The Children's Aid Society - British Home Children (Canada)

[enchiemeisie]

I believe the records are held at the Met. Archives in London.  Is that right?

No, the records at LMA are administrative.

Records of individual children in the care of the CAS are now held by Barnardo's, who offer an excellent, fee-based service.
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/who_we_are/history/family_history_service.htm

I have been in touch with Barnardo's and they said:

'I am afraid this will be a disappointing reply as although I have made a through search in Barnardo's records I have been unable to identify the person you enquired about in them, nor in the records of the following organisations, which are stored here:

MACPHERSON HOMES
MARCHMONT HOME
LIVERPOOL SHELTERING HOME
SHARMAN'S HOME'

Archives and Adminstration Officer

I think the link to Banardo's on this website is incorrect.  I have already seen it myself, but had and found contradictory information.

[Bookbox]

Sorry to hear that. As Sandra has said, if you're willing to post a name someone may be able to help with other resources?

[enchiemeisie]

I have everything that I can find except the CAS info e.g. where he was before (an industrial school), who sent him etc.  By the way, it's my great-grandfather.

I just need to find where the CAS records are.  I believe CAS worked with Shaftesbury and sent all their boys to the same receiving home in Winnipeg - I've been in touch with Majorie Kohli who basically told me all about the history of these organisations and receiving homes.  Shaftesbury's website says it's records are at the LMA: http://www.shaftesburyyoungpeople.org/our-history.html

I just wondered if anyone else had found their ancestor through CAS records and how they went about it.

I will add all the info to the database on here when it lets me.  It was saying I needed to make two posts before I could do so and something about private messaging.

[enchiemeisie]

When I try to add to the database it says this:

'One function of this database is to help RootsChat members to find (possible) common ancestors.
To contact other members, or for other members to be able to contact you,
you must be able to use the RootsChat Private Message (PM) system

Therefore you must be able to use the Private Message (PM) system before you can use this function.


The PM system will be available to you as soon as you have made 2 postings in the RootsChat forum.'

[Bookbox]

I just need to find where the CAS records are.  I believe CAS worked with Shaftesbury and sent all their boys to the same receiving home in Winnipeg - I've been in touch with Majorie Kohli who basically told me all about the history of these organisations and receiving homes.  Shaftesbury's website says it's records are at the LMA: http://www.shaftesburyyoungpeople.org/our-history.html

Then it's probably best to contact LMA and ask them whether they do actually hold the CAS records, and to confirm the date coverage. This sort of general enquiry about LMA holdings is normally answered free of charge.

[enchiemeisie]

Thanks, Bookbox.  I have emailed them and I am awaiting a reply.  I was hoping somebody might have pursued an ancestor's records form CAS before to see how they went about it and what they received.  I will post an update on the reply in case anyone it helps anyone else/anyone is interested.

[Romilly]

Two of my Great Uncles were sent to Canada as 'British Home Children' by the National Children's Home in the UK. They were actually quite helpful, (once I had proved my family link) and sent me photocopies of the boy's files. There were no charges at all.

Hope that you get somewhere with your query.

Romilly.

[enchiemeisie]

Thank you, all 

Anyway, here's an update, just in case this post ever proves useful to someone else searching for a relative sent to Canada by The Children's Society of London (CAS). 

What I found out is that CAS took boys from various Industrial Schools across the country, in my great-grandfather's case, The Essex Industrial School for Destitute Boys, and sent them to Canada.  These boys were usually teenagers. 

Now, CAS worked with Shaftesbury Homes, so that's why I checked with the LMA, but alas, no joy there: no records of him.

So, I contacted Barnardo's again to double check their records.  It was worth contacting them a second time as I got more information and a better explanation - this time, they confirmed that they Barnardo's does have 'some' CAS records (they double-checked for my great-grandfather), but because the organisation was so fragmented, they have very few. If you are lucky, they may have your ancestor's records, but the chances are quite slim.  It's worth a try.

Marjorie has basically said that my best hope are the Industrial School records.  I have checked the ERO's website and it looks like they have the school's admission records and discharge papers, so hopefully I will find the answers to all my questions there.

So in short, if you cannot find CAS records with Barnardo's, or CAS boys amalgamated with Shaftesbury Homes, then your only option is to search the IS records and hope you find who you are looking for there.

I will go to Chelmsford as soon as I can to see what I can find.

[Bookbox]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you found that Barnardo's do have some records after all.
Good luck with finding your great-grandfather.