In this episode, Brian sits down with Historian and Author Sara Underwood to discuss a side of Prince Edward Island history that stands in stark contrast to its famous fictional orphan, Anne of Green Gables. Sara's book, "Awful Kind: The Story of the Middlemore Children and Prince Edward Island," shines a light on the real, and often tragic, stories of British Home Children. You’ll hear how a conversation with a descendant sparked a deep dive into the archives, leading to the remarkable discovery of thousands of individual case files for children sent from the Middlemore Homes to the Maritimes.

Sara reveals the shocking truths she uncovered from the records. These children weren't brought over for adoption; they were primarily a source of cheap labor to fill a shortage of domestic servants and farmhands. Hear the heart-wrenching stories of their lives: children as young as seven expected to do the work of a man , the profound sadness and stigma that followed many for life , and the desperate ways they tried to reconnect with family back in England. For anyone who believes they may have a Home Child ancestor, Sara shares the crucial first steps to begin your own search.

About Brian Nash

As a genealogist, Brian focuses on the people, places, and events that make up people's family stories.

Brian is a genealogist who started working on his own family tree over 30 years ago and has been able to trace one family line back to as early as 950 AD.

Brian traces his own family from Scotland and Ireland to the New World where they wound up in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in the 18th and 19th centuries. In some cases, they fled their homelands due to the Highland Clearances in Scotland or the Potato Blight in Ireland. They took their Expertise as Coal Miners from Scotland to Cape Breton or their Mercantile and Manufacturing Skills from Ireland to the streets of Halifax

Brian has been a member of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia, the Scottish Genealogical Society, and the Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society.

Brian currently resides in Prince Edward Island, Canada, with his family.

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