From 1869 to 1948, over 100,000 impoverished children were sent from the United Kingdom to Canada, purportedly as orphans but in reality, only 12% of them were truly without parents. This migration, facilitated by over 30 sending organizations, aimed to provide labor in agriculture and domestic service. Among these organizations were prominent charities like Barnardo's, Fegans and Quarriers, which continue their operations to this day.
There are many variations in the spelling of the names of the Home Children. If you are having difficulty finding a name please check on "expand surname" or "expand name".
SOURCES FOR RESEARCHING YOUR HOME CHILD
The concept of a British Home Children Registry was initially conceived by Perry Snow in 2000 in memory of his father, BHC Frederick George Snow (1909 - 1994). In November 2013, Perry transferred copyright and ownership of his database to Lori Oschefski of Home Children Canada to carry on. Norah Dennis had begun a similar project and in 2014 her data was also transferred to Home Children Canada. Mrs. LeeAnn Beer, a former volunteer for the organization, played a significant role in this phase, contributing to the merging and formatting of the data, resulting in an initial list of approximately 61,000 children. LeeAnn took on the volunteer position as an administrator of the Registry for several years after. Lori Oschefski oversees the management of the Registry.
We are grateful for the years of work from many people, primarily the late Perry Snow, who began this work with just one name, that of his father, and saw his efforts swell to encompass tens of thousands of names. Perry's vision and dedication laid the foundation for the British Home Children Registry, inspiring others to join in this important endever. Home Children Canada continues our commitment to building this registry in Perry Snow's memory, honouring his legacy and the countless lives he has helped to commemorate.
Click here for a free download of Perry Snow's book "Neither Waif nor Stray"
