In creating this webpage, I am hoping to find descendants of both Tom and Nellie's missing siblings, his were Bridget Hayden ( who remained in England while her older brothers and sister were sent to Canada ), as well as his older half siblings Mary, Catherine, William and John, from his fathers previous marriage; hers was her only surviving brother, Joseph Christopher Frost.
Thomas Joseph Hayden was born on March 31, 1872, at 6 Court Comus St. Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His parents were Francis Hayden and Ellen Quirk.
Francis Hayden was presumably born in Ireland about 1838, his father was named William Hayden and was listed as a gentleman on both of Francis' marriage registrations. Francis had been first married to Mary Riley on July 20, 1856 at St. Nicholas Pro Cathedral and together they had four children, Mary, Catherine, William and John, between 1857 and 1868. Mary Riley Hayden died between 1868 and 1871. Francis Hayden was a journeyman tailor by trade.
Ellen Quirk, born about 1853, also presumably in Ireland, was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Quirk. Thomas was born about 1835 in Ireland and was the son of John and Mary Quirk, both of Cashel, Tipperary, Ireland. As well as Thomas, John and Mary also had sons Patrick and John.
Francis and Ellen Hayden were married on May 23, 1871, at St. Nicholas Pro Cathedral. Witnesses were William Quinlan and Mary Courtney.
Thomas Hayden was followed by siblings Francis Joseph, Margaret May and Bridget Hayden. It is unknown what happened to Thomas Hayden's older half siblings, one of them, Mary, may have married a Quirk related to her stepmother, Ellen Quirk Hayden.
Francis Hayden died on Christmas Eve 1882, of a fractured skull. Shortly before his death, his wife Ellen also suffered the loss of her mother Margaret Quirk, due to bronchitis. Her father Thomas Quirk died in 1891 of cancer of the tongue.
It is not known when Ellen Quirk placed her three oldest children into foster care, but Thomas, Francis and Margaret Hayden all sailed from Liverpool on May 10, until May 21, 1883, on the S.S. Peruvian, with Mrs. Margaret Lacy of the Catholic Protection Society as their guardian. From their arrival in Quebec,Canada, they then went on to Hotel Dieu orphanage in Kingston, Ontario.
Thomas was in the orphanage one day, then going to live with a Mrs. Moran, of Pittsburgh Township. He was then found on the 1891 census as living with Patrick and Anne Donovan of the Township of Front of Leeds and Lansdowne.
His brother Francis stayed in the orphanage nineteen days, then going to live with a Mrs. O'Leary of Hastings Township. From there, Francis wound up in Toronto, Ontario and married Charlotte Hanney. They had seven children, John, Edward, Francis, Lawrence, Mary, Philip and Robert. Charlotte died in childbirth along with their youngest child. Francis Joseph Hayden died in his eighties. As of 2003, there are still two surviving children of Francis and Charlotte Hayden.
Thomas' sister Margaret stayed the longest at Hotel Dieu orphanage, being there for sixty days. She was then placed with a Mrs. Bernard McCauley of Tyendinaga Township, but then somehow wound up moving to Michigan, USA. From there, she married Edward Gus Clark and they had four children, Tillie, Edward Jr., Lillian and Byron. The oldest died as a child, the surviving three grew to adulthood and remained in the state of Michigan until their deaths. Margaret May Hayden died tragically of drowning at the age of 38. Edward Gus Clark died in his sixties.
Bridget Hayden remained in Liverpool and was found on the British Census of 1891 with William and Bridget Dunn at 27 Blake St., Liverpool. Bridget Dunn may have been Bridget Hayden's paternal aunt. Nothing more is known about Bridget Hayden.
Ellen Jane Frost was born August 6, 1877 in Marylebone, Middlesex, England. She was the youngest daughter and middle child of Charles and Sarah Frost. Charles Frost was a painter, born about 1842 in Marylebone. Sarah was listed in the 1881 British Census as head of household as a hostler and was born about 1847, also in Marylebone. They had two older children Joseph Christopher, Ada Frances and two younger children, Edward and George. Sarah Frost died in Marylebone in 1883, at some point, younger siblings Edward and George also died, after 1881.
Charles, Joseph, Ada and Ellen Frost all spent the winter of 1883/84 in the workhouse in Marylebone, as Charles could not work as a painter because of rheumatism in his wrists. At some point Ada and Ellen were placed in Annie Macphersons home for children. Ada came to Canada in 1884 with Charlotte Alexander and went from Marchmont Home in Belleville, Ontario, to Mr. and Mrs. Stouffer, of Stouffville, Ontario. From there, because of Mrs. Stouffers poor health, Ada then went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Wm Coyne of St. Thomas, Ontario. Ada died of diptheria on March 31, 1888. She was buried in the Coyne family plot with no grave marker.
Ellen came to Canada with Ellen Bilborough of Marchmont Home on the S.S. Circassian from Liverpool on June 18, 1885. They landed in Quebec and went to Marchmont Home in Belleville from there. Ellen had a few different placements, not because she was a difficult child, but due to circumstances in the homes where she was placed. Nellie first lived with a Mr. Manhard, who wrote he was please with her, but then wrote and said he had to return her. She then lived with an Elisha Wiltse of Lyndhurst, Ontario and from there, eventually went to live with Thomas and Mary Wallace of Sand Bay ( Lansdowne ), Ontario, where she remained until her marriage to Thomas Hayden.
Joseph Christopher Frost remained in England, where he wrote a letter to Charlotte Alexander in 1886 or 1887, from 95 North St., Edgware Rd., London, England. He inquires of his sister's health and askes if she would please send him their addresses. He says he and his father are well and mentions a Mr. Amar, Mrs. Franklin and the "Home Boys", and they will be having a feast on Easter Monday. Nothing more is known of Joseph Frost.
On December 28, 1898, Thomas Joseph Hayden and Ellen Jane Frost were married at the home of his friend Richard Williams, in Lansdowne, Ontario. Reverend John Fairlie performed the ceremony.
Tom and Nellie had seven children between 1900 and 1920; Francis, Margaret, Mary, Edward, Joseph, William and Catherine. Catherine was my grandmother.
Tom and Nellie moved from farm to farm working as hands for board. In the late 1920's, Tom and Nellie bought their first and only real home, and with the property, a small business, a gas station. Nellie ran the store while Tom continued to work on farms. Tom Hayden enjoyed playing the fiddle and played at many barn dances, Nellie enjoyed her family, raising cats and gardening.
Tom died on November 24, 1956, ironically at Hotel Dieu Hospital, where his life in Canada started.
Nellie died May 9, 1960, in Brockville, Ontario.
In the summer of 2000, I started surfing around on the Internet, trying to find out any information I could in regards to their past. My biggest break came with the National Archives of Canada website, from there I found Tom, Nellie, Francis and Margaret Hayden's records. I also spent a great deal of time looking up registration records at the Latter Day Saints Family History centre, where I found the maiden name of my great grandfather's mother, Ellen Quirk, on his marriage registration. This was when I first learned of family name "Quirk". Since then, I have found Quirk relatives in England and we continue to keep in touch. I have also found long lost relatives, descendants of Tom Hayden's siblings Francis and Margaret, in the Toronto, Ontario; Detroit, Michigan and Chesaning, Michigan areas.
I hope someday to find descendants of Bridget, Mary, Catherine, William and John Hayden as well as Joseph Christopher Frost.
This site is dedicated to the memory of my great grandparents, Tom and Nellie, their siblings and their ancestors before them, and to family I have yet to find.
This site is also dedicated to my family, both old and new, thanks for your love and support on this never ending project!
And finally, this site is dedicated to the many Home Children who came to Canada between 1869 and 1930. Especially to the children who died in Canada, far from home and family, many in unmarked graves, my great great Aunt Ada Frances Frost was one of them, may they all Rest in Peace.