Stratford in Perth County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Home Children
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Les petits immigrés anglais
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
1. Home Children/ Les petits immigrés anglais Marker
Between 1869 and 1939, about 100,000 child immigrants, casualties of unemployment and poverty in Britain, were uprooted from their homes and families. With hopes of giving them new lives in Canada, British agencies sent children to receiving homes like this one. From there, a few of the younger children were adopted into Canadian families, but most were apprenticed as agricultural labourers or domestic servants. Often deprived of education and the comforts of family life, Home Children suffered loneliness and prejudice. Their experience reveals a poignant Chapter in Canadian immigration history.
Les petits immigrés anglais
Entre 1869 et 1939, le chômage et la pauvreté en Grande-Bretagne arrachèrent environ 100 000 enfants a leur foyer. Dans l'espoir de leur procurer une vie meilleure, des agences britanniques les envoyèrent au Canada dans des hospices comme celui-ci Par la suite, quelques-uns des plus jeunes furent adoptés, mais la plupart devinrent des ouvriers agricoles ou des domestiques. Souvent privés d'éducation et du bonheur de la vie familiale, ces petits immigrés sabirent les préjugés et connurent la solitude. Leur experience demetre un témoignage poignant dans I'histoire de l’immigration au Canada.
Erected 1999
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Immigration. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 43° 22.362′ N, 80° 59.527′ W. Marker is in Stratford, Ontario, in Perth County. It is on Avon Street 0.1 kilometers east of John Street North, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 57 Avon Street, Stratford ON N5A 5N5, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Dutch Memorial Garden (approx.
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
2. Home Children/ Les petits immigrés anglais Marker
Also see . . . Who are the British Home Children? (britishhomechildren.com). <blockquote>The child migration scheme was born during the Industrial Revolution. Traditional extended families were broken up and many moved to urban areas to find work and a better life. And so, if anything happened to one of the parents, there was no immediate family nearby to take them in. Abandoned British children lived and died in the streets and workhouses were overcrowded. Emigration was seen as a brilliant solution. The children would be sent to Canadian farms under contract. The terms would require that children be housed, fed, clothed, and
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
3. Home Children/ Les petits immigrés anglais Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 76 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 23, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
