Found in a wall — it was used as insulation.. Published 1908
An industrial unit, complete, efficient, prosperous, and of immense constructive potentiality is found in the Canadian Locomotive Company’s plant at Kingston, Ontario. The picture of the plant shown above gives a good idea of its extent. The figures above quoted give a good idea of its prosperity. The names of the directors and executive give guarantee of sound, businesslike management. The company is Canadian from the ground up, and is to-day doing important work in the reconstruction of Canadian industry after the war. Below are given – illustrations of locomotive engines which are the company’s principal product. The first one illustrated represents the latest type of Mikado locomotive constructed for the T Canadian Government Railways. Since 1916 the Canadian Locomotive Company have been building immense engines of this type for the Government, their product having been tested under the most trying conditions of the service, and proved to be beyond doubt the right type of locomotive for their .work. They have been adopted by the Government as the Standard for all general purposes of the National Railways. Rapidity as well as excellence of construction are features of the service rendered in locomotive building by the Canadian Locomotive Company.
Though the first order for these large Mikado engines was received late in 1916, the company was able to begin delivery early in 1917, and by the 1st of May, 1917, had handed over no fewer than fifty (50) complete locomotives in efficient order. Just as soon as these engines had been, tested out the Government placed an order for another fifty to be exactly the same in construction Between November, 1917, and May, 1918, the second consignment of fifty locomotives was completed, and a further order was immediately received for sixty more. These also have been delivered.” v Each of these Mikado engines weighs in working order about 140 tons, and the tender weighs loaded about 84 tons. The cylinders are 27 inches in diameter and 30 inches stroke. Driving wheels are 5 ft;3 in. in .diameter. Boiler pressure is 180 lbs. per sq. inch and tractive power 53,000 lbs. These engines can haul on level track 8,800 tons. The tender carries 9,000 gallons of water and 12 tons of coal. The engines are fully equipped with the very latest labor-saving and efficiency devices, such as Westinghouse American Air Brakes, Electric Headlights and Signal Lamps, Vestibule Cab, Radial Trailing Truck, Commonwealth Steel Cradles, Piston Valve Cylinders, Power Reverse Gear, Walschaert Valve Gear, Automatic Fire Doors and Grate Shakers, all arranged to lighten the burden of the engine crews and promote safety, speed and efficiency of service.
During the war, with its tremendous need of transportation means, the Canadian Locomotive Company sent overseas splendid locomotives of the type illustrated in the lowermost picture. These were built to the order of the Imperial Munitions Board for service in France and performed their work creditably for the Canadian industry concerned with their production. The company can turn out 150 complete locomotives per year and with the requirements of . Canada’s; and other countries’ railroads as they are after the ‘war, looks forward to a period of capacity production. 08 Nov 1919,
My dad worked there for many many years. He was one of many who worked on first diesel engine. They all were presented with medals of recognition for their efforts by Governor General Vincent Massey across from city hall
Mike Robert shares a fabulous photo which may have been shared in the comments of Lost Ottawa before.
It looks like family that would have a lot trouble fitting in to that Porsche, but it really fits with our sign theme of the week.
Behind the family? The sign for the Royal Burger just east of St. Laurent on Montreal Road.
Notes Mike: “love this sign at the corner of Mtl. Road and Brittany Drive where Mark Motors is located now. My mother’s house was the white house in the background that became a vet’s office. I fondly remember the drive-thru at the RB!”
Best onion rings ever made. Large sweet onions, my friend worked there and I i Rembrandt correctly they were hand made at one point. Very rare to find this kind of onion ring today.
There was a Royal Burger at Woodroffe and Carling we went to a couple of times, but usually we went to Capital Burger which was cheaper on Croydon and Carling across from the Fire Station. I used to love the hot dogs, that were curled to fit a hamburger bun.
Best burgers and especially their “Bermuda” onion rings and real shakes to wrap up a great meal. Our daughter worked at the one in Peterborough. It closed and became a DQ. White house also vet clinic of Dr. Carioto. I would not be surprised if that was not the Mark family.
I remember it. We used to go there until they closed not long after McDonald’s opened in front of it.
About six years ago, I discovered The Hintonburger’s burgers tasted the same as the Royal’s and biting into one brought back good memories of the Royal Burger. Now, both are closed.
Loved Royal Burger. I believe they closed around 1973. I was pregnant, had a craving for their onion rings and made my husband drive all over Ottawa trying to find one but they were all closed.
They were the first to have an intercom to order your food and have it ready when you arrived at the window. they had a slider window on the side for the carless customers. The special sauce was the taste. We liked the one on bank street, it was close and open late.. Owned by Lou MacDonald.
If memory serves me the Richmond road and Carling Avenue stores were owned by the Bruce family that also owned Bruce Fuels and Frazer Duntile (the quarry on Clyde Avenue). I worked for the Bruce family (old man Reginald and son Bob) in the mid 70s. There office was a big White House on Carling avenue stuck between two tall apartment buildings just next to Carlingwood. It was the longest year of my life. Swore I would never work for a family business again, at least as an outsider.
I sure do! My husband and I lived on Montreal Road right across from Royal Burger. Their burgers were the best, as were their onion rings. I remember the Royal burger, with 2 patties was 60 cents, and the burgerette, with one patty was 25 cents. Oh, for the good ol’ days of the 60s.
I used to go to the one just east of the Champlain Bridge when I was a kid. The last one I remember was at the corner of Richmond and Ambleside. I last saw “Mike” at Super Ex running a Royal Burger ‘truck’ that he said was doing the fair circuit at the time. He rememberd both my mom and me and even gave me my burger for free. That can’t be more than 5-10 years ago.
I worked at the Richmond road location as a teen, I remember making the “Special Sauce” in 5 gallon pails that pickles or other food products came in. We would pour all the ingredients in the pail, then stir it with your arm fully emerged in the product.
I worked for a year at the one on Carling at cross if Woodruff Ave. Friday and Sat. Were madhouse. A lit of folks at Britania Drive inn would make food run before second feature and I remember frilling 25 Royales at once for a single order.
Yes. That was my grandfather Reg Bruce’s chain of burger places. He also had Royal Donut. The ” Bruce MacDonald ” that someone is referring to is the “Bruce /MacDonald Motor Hotel that my grandfather built on Carling Ave. His business partners last name in that hotel was MacDonald. It’s now called Embassy West Hotel. So there’s some history for you.
There’s an ad on this CMN chart(From June 1963) in the top left corner with a list of the Royal Burger locations. I’ll post the actual chart below so you can enjoy it too.
Four years after our marriage, in 1964, we rented an apartment on the West end of Hull, on the very street where the first Royal Burger was installed. It was built from prefab components in less than a week. Thereafter, every evening until the wee hours, we were treated to “Yeah!”, “with the works” and wonderful phrases like that, never to be forgotten. Wafts of burning flesh perfumed the air all summer long. Wonderful memories!
I must have been 5 or 6 (1969-70) when for a treat my parents would hit the Royal Burger on Richmond rd. It was a drive-through and i was allowed to yell into the order board what I wanted. It was always the same thing “Chip & Coke). Yes, I was very exciteable back then. Can’t say I was upset years later when Harvey’s occupied the same land.
I only remember the one on Bank Street. Does anyone remember their display on the Sparks Street Mall with the 1957 Desoto dinky car that continuously ran in a circle?
The one in Hull was Royal in name only after Bruce Macdonald shut the doors. My first job (after paper routes) was sweeping the parking lot on Richmond Rd. I impressed the manager that he hired me. I remember getting rides home in his 57 Canary yellow Chevy. Loud and fast, back then not as many cars on the road then. Especially after dropping the takings at the hotel. I remember Harvey’s bedside us. We traded burgs for fries. Funny our meat was fresh and fries frozen. While Harvey’s was the opposite. And our rings were made daily. Double dipped was that procedure. The closest to them would be A&W rings.
Dining Out in Lost Ottawa … at the Royal Burger on Quebec Route 148 as you head up river to the Pontiac region.
Shared by Bruce Mitchell, who says:
“This Royal Burger sign is all that remains of what might have been the last Royal Burger. It is on Highway 148 in Quebec just west of Ottawa before Luskville.
When I started taking this route 12 years ago there was a burned out restaurant and they were still operating out of a trailer.
Both gone now but I did enjoy stopping for the occasional burger!”
Between 1869 and 1932, over 100,000 children were sent from Britain to Canada through assisted juvenile emigration. These migrants are called “home children” because most went from an emigration agency’s home for children in Britain to its Canadian receiving home. The children were placed with families in rural Canada.
Douglas G Barbour of Brockville who was sent out in 1927 on the very day he turned 16 recalled being very sick on the voyage. The journey which took seven days “wasn’t a bad crossing” he said, “but the first day out was rough. All the children were put down below to get out of the way of the waves which were just swishing over the deck.
Another lad and myself just had to see the waves so we walked out on deck. A big wave came along and swept over us and we were washed overboard. I grabbed the rail so hard I think the marks are still there on my hands and I saved myself.
His companion was washed overboard but was rescued. On the same ship was his friend John Thomson now of Gananoque who had been in a home for five years. His father was killed in an accident at the creamery where he worked and he and his four younger brothers had all been sent to live at Quarrier’s Home. He also was 16 years old.
British Home Children in Canada Ships the BHC Came On – BRITISH HOME CHILDREN IN CANADA
Both boys along with the 40 or 50 others in their group were sent to receiving homes in Brockville. From there Thomson was sent to the market garden farm of Howard Keyes in Cataraqui which then was well outside the city of Kingston.
“It was all right” he said “but it was all work. If you want to eat you’ve got to work they say.”
He worked on the farm from 1927 to 1931 when he married and rented the farm next to Keyes and set up market gardening with his wife. “It turned out OK” he said with a smile, But a lot weren’t as lucky as I was to get a good home.”
Diana Thompson of Huntsville had a sizable display of family photos and documents detailing the experiences of her grandmother Margaret Watt who was with her twin sister Sarah and was sent over in 1890 when they were 14.
Their mother had died when they were three and their father, a joiner, remarried. When he was killed in an accident on a ship his wife gave the girls to their uncle to care for. However one day when he was at work his wife and her sister took the girls to the Quarrier’s Home and left them there.
Their crossing took 21 days and after landing at Quebec the twins were separated and sent to farms in the Brockville area “My grandmother wouldn’t talk about her life story” Thompson said, “She had left two older sisters and a brother behind.”
Beth Bruder, chair of the Canadian organizing committee, also touched on the theme of separation and loss – loss these children suffered going into the home loss when they came to Canada and especially loss of innocence. Many she said were shocked to find that they were viewed only as workers, not as equals in their new country.
Bruder recalled her own mother telling her of overhearing someone ask who she was on her first Sunday in church. “Oh she’s just a Home girl” came the reply- a reply whose sting was never forgotten “Today however” Bruder said “I want to focus on the success that many of these children had in a country that gave them a chance to grow and prosper.”
So why was the boat called The Banshee? I think this story might have a lot to do with it.
The Banshee of Kingston Mills
A banshee, or Bean Sidhe, is a fairy from Irish folklore whose scream was an omen of death. Her thin scream is referred to as “caoine,” which translates to “keening.” It is said that a banshee’s cry predicts the death of a member of one of Ireland’s five major families: the O’Grady’s, the O’Neills, the O’Briens, the O’Connors or the Kavanaghs.
Over time as families blended, it was said that most Irish families had their own banshee. It is also said that the banshees followed their families as they emigrated from Ireland to other places across the globe, though some stayed behind to grieve at the original family estate.
It is believed they were based on an old Irish tradition where women would sing a lament to signify one’s passing. This too was referred to as keening. As many keeners accepted alcohol as payment, which the church frowned upon, many have speculated it was these keeners who were punished in the eyes of God and were forced to become banshees. Another factor that likely contributed to the superstitious legend is the cry of the barn owl. In ancient battles, owls would screech and take flight if they noticed an army approaching, which would forewarn the defending army.
In June 1930, on a hot summer day, visitors to Kingston Mills Lock were alarmed when they heard banshees groaning and sobbing in the marsh. A tale spread by the community has grown and spread until some residents fear for the marshes around the Kingston locks. The matter remained hearsay until a local newspaper published a story. Since then calls have poured in reporting sights of the spectre.
These people are convinced they saw something and people claiming sight have fainted immediately. The sounds happen when the sun is high and the marsh is full of water. Many people heard the sounds over the years but no one could find anything that caused them.
An older Carleton Place resident told me they made several fires when they stayed overnight to protect them from the banshees in the woods.There have been several reported banshee sightings, but it is said that if a banshee becomes aware of a human’s presence watching her, she will disappear into a cloud of mist. When she does, it is accompanied by a fluttering sound like a bird flapping its wings.
The legend of the Banshee started when the Rideau Canal was being built and Irish people settled near the lock. They brought with them supernatural beliefs and the ‘Bean-Sidhe’ who mourns over the death of a good or holy person was one of those beliefs.
It is possible the marsh clay dried up around the cattail roots and the air burst out of them causing groaning noises.
In 1835, almost a hundred years before the Prison for Women opened, the first three women arrived at Kingston Penitentiary, just across the road from the future site of the Prison for Women. Susan Turner, Hannah Downes and Hannah Baglen, all serving one to two years for larceny, were housed temporarily in the prison hospital until a separate facility could be found. It was not until 1839 that they were moved to part of the North Wing, then designated as the first prison for women in Canada.
Women inmates rarely came into contact with their male counterparts. While several babies were born inside the walls, the women conceived before they had been admitted to the prison. In some cases, mothers were allowed to keep their babies in their cells, usually only as long as was necessary to wean them, after which the child would be sent to an orphanage or to family members.
Conditions for the women were similar to those for men, or worse. Their quarters were cold, damp and crawling with bugs. Punishment for infractions of rules included floggings and placement in the “box”: a coffin-like container with air holes, in which a woman was forced to stand, hunched over, for hours at a time. Women, like men offenders, could also be chained, submerged in ice water, put in a dark cell or fed only bread and water. And so it went for years. In 1881, Matron Mary Leahy reported for the year that various members of the inmate population of 15 had spent a total of 14 days in solitary confinement on a diet of bread and water.
Although their numbers were comparatively small, women prisoners in Kingston Penitentiary seldom had enough room; as their numbers increased they were moved several times within the prison. In 1858, the Warden reported that eight women were forced to sleep in the corridor due to a lack of cells. In 1867, the Inspector strongly advocated in his annual report that a proper women’s prison be built outside the walls of Kingston Penitentiary.
Photo from the files of Doris Blackburn/ Karen Blackburn Chenier 1930s
Regrettably, no action was taken and conditions for incarcerated women remained poor. Productive activity for the women was often in short supply and limited to typically “female” pursuits: the manufacture of inmate clothing and other needlework activities. In 1872, Matron Leahy reported that the women inmates had made, among other things, 201 aprons, 34 sun bonnets, 406 pillowcases and 1,480 pairs of socks.
In 1889, Inspector James G. Moylan, referring to the women’s area of Kingston Penitentiary, stated as follows: “I have always considered this portion of the penitentiary unfit for the use that is made of it. Apart from its objectionable proximity to the male prison, the cells being underground in a gloomy and dismal compartment is sufficient cause for recommending a change.”
In 1909, a partial remedy was decided upon: a new, separate prison for women would be constructed, but it would still be located within the walls of Kingston Penitentiary. By February 1913, male inmates had completed construction of the Northwest Cell Block and the women inmates moved into their new quarters. There were 32 single-occupancy cells and two double sick-bay cells.
The following year, the Royal Commission on Penitentiaries, having favourably commented on the new building, nonetheless stated “… that the interests of all concerned would be best served if those few inmates were transferred to an institution for women. It may be possible that, as has been suggested elsewhere in this report, in connection with certain other classes, arrangements might be made with the provincial authorities for the custody of all female offenders.”
In 1934, after 99 years, the women were at last moved from Kingston Penitentiary to a separate institution – across the road, behind the Warden’s residence and into the new Prison for Women. It wasn’t any closer to home and it certainly wasn’t what many of them had hoped for. Women in prison in Canada
Body snatching was once notorious and had many particularly atrocious offences. Especially at St. James Cemetery in Carleton Place where a woman’s body was once desecrated from the coffin and later found dumped into the cellar of the Kingston Medical college and re-embalmed. But, years later the burying ground custodians could scarcely recall an instance of the kind within their experience. At its peak grave robbing was a profitable vocation to keep a number of people employed. Aside from other considerations, it later would be next to impossible to get a body out of St.James cemetery without being detected in the act. In the late 1880s the grounds were patrolled through the night, and precaution was taken to prevent depredations of any kind.
A cemetery superintendent said: “The body snatching business ceased to be profitable when we used a pine box to enclose the casket”. Before the introduction to this outer box it was comparatively easy for the grave robber to narrow excavation at the head of grave, lift the wooden lid over the through which the face of the is seen, smash the glass, insert a hook under the chin and jerk the body out of the grave. But after the improvements the grave had to be excavated and the pine box unscrewed before the coffin was accessible. This takes some time, and so increased the chances discovery that few cared to engage in the business. Unlike years before, the only bodies for which a high price was asked were those of persons dying in some mysterious way or some rare disease for which physicians or others interested were often willing to pay to induce the body snatcher to long chances. Of course the body of a person of great wealth was always more or less in danger, but their ire usually made practically impenetrable. While there was little body snatching after the late 1800s work done by the body snatchers of a past generation often comes to light when, through the wishes of relatives or otherwise, it becomes necessary to transfer a corpse to another spot. Many an empty was found from years past, and the cemetery men had to conceal from the relatives the absence of the remains their resting place. The custodian would seek to convince the friends of the long departed one that it was better that they should not look at the corpse, that it was decayed recognition, and that the sight of would be unpleasant to them. If he succeeded, as he usually persuading them to forego the of another last look, he manages enough sand and earth into the coffin to give it the proper weight and eludes suspicion. In other cases the head of the coffin is found to have smashed in and there are marks of ghastly body hook under the chin, the remains are intact, showing the robbers were interrupted at their work or found that they had the wrong corpse. But, the value of a corpse depreciated as the years went by. The physicians and schools got all the bodies they wanted at the hospitals.
Photo: Assistant Physician’s Office, Brockville Asylum for the Insane, [ca. 1903
Perth Courier, March 14, 1890
The Smith’s Falls News says: One of our citizens, Arthur Couch, is suffering from that form of insanity known as melancholia. Six or seven weeks back the symptoms first began to show themselves but no further notice was taken at the time than would be taken of a man who might become somewhat odd or preoccupied. A couple of weeks ago however, the disease took a more dangerous turn and on Saturday the 1st inst., he made an attempt on his life which would have been successful but for the providential interference of a friend.
An effort has been made to place the unfortunate man in the asylum at Kingston but that institution was over crowded and he could not be admitted. He is at present at home where he is carefully watched although he is quiet in demeanour. He appears to take no interest in anything around him except horses, and knows no one except his most intimate friends to whom he will once in a while talk horses. One of the peculiarities of his madness is that of the two horses which are standing in a stable he believes one to be dead and will not feed it.
Perth Courier, October 27, 1876
Almonte: Insane—One of the workmen employed in Mr. William Wylie’s woolen mill named Thomas Glasgow, became deranged in his mind last week and was taken to the county gaol for safe keeping. The unfortunate man has always been a quiet, industrious, and temperate man but a short time ago he lost his wife, which misfortune is supposed to have caused his present insanity.
Perth Courier, November 10, 1876
Insane—A few weeks ago a young man named Patrick Bowes, son of Mrs. Bowes of Almonte, showed signs of insanity which last week culminated in an undeniable attack of that dreadful complaint. He was committed to the gaol at Perth on Monday last on information laid down by his uncle, Mr. John O’Neil of Bathurst, there to await the action of the asylum authorities. He is about 17 years of age and in his affliction both he and his widowed mother have the entire sympathy of the people of Almonte.
Donated to the Lanark & District Museum by Dr. Harold Cumming, Kingston August 2002.
This gavel was donated by Dr. Harold Cumming Kingston, Ontario believed to be the Great Great Grandson of the late Granny Cumming of Watson’s Corners. This gavel was given to him by iconic Mr. Frank Moon of Carleton Place who when visiting his daughter in Kingston fell ill with pneumonia and was treated by Mr. Cumming.
By way of returning a kindness Mr.Moon sent him this gavel. A visit by Dr. Cumming to Carleton Place revealed Mr. Moon’s workshop filled with tools which most he had made himself. He would fashion a candlestick from cherry wood until he had it to his satisfaction and then turn it into a replica in brass. He also had a gadget hooked to his dining room table which turned out to be a knitting machine. He would turn a handle and crank out a pair of socks quickly. Upon Mr. Moon’s death a gentleman from Peterborough purchased everything and moved it there where he operates a small business.
Mrs. Cummings, an aged resident of Watson’s Corners who has been ailing for about three years, died on Monday the funeral taking place at 3:00 to Watson’s Corners’ Cemetery. Era.
Margaret Cumming
Birth: unknown, Scotland Death: Jul. 13, 1896 age 82 yrs. Wife of Peter Cumming-Native of Kirkfield Bank, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Family links: Children: Peter Cumming (____ – 1865)* Elizabeth Anderson Cumming Storie (1841 – 1920)* John Cumming (1845 – 1909)* *Calculated relationship Burial: Saint Andrew’s Cemetery Watson’s Corners Lanark County Ontario, Canada
A rather queer occurrence is reported from Odessa, twelve miles from Kingston. In the house of William H. Smith, fifth concession, Ernestown, there is a bed which on Sunday morning commenced to move about in a singular way, throwing off the bed clothes and turning over on the floor.
As soon as the things were replaced the occurrence was repeated and still continued. A bible was placed upon the bed, but after a few upheavals the bed failed to dislodge it, and did not tumble over that time. Mr. Smith slept on the bed Sunday night, being shifted to and fro but not thrown out. When he arose in the morning the bed again wriggled and tumbled over. A correspondent interviewed Mr. Smith and vouches for’ the truth of the occurrence, regarding which no explanation can be given.
Author’s Note– After reading some of the classifieds from the Upper Canada Herald, I would assume it might be the ghosts of wives gone bye..:)
June 13 1834
British Whig
A CHILD FOUND – A child about ten years of age, the son of a Mr. Walker, residing in the 4thconcession of Ernestown, strayed away from his home in the woods surrounding his father’s dwelling was absent 48 hours. Yesterday the whole neighborhood to a man turned out, and forming regular divisions, had the satisfaction of finding him and restoring him to the arms of his parents.
Nov 7 1834
British Whig
NOTICE – Six Pence Reward
RUNAWAY from the subscriber, Sarah Crage, this is to forbid any person or persons harboring or trusting her on my account, as I will not pay any debts of her contracting.
Any person, who will return her, shall have the above reward, but no charges paid
ALEXANDER HUFFMAN
Bath, 3rd Nov 1834
Aug 15 1834
British Whig
NOTICE –
WHEREAS my wife, Polly Harrison, having left me without any just cause, this is to forbid any person or persons harbouring or trusting her on my account, as I shall pay no debts of her contracting.
R. HARRISON
Wilton, Aug 11 1834
Mar 19 1835
British Whig
Notice –
WHEREAS my Wife Jane, having left my bed and board without any just provocation; this is to forbid any person or persons trusting or harbouring her on my account, as I will pay no debts of her contracting after this date
JAMES McAULEY
Ernestown March 8th 1835
May 6 1829
Upper Canada Herald
The undersigned, having obtained his Licence to keep a House of Entertainment in the Village of Bath, through his friends, to whom he feels grateful, for their recommendation; he pledges himself to give general satisfaction and will faithfully demean himself as an Innkeeper.
Jacob VanCleak
Bath, May 1st, 1828
All persons are hereby forbid trusting Abigail, my wife, on my account, as she has been delirious for several years past, and has certainly forsaken my bed and board, as I am determined not to pay any debts of her contracting after this date
DAVID PURDY Ernest Town July 19 1819 Upper Canada Herald
Ernestown railroad station was built for the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada. Its cornerstone was laid in 1855
Ernestown station sits on the north side of two sets of still-active tracks, just west of Lennox and Addington County Road #4, near a little sideroad called Link Road.
It has been suggested that political factors were the reason the Ernestown station was preferred over more populated areas like Bath to the east. Unlike Bath, there was no real community in Ernestown.
After the station was built, a community developed. At the same time, Bath, without a station, declined. Today, with the station abandoned, there are only residences left near the station and no real community.
It was always believed that some sort of miracle would would take place in the life of an orphan and they would be adopted. Orphans were normally taken in by their immediate relatives, neighbours or couples without children. Laws related to adoption did not prevail in the Victorian era and so most of the instances of adoption were informal. Adoption of a child of the lower class by people of higher class, however, did not permit the child to maintain relations with the higher class and Canada had strict laws. If you suddenly found yourself without family you were put in jail until the courts could deem your story. Canada was worried about the country becoming a dumping ground for child immigrants. Your morals were assessed to see if you could become responsible citizens.
Some of the orphans considered themselves lucky to get placed in educational institutions. The philanthropists of the Victorian era considered it a social responsibility to donate money to schools which were formed to educate the orphans and provide boarding facilities. Food, clothing, shelter and education were given to orphans until they turn seventeen. Once they attained the age of seventeen the orphans were expected to work and earn on their own.
Most of these education centres were not funded properly and Orphans were educated for the purpose of performing lower-middle class occupation such as that of a governess. To make matters worse the nutrition standards were not up to the standards and corporeal punishment excessively. In such poor conditions, diseases spread rapidly in the crowded centres.
As abandonment of children was quite often during the Victorian era a residential institution to take care of the orphans became the need of the hour. Thus orphanages were set up in different parts of United Kingdom as Group home, children home, rehabilitation centre and youth treatment centre.
The establishment of orphanages played a major role in reducing the infant mortality rates. The orphanages offered community-based living and learning to children. Though orphanages acted as a better option when compared to adoption and foster care, in some of the unregulated orphanages, children were subject to abuse and neglect. But there were still some orphans searching for a ray of light in the darkness, living in the streets doing menial work and begging for money for their living.
Gilbert and Bertha Cardwell were pardoned by the Dominion of Canada and who knows what desperate place they were sent. Attempts to find them on genealogy pages, insane asylum lists etc. were fruitless. All that is know is they went to an orphanage in Kingston and the were probably sent to the Sunnyside Children’s Centre in Kingston. From mid-century until 1893, children’s homes like the Kingston Orphans’ Home were the primary providers of care and protection to destitute and neglected children in Ontario. About one-third of the children admitted were returned to family, but more than half were placed in private homes when discharged. Establishing good placement procedures was therefore a priority and a primary motivation for the founding of the Home. One hundred thirty-five children placed by the Home from 1857 to 1876 are tracked in order to assess these placement practices and the Home’s effectiveness as a child protection agency.
Sunnyside Children’s Centre Kingston 1857-1998 History The Orphans’ Home and Widows’ Friend Society was organized in 1857 to provide for the care and education of orphans. Initially these children came from the House of Industry, an institution established by the Female Benevolent Society for the poor of the area. By 1857 the House of Industry was well established and receiving aid so the women who had been involved in organizing that agency now turned their attention to the children. In March, 1857, thirteen children were admitted from the House of Industry into a house on Earl street where they were cared for and taught by a Mrs. Harold. Other destitute children attended the classes. In 1862 the Orphans’ Home and Widows’ Friend Society was granted a charter. In 1862 the Orphanage and school moved to larger quarters. In 1927 the building housing the Orphanage was bought by Queen’s University and Sunnyside, the home of Mrs. G.Y. Chown, was bought for use as an orphanage. As conditions changed and orphan children were adopted or placed in foster homes the orphanage had fewer and fewer inmates. By 1947 the role of Sunnyside had changed. Since that time it has been a centre for the treatment of emotionally disturbed children
lindaseccaspina 