'Welcome Home'

After the last few blogs about the importance of documents for establishing identity I thought we would look at some more of our fabulous emigration collection and the individuals they represented.

Passengers on the boat to Canada

From the many letters that remain in the archive from children who were emigrated, it is apparent that they were asked to correspond at certain times of the year. Many children, for example, have written back to the Refuge to describe the journey across the seas and their first few months in Canada.

Letter back to the Refuge

As well as giving information on the individual, the letters also provide an insight into the emigration process and the journey undertaken by thousands of children. From the corrections highlighted in this letter it is also apparent that the letter writing itself was overseen by an interested party. Christmas also seemed a popular time for letters to be sent back to the Refuge after motto cards were received from the charity. 

Happy reading.