is identified as a widow in the 1921 England Census, and is found living with her children Noe, George, Hannah, and Margaret. There are also only four children in the photo of Margaret and John and their family below; it is presumed that the son William must have died before 1914 since the youngest child, Margaret, was born in 1914 and is in the picture.

Margaret is found in the 1939 England and Wales Register, still listed as a widow. Her daughter Margaret and Margaret's son Edward are living with her. Margaret's occupation is listed as pottery thimble maker; previous census records also listed her occupation as thimble maker. Margaret died in 1958 in Stoke-on-Trent.[22]
 
Margaret (Ackley) Bryan and her family [10]


George Richard Ackley was born 11 October 1884, which means he was only a little over 3 years old when he was sent to Canada. He was placed with the family of John Cassidy in Hungerford Township, Ontario, Canada.[2] George is found in the 1891 Canada Census (name spelled Ekley) living with John Cassidy and his wife in Hungerford.[18] In the 1901 census he was found living in the household of the John Davis family. John Davis's occupation is given as farmer. George's relationship to John is given as servant, and his occupation is listed as field labourer servant.[17] I did not find him in the 1911 Canada Census. 

George married Amelia Florence Knight (1887-1949) on 18 May 1914 in Frontenac, Ontario. Amelia was also from England.[19] In March 1915, George enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force.[20] In November 1915 he was sent to Bramshott Camp, a temporary army camp set up on Bramshott Common near the village of Bramshott, Hampshire, England. In February 1916, he was sent to serve in the 8th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, landing in Havre, France on the 16th of that month. By the 3rd of March 1916 he had joined his unit in the field. His unit was eventually absorbed into the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps. George Richard Ackley died on 22 Sep 1918 from wounds suffered in battle, just 3 days after returning from a 14-day leave to England.[21] World War I would end just 2 months later on 11 November 1918. He is buried in Queant Communal Cemetery British Extension at Queant, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.[9]

George Richard Ackley [9]




George Richard Ackley Headstone in
Queant Communal Cemetery British Extension [9]


As mentioned earlier, an estimated 10% of Canada's population are descendants of the British Home Children, yet many of them are unaware of their history because many of the children chose not to talk about it with their families. The British and Australian governments apologized for the forced migration of child laborers in the 2010s, but the Canadian government has not yet issued an official apology.[13]

Link of the Day



Quote of the Day


“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., 

Sources


1. Library and Archives Canada, "Home Children, 1869-1932," https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/home-children-1869-1930/Pages/home-children.aspx
2. British Home Children Registry, "British Home Child Information Sheet," BHC Registry ID#283,  https://homechildrencanada.com/registry?id=283
3. British Home Children Registry, "British Home Child Information Sheet," BHC Registry ID#286,  https://britimechildrencanada.com/registry?id=286 
4. British Home Children Registry, "British Home Child Information Sheet," BHC Registry ID#284,   https://homechildrencanada.com/registry?id=284
5. British Home Children Registry, "British Home Child Information Sheet," BHC Registry ID#285,   https://homechildrencanada.com/registry?id=285
13. BBC, "British Home Children: Antique box tells heart-breaking history," https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67809153
14. Our Media, Ltd., "Who Do You Think Your Are? - Who were the British Home Children?," https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/feature/who-were-the-british-home-children
15. British Home Child Group International, "Who are the British Home Children," https://britishhomechild.com/history/
16. Ancestry.com. Canada, World War I CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006. 
17.Ancestry.com. 1901 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. 
18. Ancestry.com. 1891 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
19. Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. 
20. Ancestry.com. Canada, World War I CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006. Images are used with the permission of Library and Archives Canada.
21. Ancestry.com. Canada, World War I CEF Personnel Files, 1914-1918 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
22. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007.
23. The Weekly British Whig, September 15, 1910, Page  3. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-weekly-british-whig/131768061/ : accessed January 28, 2025), clip page  by user genealogy_mra
24. Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1950 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
25. Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
26. Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1950 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.







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