This page should be called
'Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN'
as the story that is about to be told to you is 'his' and comes from his daughter 'Nadine' in Canada.
The story is very up to date and still ongoing, the British 1901 census has been available today (28th August 2002)
on-line and vital pieces of the family of Thomas M. C. Joslin have at last come to light after a closure of 100 years,
although he was born too late for the 1901 census, it did show, for the first time,
his family along with their ages, occupations, address, relationship and most importantly their places of birth.

Head of the household was John Joseph JOSLIN who was born at 66, Crescent Street Kensington London
on the 13th of June 1865 he was the son of John JOSLIN a police constable from Essex
and Eliza Barbara Crewe EDBROOKE of Paddington London,
John Joseph was the eldest of ten children and travelled to America where he met and married
May (Mary) CHESTERTON in Bordentown New Jersey 1889.
Copy of 1901 Census


John and May started their family in Philadelphia with the birth of Albert JOSLIN 1890,
then Elizabeth JOSLIN 1892, then Florence JOSLIN in 1893,
by 1896 John and May along with Albert, Elizabeth and Florence have settled in Brentford,
Middlesex England and Minnie Emily Crewe JOSLIN is born on the 12th December 1896,
It is thought that a child was born in late 1898 but did not survive,
John Joseph Crewe JOSLIN
was born 13th March 1901 at Queen Charlottes Hospital Marylebone Road Paddington,
and is recorded along with his parents and siblings in the English 1901 census
that was enumerated on the 31st March that year.
Our sixth child of this family is;
Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN
who was born 2nd of December 1903 at Queen Charlottes Hospital Marylebone Road, London.
The tragedy for the family is that when Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN was less than two year old his father
John Joseph died after sustaining an injury in his works tug-o-war team on their sports day.
This now sets in motion, a sad story that is still to end one day,
The family of six young children and May pregnant with her seventh child are in rented accommodation in Paddington
(no social security in 1905) Albert now aged 13 years has a job that paid him just enough to pay the rent for
76, Clarendon Street Paddington, that is, until he has an appendicitis and has to be admitted to hospital,
this is the death nail for the family and we now find them all admitted to the local workhouse in 1906.

After some time,
May, and the American born children, who are older and US citizens, are able to return to America,
but Minnie E. C. JOSLIN, John J. C. JOSLIN and Thomas M. C. JOSLIN
are placed in the care of Dr. Barnardo's home in London
in July 1906, They are sent, separately to the USA and Canada as a scheme for child labour was in force at the time.
It is now only possible to relate the story of Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN,
alas Minnie and John's story have not yet been told as they have not yet been traced further than 1911 in Ontario.

Briefly Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN was sent to work as child labour on a farm,
 ill-treated and made to believe he had been a bad boy and that he had no parents or siblings,
Thomas was to die in Canada in 1975 still in the belief that he had no brothers or sisters and unaware of an ancestry
back in Essex, England. Thomas, who was a successful livestock agent in Toronto, Canada
married Althea S. A. Williams in 1928 and had a daughter Nadine who corresponded with Dr. Barnardo's and myself
to finally get positive news of her fathers ancestry.
Should you be able to cast any light on the siblings of
Thomas Merchant Crewe JOSLIN
we would be very pleased to add the respect back to this tragic and unlucky London family.

    
The photographs above are of Minnie, John and Thomas on their admission to Dr. Barnardo's in July 1906,
Nadine is very grateful for the help she had received from Barnardo's in London
and it would have made her father so happy to have known of his true roots.
I have been able to help so many Joslin's with their family history in the past,
but I must admit to a tear in my eye when I look at the photographs above,
I think of the hard times in the past and realise the need for workhouses and homes like Dr. Barnardo's.
they were not perfect but a Godsend for the needy at that time.

Latest News on the search was found on www.archives.ca
It's the national archives site of Canada:

In January 2006 the Canadian Census for 1911 was made available on the website  www.Ancestry.com
We can now find the following details of John & Minnie JOSLIN in Ontario, they were probably unaware of each others existence!

Home children

Between 1869 and the early 1930s, over 100,000 children were sent to Canada from Great Britain
during the child emigration movement. Pauper children were thought to have a better chance for a healthy,
moral life in rural Canada, where families welcomed them as a source of cheap farm labour and domestic help.

When the topic of child immigrants to Canada is raised many people first think of Barnardo's.
Some may also know about Annie Macpherson, Maria Rye, Fegan Homes,
Dr. Stephenson and the National Children's Home or even some of the Roman Catholic organizations.
The database at the National Archives of Canada for the children is now online. The database is not complete as yet.
Our friends in the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa are still working on it.
NAC says that most of the early years are there. If you do not find the name you are looking for you should try
again in a month or so. Another database of interest at the NAC is for immigration from 1925-1935.

                        This photograph shows a batch of 'Home Girls' departing for Canada                          
(photo from Canadian Archives)

Please have a look at Barnardo's web site www.barnardos.org.uk

Thomas John Barnardo
was born in Dublin in 1845 and died in 1905

A boarding out scheme extended to send children to Canada in 1882.
The reasons for settling children overseas were practical and idealistic.
It was a cheaper to place a child in Canada than to care for a child in a home in Britain
and it was believed that it would give children a fresh start away from the overcrowded slums.
By the time Thomas Barnardo died in 1905, the charity he founded ran 96 homes caring for more than 8,500 children.
Residential care emphasised children's physical and moral welfare rather than their emotional wellbeing.
Some homes housed hundreds of children and staff sometimes were harsh and distant.
Many adults who grew up in the homes look back with affection and believe the charity was a true family.
Others remember loneliness, bullying and even abuse. (details from Barnardo's web site)

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