General Chat

Both my mums parents had been married before and widowed gran fortunately managed to keep her daughter with the help of her family.

Grandad though wasn't that fortunate when his wife died in 1905 leaving him with 3 children and no family surport . He had no option but to put them in a McPherson home in SE London and sadly at aged 10 in 1909 his eldest child a daughter was sent to Canada as a home child .

He married gran in August 1909 and they took the two boys home but missed the daughter by just a few weeks she had been sent to Canada in early Aug 1909


Have since made contact with a daughter who is very bitter that her mums dad didn't try to find her but I have explained that when the children were admitted to homes the parent had to give up parental rights and not be given any info on what happened to the child

A very sad time in our family pasts

Some families have sad history when social help wasn't available

When you look back on your family tree it can be sad the things you find . one line on mine my Great x 3 Granddad had 12 children with two wife`s first one died in childbirth .& all but two children lived to adult hood .

Thats true Barbra . we shouldn't expect things to have been all rosy yonks ago ,sadly families lost children because of living conditions AND new marriages seemed to be in haste after the loss of a spouse as people married asap to get a breadwinner who could support them and their children

I admire my gran who took on her hubbies boys who lead a a dogs life cos she wasnt their mum. One boy who was going to australia as a home boy was told it would be all milk and honey so he resented gran for taking him in so not letting him go

It was a lucky escape for him but he wouldnt know that at the time

Auntie in Canada tho was on a farm as a servant ,no shoes and walked behind the cart every sunday to church as she was nothing!

Devastating on both sides, Shirley.