ARTICLE - Off on a Tangent with British Home Children

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Formerly published by GlobalGazette.ca

Off on a Tangent with British Home Children
Posted August 13, 2014
By Alan Campbell

Going off on a tangent is a common occurrence in my research endeavours. I enjoy exploring new types of records so finding adopted children living with James Atkey Jr., my great grandfather John's brother, in the 1901 Canada Census for Keppel Township, Grey County, started me off on one of those tangents¹. Could the George, born April 30, 1880, and Mary Singleton, born May 2, 1882, listed with James and his wife Ann Jane (Cross), be British Home Children?

A search of the Home Children database on the Library and Archives website, produced two hits, a George Singleton age 8 and a Polly Singleton age 6 who arrived in Quebec City on the ship the Vancouver on July 7, 1888². They appear to be part of a party of 48 children in the charge of Mrs. Evans, Matron, who represented Rev. Dr. Stephenson. Rev. Dr. Stephenson was associated with the National Children's Home in England. The party was bound for Hamilton, Ontario.

National Children's Home, Canadian Branch, Hamilton, Ontario

The name, Polly, set me back until a fellow researcher noted that Polly is a nickname for Mary derived from another nickname for Mary, Molly. Back tracking to the 1891 Canada Census brought more questions as I found a Frank and Cora Atkey listed with James and Ann Jane Atkey³. The ages, 10 and 7, were appropriate to be those of George and Mary. Deciding that potential marriages might answer my questions I searched for them.

Mary Singleton married Thomas Davidson, son of Joseph Davidson and Alice Brown at the home of James and Ann Jane Atkey, Oxenden, 18 April 1901⁴. The section of the marriage registration that requested the names of her parents was filled in with the following statement, "not known, adopted by James Atkey." The newspaper report of the wedding noted her name as Cora Atkey and her brother as Frank Atkey⁵. So Polly was Mary Cora Singleton or Mary Cora Atkey.

Thomas was a blacksmith in Oxenden and Wiarton, and then took over his father's farm in 1916.

Thomas and Mary Cora Singleton (Atkey) Davidson were the parents of the following children:

Norval Francis Davidson born 3 March 1902⁶, died August 4, 1983.
Wilfred Roy Davidson born 30 December 1903 at Wiarton⁷, died circa 1987. He married 3 March 1923 at Kemble, Ontario, Frances (Fanny) Pauline Loney, daughter of Hiram Loney and Martha Proctor⁸.
Anna May Davidson born 23 February 1906 at Wiarton, died 10 January 2005 at Lee Manor Nursing Home, Owen Sound, Ontario.
Thomas Earl Davidson born 18 October 1909 at Wiarton¹¹, died 25 April 1982 at Port Huron, Michigan¹². He married 28 September 1932 at Sarnia, Ontario, Lillian Hurst, daughter of William Hurst¹³.

Thomas worked for Imperial Oil and at the time of his retirement was a fire chief. Lillian died 24 July 1976 at the General and Marine Hospital in Owen Sound¹⁴. Thomas married Nioma Elzira Greenwood.
Arthur date of birth unknown, death date unknown.
Stewart Davidson date of birth unknown, died circa 1968. He married Ivy Jay.
Kenneth Davidson born circa 1923, died circa 1971. He married Dorothy Williams.

George married Phoebe Jane Porter, daughter of Joshua Porter and Bessie Kennedy, on April 15, 1908 at Keppel Township¹⁵. In the remarks section of their marriage registration the following notation was written, "The bridegroom is an English immigrant and is commonly known as Francis G. Atkey." So George was Francis [Frank] George Singleton or Francis [Frank] George Atkey.

George [Frank] farmed lot 11, Jones Range, and operated a cement block and tile business. He served as a Sunday School Superintendent for Oxenden Methodist Church and as a member of the school board for SS# 5 Keppel, at Oxenden. He moved to Wiarton after he retired.

George [Frank] and Phoebe (Porter) Atkey were the parents of the following children:

Gordon Francis Atkey born 19 March 1908 at lot 25, CR¹⁶, date of death unknown.
Albert Leslie Atkey born 12 January 1911 at Oxenden¹⁷, date of death unknown. He married 6 July 1935 at her parent's home in St. Vincent, Harriet Norine McMillan, daughter of Dugald McMillan¹⁸.
Elgin Carl Atkey born 29 November 1914, died circa 2001¹⁹.
Florence Jean Atkey born 8 January 1920, date of death unknown. She married Clifford Jackson.
Stillborn male child 2 November 1925²⁰
Female child born 2 November 1925, died 19 November 1925²¹.

With the many stories of abuse of Home Children, I wondered how George and Mary fared. According to a local man's recollections, James and Ann were "kindness itself and gave these children not only a good home but a Christian upbringing²²." The success that each child had in later life seems to bear out the truth of the statement.

My preliminary research has taken me this far. Information that does not have a citation is raw data with limited provenance. I would be interested in making contact with other researchers who can help me fill in the gaps.

About Alan Campbell

Ontario Genealogical Society

campbeal@sympatico.ca

Endnotes:

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