Thomas John Barnardo (1845 - 1905)

Born 4 Jul 1845 in Dublin, Ireland

Husband of Sarah Louise (Elmslie) Barnardo — married 14 Feb 1873 in St. Saviour Southwark, London, England

Descendants

Died 19 Sep 1905 at age 60 in London, England, United Kingdom

Thomas Barnardo is Notable.

Thomas Barnardo born in 1845 in Dublin, son of John Michaelis Barnardo and his second wife Abigail. ^[1]

Thomas married in June 1873 to Sara Louise Elmslie.

Children

William Stuart Elmalie Barnardo

Herbert Barnardo

Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo

Kenward A E Barnardo

Thomas Barnardo

Cyril Gordon Barnardo

Marjorie Elaine Barnardo ^[2]

Thomas died on 19 Sep 1905.

"Barnardo's"

"Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people ... the UK's largest children's charity, in terms of charitable expenditure..." ^[3]

"...lay asleep eleven boys, from nine to fourteen, with no covering of any kind over them except their rags. The sight of these upturned, piteous faces as they slept on the roof in the moonlight haunted Barnardo, and he vowed to dedicate himself to save the arabs of the street and leave the Chinese missions to others ... Young Barnardo himself was at that time comparatively friendless and unknown in London. Nevertheless, he resolved to accomplish his purpose. Now, some weeks after, whilst dining at a great man's house, he spoke of what he had seen, and some of the guests went with him after dinner to see for themselves the lairs where destitute children slept at night. Amongst others, there was one at Billingsgate where, under a pile of old crates, boxes, and empty barrels, seventy-three boys were sheltering for the night. Lord Shaftesbury and other philanthropists were amongst the party." ^[4]

"A very important scheme of great concern and much criticized was that of child migration. Between 1882 and 1939 the agency sent over 30,000 children to Canada. The attitude of the agencies sending children to Canada, Australia and other countries was that they were providing them with a new start as they had no prospects in Britain and their families were seen as failing to provide adequate care for them. Arguments were put forward that Dr Barnardo was the most influential figure in the child migration of the last half of the nineteenth century and he was accused of ‘spiriting’ children away to Canada against the wishes of their parents. This was emphasized by a number of court battles. Several more accusations were directed at Barnardo, many with no justification whatever: that the homes were badly managed; that the boys were cruelly treated; that there was no religious or moral training and that published photographs were falsified and intended to deceive the public. Barnardo was also personally attacked and charged with improperly appropriating funds for his own benefit. At one stage Barnardo decided to go to arbitration under an Order of Court. In October 1877, the Arbitrators vindicated Barnardo stating that there was no evidence to support any of the charges laid against him ..." ^[5]

"1 in 10: Proportion of Canadians estimated to be descended from a British home child ... 75 children whose remains lie buried, unmarked and virtually forgotten in a pair of mass graves at an Etobicoke cemetery. They were drops in the wave of British home children, sent in droves from the U.K. to build a fresh life on Canadian soil. Now a research group has dug up their identities, giving new life to youths all but anonymous in death. The revelation unfolded as part of an effort to reclaim the pasts of more than 115,000 children shipped across the Atlantic as indentured servants between 1869 and 1948. 'This thing at Park Lawn Cemetery was held under wraps for many years,' says Lori Oschefski, who heads the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association.

... Barnardo’s, founded in England 150 years ago by Christian evangelist Thomas Barnardo, took responsibility for tens of thousands of the children contracted out for years at a time to rural families in Canada. Dozens of other receiving homes did the same, but on a smaller scale.

At the time, authorities believed they were solving a problem: destitute children in the overcrowded, disease-riddled cities of Victorian Britain needed a fresh start; Canada’s mostly rural population needed labour ... All too often, the freshly minted farm hands and domestics—many as young as 10—emerged from poverty or orphanhood overseas to find abuse, neglect and isolation waiting on the other side ... One article from 1905 on the death of a 15-year-old Barnado’s child reads: 'The autopsy showed he had been prodded with a pitchfork, was under-nourished and poorly clad and bruised, had severely frostbitten hands and feet, and fractured skull. He lay on a bed of manure in his coffin.' Harrington noted the sense of shame that accompanied the term Home Child. 'they felt a bit like outcasts, and sometimes they were treated that way.'

... Some were well cared for and taken in as members of the family. The children were supposed to go to school, though this often depended on the farmer’s needs and harvest season ... after-sailing notice from Dr. Barnardo’s Homes illustrates how the agency sent kids to Canada without alerting the parents beforehand. Parents lost their rights as guardians once a child was placed into care. “It destroyed these families; it destroyed these people,” says researcher Lori Oschefski..."^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Thomas John Barnardo
2. ↑ "'Memoirs of the Late Dr. Bernardo', by Syrie Louise Elmsie Bernardo and Sir James Marchant; Hodder and Stoughton; London, UK; 1907."
3. ↑ "Wikipedia: 'Barnardo's'"
4. ↑ "Every Woman's Encyclopaedia: Religion - Dr. Barnardo's Homes'"
5. ↑ "IrishMasonicHistory.com: 'Dr. Thomas Barnardo - ‘The Doctor’ and Freemason', by W.Bro. Yasha Beresiner."
6. ↑ "The Star: 'Dozens of ‘British home children’ lie forgotten in Etobicoke cemetery', by Christopher Reynolds; Feb. 27, 2016."

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10820234/thomas-john-barnardo: accessed 30 November 2022), memorial page for Thomas John Barnardo (4 Jul 1845–19 Sep 1905), Find A Grave: Memorial #10820234, citing Tanners Lane, Barkingside, London Borough of Redbridge, Greater London, England; Maintained by Find a Grave.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q1234567, en:Wikipedia
• "Dictionary of National Biography. Second Supplement, Index and Epitome: 'BARNARDO THOMAS JOHN 1845 1905,' Sir Sidney Lee, Ed.; MacMillan, New York, NY, USA; Smith, Elder & Co., London, England, UK; 1913, p. 7."
• "London.NoBorders.org: 'Campaign against Barnardo's involvement in migrant detention.'Dec. 4, 2011."
• Wikipedia: Plymouth Brethren
• "CanadianBritishHomeChildren: British Home Children in Canada - 'John Throgmorton Middlemore and the Children’s Emigration Homes', by Patricia Roberts-Pichette."
• "British Home Children Advocacy and Research: 'Bernardo's'"
• The Genealogical Magazine, Volume 3; Great Britain; London, Paris & New York; 1900, 2nd Ad page following p. 88. (National Waifs Association Ad.)