Uxbridge residents will have another opportunity to hear locally researched stories about British Home Children during a free presentation at the Uxbridge Public Library on September 17.
The Uxbridge Genealogy Group will hold the event at 7 p.m. The follow-up was organized after a June presentation generated more discussion and questions than the meeting could accommodate.
Local research will be shared
At the earlier meeting, Home Children Canada president Lori Oschefski outlined the migration program and its connection to more than 100 families in Uxbridge and surrounding communities during the early 1900s.
Members of the genealogy group spent much of the past year tracing more than 70 British Home Children from their early lives in Britain through their experiences in Canada. The September meeting will give researchers time to share some of those individual histories, along with accounts involving the local families who hosted the children.
Descendants are invited to contribute family stories, while other members of the public may attend simply to listen. Organizers caution that the histories can include difficult and sad experiences as well as hopeful or inspirational accounts.
A migration program with a broad Canadian legacy
British Home Children were young people sent from Britain to Canada through child migration programs between 1869 and the 1940s. More than 100,000 came to Canada, where many were placed with families and expected to work on farms or in households.
The personal outcomes varied widely. Some children found supportive homes, while others experienced isolation, exploitation or abuse. Genealogical work can help families reconnect names, locations and documents that were separated across countries and generations.
The Township of Uxbridge has proclaimed September 28 as British Home Children Day in the municipality. The observance is intended to increase awareness of the program and recognize its continuing connection to Canadian families.
The Uxbridge Home Children presentation takes place Thursday, September 17 at 7 p.m. in the Uxbridge Public Library. Admission is free.
