Seeking ancestors of Thomas Ballinger

[christanel]

There is this but why would 2 children be travelling alone? Could J D be James David and J T be John Thomas? Leavinghome so young and only everliving with grandparents and Uncle may explain the "parents not known' on the marriage certifcate.
UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 about J D Ballenger
J D Ballenger, male, 11 years. born abt 1885
J T Ballenger male 9 years born abt 1887
Departure Date -16 Jun 1896
Port of Departure - Liverpool, England
Destination Port - Halifax, Canada
Ship - Corean
Shipping Line - Allan Line
Master - Wm S Maür

[lazywillie]

Thank you to everyone who have been helping in my quest for ancestors. Surprisingly, I have considered an illegitimate son for Thomas as I have said before on Thomas birth certificate it states Emma Ballinger as the mother with no father on it, now with three boys...I don't know now.
So for sure Benjamin Ballinger and Ann Brazier are the grandparents? I know I have been on Ancestry.com and have seen a couple of trees but wasn't to sure as I still didn't have Thomas' parents yet. I can see Thomas and James being brothers now especially with what Christanel has found. Hopefully Benjamin is a brother as well. Would like to know where he is...sigh.

[christanel]

Although we can not be certain of John Thomas' parentage, we know that his grandparents were Benjamin & Ann, and I have found a transcription for their marriage:

12th November 1845 at Hanbury, Worcester

Benjamin Ballinger, a labourer of Hanbury s. of Thomas Ballinger, a labourer married Ann BRAZIER, servant of Hanbury d. of John BRAZIER, labourer. By banns, witnessed by Thomas Honeybourne, Charlot Weaver
Transcriptions © Andrew Harris

Definitely the grandparents and you now know both Benjamin and Ann's fathers' names and occupations.
And as for having 3 illegitimate children it did happen. My gg grandmother had 4. She was actually married for 1 year but that didn't produce any children!
See Michelle's post #8 re the birth certificate. Buying that from https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ would give you the mother's name at the very least and it is the most likely candidate with all the details fitting what you know. When ordering the cert you have to use the details as they appear on FreeBMD even though the spelling is not as you know it.

Births Sep 1/4 1886
John Thomas Ballenger Kidderminster vol 6c page 227

Christanel

[Wilkes_ml]

There is this but why would 2 children be travelling alone? Could J D be James David and J T be John Thomas? Leavinghome so young and only everliving with grandparents and Uncle may explain the "parents not known' on the marriage certifcate.
UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 about J D Ballenger
J D Ballenger, male, 11 years. born abt 1885
J T Ballenger male 9 years born abt 1887
Departure Date -16 Jun 1896
Port of Departure - Liverpool, England
Destination Port - Halifax, Canada
Ship - Corean
Shipping Line - Allan Line
Master - Wm S Maür

I wonder what happened to their uncle David? maybe he passed away too, but I would have thought one of the other family members would have taken the boys in.

Unfortunately back then, family members either could not or would not be so charitable ( I've come across it in my own family when parents have died) and children get sent to the workhouse.

I'm not sure when the workhouses started sending children to Canada, but there were some famous charities who sent children to Canada and Australia, before the Home children emigration programme started. many of these children were packed off alone and told that they had no parents, when indeed their parents were just poop or single mothers. Unfortunately in the 1890s there's likely to be no records but it may be worth seeing if any poor law records remain for the area you are interested in.


ps. had to laugh at my initial post. I must have been tired thinking OP lived in Australia when it was Christanel lived in Australia and OP lives in Canada!!!!

[Wilkes_ml]

This may be worth a read https://www.bytown.net/homekids.htm

Seems there may be records kept at the National archives at Kew, but you would probably need to get a researcher to look for you, and the records may not give much more information than you already know, except who the boys were being shipped to.

Correction This link takes you to the National Archives of CANADA not Kew lol which has a searchable ONLINE database

too early in the morning for me...I need another coffee!!

[Victoria]

James David Ballanger b.1884 England, age 12, came to Canada in 1896 onboard the ship Dominion. He is on the British Home Children Index compiled by Perry Snow of Calgary. https://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb....hhomechildren/
Can't see his brother, Thomas, but this is by no means a complete list.
Could not find them on Library and Archives Canada. Anyway, looks like they were British Home Children shipped to Canada by Barnardo's or one of the many other homes.

hth,
Victoria

[lazywillie]

I am sittIng hear with a little smirk on my face, as I am looking the copy of John Thomas' birth certificate...it shows Emma Ballinger with her "X" mark, her occupation as a Carpet printer and address of where she gave birth listed as 95 Love Lane?? Is there such a place? Why am I not surprised?

[christanel]

I am sittIng here with a little smirk on my face, as I am looking the copy of John Thomas' birth certificate...it shows Emma Ballinger with her "X" mark, her occupation as a Carpet printer and address of where she gave birth listed as 95 Love Lane?? Is there such a place? Why am I not surprised?

Isn't there a song " What has Love Got To Do With It?"

Michelle = I don't mind you moving me to Canada. Lovely if all plane trips were that painless..

I spent some time looking for Benjamin yesterday without any luck. I realised as I was searching that the only birth record I had found was for a Henry Benjamin in registration district Kidderminster so I started looking under the name Henry but still no luck as yet.

Christanel

[lazywillie]

What love's love got to do alright!! Thanks a million helping me. Much appreciated.

[Wilkes_ml]

There are many possibilities, maybe Emma remarried and kept Henry Benjamin and changed their names, but I can find no evidence to support that theory.

or Emma and/or Henry Benjamin died before the older two boys were shipped to Canada, but again, I can find no evidence to support this theory either!

Whatever happened to the family, it seems very sad. I know a lot of things happened in history that maybe wouldn't happen now, but it still makes me sad to think of a family broken up so drastically, probably just due to the death of the grandmother who was keeping the family together.

I have similar tales in my own family where you would think aunts & uncles would step in and take on the children, I certainly hope my sister would look after my boys, and I would look after my niece if I had to, and we are poor lol So it seems hard to understand why our ancestors didn't do it.