Families of British Home Children / British Child Migrants

Dear Sister: Letters by the Dale Family Siblings in Middlemore's Children's Emigration Homes

by

Michael M. Black, Ed.D., descendant of a British Home Child

Among the dozens of rich family stories which I heard as a boy, none impressed me more or brought more wonder and curiosity to my mind than the story of how Lily Dale (Maxwell) (1889-1991) arrived in Canada as a teenager, married, migrated to the United States, and ultimately became the amazing woman and great-grandmother I knew. I could never have imagined then what set of unfortunate circumstances set in motion a chain of events which eventually separated four of nine children from their home in England and sent them across the Atlantic Ocean to an orphanage in Canada from which they were separated from each other and placed in foster homes. It was not until as an adult and my interest in genealogy developed into a serious avocation that I learned just how poignant and important this story is. Their story is one of tragedy and heartbreak which tore apart the Dale family, separating its members by an ocean, and the courage, determination and love that bound them together. 

My great-grandmother Lily Dale and three of her siblings (Elsie, Daisy, and Sydney) were separated from their widowed father and five of their brothers and sisters and sent to Canada as young children. They were part of John T. Middlemore’s Children’s Emigration Homes. Their story is partially revealed through numerous public records and a series of 46 private letters.

In 2008, Mrs. Joyce Goodwin Werrett of Droitwich Spa, England contacted me by email. She had recently discovered some of her grandmother’s family items which had until then been in storage. Among these items was this collection of letters sent to her grandmother Alice Dale Goodwin (1884-1968) of Birmingham, England from her siblings living in Canada and the United States. Mrs. Werrett spent several weeks scanning these letters and emailing them to me; I then spent several months transcribing them.

Dear Sister honors the entire Dale family and all four of these transplanted children, Elsie, Daisy, Sydney, and Lily. To my great-grandmother Lily I say, “Thank you for your example and legacy of courage, bravery, and industriousness. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for showing us how to overcome.”

Background

John Dale, a brasscaster, and his wife Kate raised their family in Aston which was a suburb of Birmingham, England. Today, Aston is an area in the City of Birmingham. Kate Dale died of chronic bronchitis in 1900, leaving her husband John Dale with nine children, all of which still lived at home. With the loss of their mother conditions in the Dale household worsened, and John Dale found relief in alcohol. The eldest children were able to apprentice out, work as housekeepers, or marry to escape their home conditions. This left the four youngest children, Lily, Elsie, Daisy, and Sydney at home to grow up in unfavorable conditions.

Lily left home and lived with her elder sister Rose for approximately 12 months, but Rose was not able to support Lily. On October 20, 1904, Lily Dale became the first sibling to be enrolled by Middlemore’s Children’s Emigration Homes. The following year on February 18, 1905, Elsie, Daisy, and Sydney were enrolled.

After being accepted into Middlemore’s Children’s Emigration Homes in 1904 and 1905, Lily (age 15), Elsie (age 13), Daisy (age 12), and Sydney Dale (age 8) were scheduled to depart for Canada. They were passengers on the S.S. Siberian. The ship departed Liverpool, England on June 20, 1905 and arrived Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on July 1, 1905. They were in the party of 142 children from Middlemore's Children’s Emigration Homes, Birmingham, England, to the Lower Provinces of Canada, through Halifax. With the permission of The Sir John Middlemore Charitable Trust, I was able to order copies of their Middlemore records which provided insight into their enrollment, travel, and placement.

Letters

Below are links to 38 letters which were principally written by three of the Dale home children to their sister Alice Dale Goodwin in Birmingham. The letters contain subjects ranging from marriage, children, family, war, and experiences as home children. There were no letters found written by great-grandmother Lily Dale Maxwell; although she could read and write, she was not a person who corresponded often.

Click on the link to view the category of letters you wish to read.  You MUST have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view these letters properly.  If you do not have Adobe Reader installed, you can obtain Adobe Reader for free by visiting the Adobe Reader site.

• Letters to Alice Goodwin from Daisy Dale (Lawrence)

• Letters to Alice Goodwin from Elsie Dale (Maxwell)

• Letters to Alice Goodwin from Sydney Dale (except where noted)

Should you have a special connection to or interest in the Dale family and would like contact me, my email address is michael_m_black @yahoo.com