Help with a family name

[KarenM]

At the risk of sounding stupid, what are Home Children?

Between 1860 and 1930 over 100,000 children were sent to Canada and they were called "British Home Children".

2010 was the year of the Home Child in Canada. 

Karen

[KarenM]

Aha!  William McDermid and Mary Ellen Bray married in Westborne, Manitoba in 1905

http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/DetailView.php

Karen

[KarenM]

In the 1881 England Census there is a Minnie Bray living in Gwennap, Cornwall born 1876 living with her grandmother 

There's also a Mary Ellen Bray born JFM 1876 in Redruth, Cornwall, Vol 5c, Page 252

Karen

[JustLooking]

Hi Karen 

I knew you'd come up trumps!

Your 1901 Minnie in Ancaster is down as born May 1878 - which is the same month as the 1911 one. The 1911 is such a poor image that 1875 and 1878 might be confused 

Sadly, the Gwennap Minnie is still with her mother in Cornwall on the 1891, when Sean's grt grandmother was supposedly in Canada. 

I've found a Mary J Bray, aged 4, b. Victoria, Australia, in Gwennap living with with grandmother and parents Tom and Nancy (RG11/2329/39/22) but with her mother in Gwennap in 1891.

Also a Mary E Bray , aged 2, b. Falmouth, in Falmouth living with parents John H and Sarah A (RG11/2316/88/46). This one not easliy identifiable in 1891.

There are also a few other Mary (E) Bray born around the approx. time in other English counties but none that are a good match in Wales

I'm having problems getting your Manitoba marriage info to load. I'm assuming it didn't give parents details 


JL

[JustLooking]

Not sure about this but will throw it into the pot:

I've found a Mary Ellen Bray, arriving Montreal Nov 1903 aboard the Parisian (departed Liverpool). Heading for BC.  She was 22 (so born circa 1881) and from Cornwall but is ticked as 'a wife'


 

JL

[KarenM]

Here's another link to the marriage, hopefully that one will work

http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/ListView.php

K

[KarenM]

William Stuart McDermid's birth registration is on the Sask. Vital Statistics Page showing William McDermid and Mary Ellen Bray as parents.  He was born March 1, 1906, Weyburn.

http://www.isc.ca/VitalStatistics/Genealogy/vsgs_srch.aspx

[SMcDermid]

That sounds like the right Stuart, it matches the dates that I have, and from what I've heard, the family moved to Saskatchewan from Ontario in 1899, so that would fit.

I thought they had married prior to 1899, in Ontario, but it seems that back then, the first child usually came about a year after the marriage.  I've got conflicting dates with one of the other children, Jessie Ellen, some things say she was born in 1900, others in 1910, but from everything I've come across, I think it was 1910, so that would make Stuart the first child.

KarenM, and everyone else on here, thank you so much for your help!  I was about to give up on this part of the family, and when I saw the Wales section on here, I thought I'd give it one last try.  You guys have been so helpful. 

[corinne]

Here is a link for one of the many sites relating to British Home Children: http://britishhomechildren.org/

Basically it is child migration schemes where impoverished children in Britain were sent abroad for a new life.  Many went to Canada, but also many went to Australia and New Zealand.  Some did end up having much better chances in life - others were treated as no better than slaves.  This kind of child migration scheme started a very long time ago, and continued to as late as the 1960's.