THE STORY OF BARNARDO BOY, JOHNNY MOON, ONE OF MY HIGHEST READ BLOGS OF THE PAST YEAR
MY GRANDMOTHER WAS SENT TO CANADA AS A BERNARDO CHILD TO WORK AS A DOMESTIC
Suzanne, my long serving, long suffering captain of research, has been tying up loose-ends of heritage stories, for me, from the beginning of our relationship. She thought I was marrying her for the money, but it was actually her research skills that were more important to a fledgling writer, trying to make a name for himself amongst iconic Muskoka historians. I'm only kidding, of course. Love came first. It's not like she wasn't aware of the tangle of history she was getting into, by marrying not only an historian, but one who was also an antique dealer. Not only did I bug her constantly, to help me solve research impasses, but I also filled her apartment with antiques and about a thousand books in the first year of marriage.
If she had her doubts, they were mild enough, and unspoken, to thusly allow me further excesses, and as my mother used to critique me, as a child, "If you give Teddy and inch, he'll take a country mile." I suggested Suzanne could use that reference as a title of the biography she will want to write about me, when I'm finally pushing up daisies. "Why would I want to write your biography?" Oh, that's cold! "I'm going to finally write my own," she quips. "What are you going to call it," I ask. "Living with a Jerk!" "How's that," she asked? "Well, I was sort of thinking that instead of 'Jerk" you might wish to use a more appropriate word, like 'Prince,' or 'genius' which works for me." "Okay," she shot back. "Living with the Prince Who Was Also A Pauper?" "Nice one," I retort, suggesting she will sorely miss me when I'm gone. "What will you do when I'm no longer inviting you on my very excellent adventure?" She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and went back to her sewing, while mumbling something that sounded a lot like, "I can live well and with prosperity, without what you consider a great adventure." Now it's all coming out, you see. She wants equal billing as "Currie and Currie - Heritage Professionals At Your Service." She's earned it that's for sure. I would have a lot of unfinished projects without Suzanne's dogged determination to dot those pesky "i's." She has, in so many ways, saved me from my inherent shortfall of impatience, by catching errors before they hit print, or are published online. Some of the biggest mistakes I have made, in the past, were because I felt there was a shortage of time for a second-edit, and, having the mistaken belief I couldn't possibly have made a misprint in the copy. Suzanne would have caught each one, such that I wouldn't have had to offer apologies to readers, and those families, I was writing the material about.
In the case of Barnardo child, Johnny Moon, Suzanne followed up on a suspicion she had, about our own family chronology. She had long believed my grandmother, Doris (Harding) Currie, had been from Doctor Barnado's famous orphanages, in England, because of talks she had, with my grandmother, whenever she would visit Bracebridge to see my parents. Her son, Edward, my father, never had any serious interest, in finding out too much about his mother's past. He didn't have a great relationship with her, and my mother could barely tolerate her visits. It wasn't unusual to have visits ends badly, with the three of these adults criticizing each other until finally, Doris would go and pack her bag, and my father would drive her to the bus station. In later years, everyone seemed to mellow-out and we had nicer, longer visits without any fireworks. But Suzanne was given a considerable time on these visits, to ask her questions about her childhood growing up in England. She had been from a prominent family, of considerable financial standing, but due to a string of deaths in the family, and no one being left to look after the child, she was sent to a Barnardo home as an orphan. But Doris would never admit to family, that she was a Barnado child; yet would allude to the fact, a catastrophic turn of events, put her in a position of serious jeopardy, at the age of 13, that she could never have expected; the failing security of the family home, her parents dying, and then being forced to live with her grandfather, Mr. Nicholson, until he too passed away. We suppose she felt it was dishonorable, to be lumped-in with street urchins, pulled off city streets, and offspring of poor families, and sent to Canada to work as domestics, and farm hands, on frontier homesteads. She had gone from a privileged life, to considerable disadvantage, in her way of estimating the situation, none of it, the result of her own decisions.
As a result of finding more out about Johnny Moon, Bracebridge's famous Barnardo Boy, who left a journal behind, with accounts of his joys and hardships, in turn of the century Muskoka, Suzanne obtained a contact number for the Barnardo head office, in England, still operating its archives after all these years. She was able to determine, once and for all, with their assistance, that Doris Harding had definitely been a Barnardo child. By this time, unfortunately, Doris had passed away, taking her secret to the grave. I don't know how she would have reacted to Suzanne, asking her further, about the life she had, coming to Canada as an orphan, to work as a domestic for a minister, in a small Ontario town. We have most recently learned, that Doris Harding's name, is on a special Barnardo memorial wall, in the City of Peterborough, which was one of the transitional houses for Barnardo orphans, fanning out to homes and farms in that part of Ontario. We were both amazed by this revelation, which came as a direct result of contact with specializing Barnardo historians in Ontario, regarding the story of Bracebridge's Johnny Moon, which I believe is one of the most fascinating human interest stories I've worked on, in forty years, of chasing down unique aspects of our local heritage. Suzanne has been my equal partner, in this hunt and gather of regional history since 1983, and that has included research of the Mystery of Canadian Artist, Tom Thomson's death, in 1917, allegedly due to misadventure, while traversing Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake; the story of the Icelandic Settlement of Hekkla, in North Muskoka," and the biography of National Hockey League Goaltender, Roger Crozier, of Bracebridge; plus hundreds of related feature stories, Suzanne has helped me research and turn into successfully published histories.
Here now, is the story of Johnny Moon, and his relationship with both Muskoka, and the Town of Bracebridge, which owns his original handwritten journal, found in his half-fallen shanty, up on the shore of the North Branch of the Muskoka River, on the east side, between Wilson's Falls, and the Bass Rock rapids. The content of the journal, offers a clear view of the hardships that were experienced by many of the ill-prepared young Britians, who were sent to the colony, to work for their room and board, in often adverse and physically abusive situations. I wish my mother and father had known about the fact my grandmother had been a Barnardo Child, because, in all likelihood, it would have led to conversation about the past, or at least a more sincere appreciation in this regard, softening their opinion somewhat, about her misunderstood disposition. The story of Johnny Moon is a sad one, in so many ways, yet his determination to survive and succeed, is what one takes away from the journal entries, as they are presented. He didn't ask for pity from anyone. Just a fair deal. He didn't often get this for his efforts, but yet he persevered. He was a kid on a harsh and unforgiving frontier, and it etched on his character through his life.
ONE OF BRACEBRIDGE'S MOST PROMINENT, UNIQUE, AND UNDAUNTED CITIZENS, WHO YOU PROBABLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT; JOHNNY MOON
THE BARNARDO BOY - WANDERER, PHILOSOPHER, STORY-TELLER WHO TOLD IT THE WAY IT WAS!
I HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED BY THE STRANGE STORY OF JOHNNY MOON. IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MEMORABLE FOLK TALES I HEARD, THE SUMMER AFTER MOVING TO BRACEBRIDGE, IN 1966. A MATE OF MINE, FROM BACK THEN, WHILE WE WERE WALKING ALONG RIVER ROAD, ONE HOT AFTERNOON, TOLD ME TO WATCH FOR THE GHOST OF OLD JOHNNY MOON, WHO IT WAS SAID, HAUNTED THE MUSKOKA RIVER VALLEY, WHERE HE USED TO LIVE LONG AGO. ANOTHER CHUM TOLD ME, THAT IT WAS COMMON TO SEE THE GHOST OF JOHNNY MOON, ROWING HIS LEAKY SKOW TOWARD TOWN, TO PICK UP SUPPLIES; A TRAVERSE HE DID HUNDREDS OF TIME IN LIFE. THEY AGREED, THAT IT WAS ON MISTY EVENINGS, ABOVE THE BASS ROCK RAPIDS, THAT JOHNNY REGULARLY MADE HIS APPEARANCE, IN A SPIRITED ATTEMPT, TO SCARE OFF INTERLOPERS, WHO MIGHT BE TRESPASSING ON THE PIECE OF PROPERTY, WHERE HE HAD BUILT A SMALL SHANTY BETWEEN THE TREES. I NEVER DID SEE HIS GHOST. BUT AFTER READING HIS JOURNAL MANY TIMES, AND KNOWING THAT ROAD VERY WELL, FROM YEARS OF HIKING IN THE VICINITY, I HAVE IN A SMALL WAY, COME TO RECOGNIZE HIS PRESENCE, WHEN AT TIMES, I VENTURE TO THE ROCK SHELVES OF THE BASS ROCK NARROWS, TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH; OR JUST TO PAUSE DURING A LENGTHY WALK TO WILSON'S FALLS. BASS ROCK, IS WHERE, WE AS KIDS, USED TO SWIM. I THINK WE ALL FELT THAT SOMEONE WAS WATCHING US BACK THEN, BUT WE HAD NO PROOF. JOHNNY MOON HAD BEEN DEAD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE BY THAT POINT ANYWAY. THOSE WHO KNEW HIM, REALIZED HOW POWERFUL HIS CHARACTER, AND AURA WERE, SUCH THAT ONCE YOU MET HIM, YOU WOULD NEVER FORGET THE OCCASION. HE HAD A PENETRATING GAZE, THAT SEEMED TO REACH INTO YOUR BODY, TO SHAKE HANDS WITH THE IMBEDDED SOUL. HE WAS GENERALLY A LONER, BUT WHEN HE LIKED YOU, HE COULD WEAR OUT HIS WELCOME VERY SOON, BUT ACTS OF OVER INDULGENCE, AND PERSONAL INTRUSION. THERE WERE PEOPLE IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHO VIEWED THE YOUNG MAN AS BEING STRANGE, AND ECCENTRIC; A LAZY LAD, WHO COULDN'T STAY EMPLOYED FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS AT A STRETCH, AND AT TIMES, WAS DISAGREEABLE AND ANNOYING TO EVERYONE IN HIS COMPANY. NO ONE WOULD MISTAKE THAT HE WAS KINDLY, AND APPROACHABLE, BUT HE WAS ALSO INCREDIBLY DETERMINED; AND POSSIBLY, THIS IS WHAT, AS LEGEND, WHY THEY STILL SAY HE STILL HAUNTS THE MISTY EVENINGS, ON THE NORTH MUSKOKA RIVER, BETWEEN BASS ROCK AND WILSON'S FALLS.
THERE HAVE BEEN THREE MAJOR MUSKOKA RELATED DIARIES / JOURNALS, I HAVE STUDIED IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, THAT HAVE EACH, IN THEIR OWN WAY, CHANGED MY OPINION OF PREVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD, FORMALLY DOCUMENTED LOCAL HISTORY. ONE WAS THE DIARY OF GRANNY BOWERS, WHICH I RE-PUBLISHED LAST EVENING ON THIS BLOG, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. THE SECOND WAS, "JUST ONE BLUE BONNET, THE DIARY OF ADA FLORENCE KINTON," PIONEER ARTIST, SALVATION ARMY MISSIONARY, WHO SPENT TIME EXPLORING AND WRITING ABOUT MUSKOKA, PARTICULARLY HUNTSVILLE, DURING THE LATE 1800'S. IN ADA KINTON'S CASE, HER SISTER, SARA RANDELSON, FOUND THE JOURNAL, AFTER THE ARTIST'S DEATH, AND BECAUSE IT WAS SO INTERESTING, AND IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY TO THE SALVATION ARMY, SHE HAD IT PUBLISHED EARLY IN THE 1900'S. I'M SO GLAD SHE DID. I DONATED A COPY OF THE HARDCOVER FIRST EDITION TO THE MUSKOKA COLLECTION, OF GRAVENHURST PUBLIC LIBRARY. THIS BRINGS ME TO THE DIARY OF BARNARDO BOY, JOHNNY MOON, BORN IN ENGLAND, IN THE YEAR 1882, WHO WAS LATER SENT TO CANADA, FROM A BARNARDO ORPHANAGE, IN ENGLAND, TO WORK AS A LABOURER, ON A FARM, IN THE BRACEBRIDGE AREA. THE PARTIAL DIARY WAS RESCUED FROM THE RUINS OF JOHNNY'S FORMER CABIN, ON RIVER ROAD IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHEN THE PROPERTY HE USED TO LIVE ON, WAS BEING CLEARED. THE DOCUMENT WAS ACQUIRED BY THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, FOR SAFE-KEEPING IN THEIR MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES. THIS MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST REVEALING JOURNALS IN TOWN HISTORY, BECAUSE IT DOES TELL THE STORY OF HARDSHIP, AND HARSH TREATMENT, AT THE HANDS OF HIS OVERSEERS, AND EMPLOYERS, OVER HIS YEARS IN MUSKOKA. IT IS NOT WHAT WE FIND IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH. THIS IS THE KIND OF STORY THAT INFILLS THE COLORS, ONTO THE BLACK AND WHITE CHRONOLOGY, AS I HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT, FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED INSIGHT, TO HOW THE CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY ACTED BACK THEN, AND THE EARLY DECADES OF THE 1900'S. IT IS A SAD STORY IN MANY WAYS, BUT FEELING VERY CLOSE TO JOHNNY MOON, BECAUSE I'VE READ THIS PORTION OF HIS BIOGRAPHY, AT LEAST FIFTY TIMES, THAT LIKE ADA KINTON, AND GRANNY BOWERS, I LIKE TO THINK, HE WOULD FEEL PLEASED, HIS OBSERVATIONS WERE HAVING A RELEVANCE IN THIS NEW CENTURY. ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T INTEND TO HAVE IT PUBLISHED, AS IT WAS MORE OF AN OUTLET, FOR HIS PAST FRUSTRATION, MEMORIES OF PROFOUND LONELINESS, AND FEARS, THAN TO ACTUALLY WRITE FOR EVENTUAL PUBLICATION. LIKE GRANNY BOWERS AND ADA KINTON, JOHNNY MOON'S JOURNAL IS HONEST AND HEART-FELT, MAKING IT SO MUCH MORE ILLUMINATING, AS TO WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN HIS ERA, TO BE STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL IN A YOUNG TOWN TRYING TO FIND ITS ECONOMIC BALANCE. WE CAN LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THE YOUNG MAN, THROUGH THE PAGES OF HIS JOURNAL. AS THE DOCUMENT BELONGS TO THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, AND NOT THIS WRITER, I WILL USE A SMALL AMOUNT OF HIS ACTUAL QUOTATIONS, AND OVERVIEW, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, SO AS TO NOT LOSE THE FEELING OF THE PRECIOUS NOTES OF JOHNNY MOON.
BORN IN 1882 TO LOVING PARENTS
There is every reason to believe, the infant child of the Moon family, of Bethnal Green, London, England, born on August 31st, 1882, was joyfully welcomed, when he uttered those first gurgling sounds of a newborn. The crying that could be heard, coming from the Moon family's residence, on Robinson Road, was the vigor of the young fellow expressing himself, something he would become highly skilled at, in writing, and in articulation every-after. His stay in Bethnal Green, lasted for only a short while, when his family, moved to Peckam, and the reason given, was that his parents did not want to have their young son vaccinated, for personal reasons that are not specified in the journal. It must have been a situation that followed them around, because they then moved once more, to Old Ford, the the district known as Tiny Hamlets.
The young Mr. Moon began school at around seven years of age, and he remembered his mother taking him, and another neighborhood lad, he names as "Albert Hobart," his neighborhood chum, on the walk to the school both were to attend. Albert wasn't placed in the same class as Johnny Moon, as the young diarist had enjoyed the benefit of home instruction from his mother. Thus he was advanced in the school system, based on this advantage given to him by his mother, who by admission, he was exceptionally fond.
He remembers there being an unsettling thunderstorm, on that first day, and his mother came to the school after the heavy rain subsided, to take him and Albert back home. She was doting of her boy, and shocked the day her son was carried home, in a state of unconsciousness, after a school yard injury. He wasn't sure how the accident occurred, other than he hit his head when he fell off a piece of outdoor gymnasium equipment, and still unconscious, was lifted-up by a number of older students, and undoubtedly with the teacher's knowledge, carried back home for his mother to make the decision, as to whether to take him to the hospital or not.
The doctor, tending the small-framed, delicate, Moon child, who came out of the incident without permanent injury, suggested that the boy would be better looked-after, in a school that was private; one having less physical demands for him to cope with. The suggestion being, that as he was not athletic, and considering it could not yet be determined, if there was going to be a lasting brain injury, of undetermined severity, the slower pace of a private school would be best suited, the recovering youngster. So he was enrolled in a private school, on Cadogan Terrace, across from the landmark of Victoria Park.
His father, James Moon, was originally from the village of Tavistock, which was a border community between Devon and Cornwall. His mother was born, Mary Jane Bolham, the daughter of John Bolham, an Irishman from Dublin, who had come to England, settling in the district of Northumberland, and this is where he would eventually come, to marry a woman of Scottish ancestry; Johnny's grandmother.
Johnny Moon's mother, was a sister to two brothers, Albert and David, and three sisters, being Anne, Elizabeth and Ruth. Her father, John Bolham, was a tailor by profession, and what was called a "home missionary,' when time afforded. He notes though, that his mother, was his father's second bride, which meant that the youngster had two step brothers, Frederic and William, and two step-sisters, Anne and Elizabeth. He pays special attention to the fact, his step brother William, ran away from home at the age of fourteen, to pursue a life on the high sea, where it was said he was employed, for some time, on schooners (windjammers) as a ship's cook.
The Moon family moved again, to Ripporth Road, for several years, up to 1890 or early 1891, and once again, re-locating to 18 Bristol Road, in East Ham.
The elder Mr. Moon was a professional in the print industry, as it existed during this period in England, working for the firm of Waterlow and Laytons Printers and Lithographers, situated at "Broken Wharf, Upper Thames Street, London. The company bonus, you might say, was that employees were given vacation outings, if they so desired, once each year, to what Johnny Moon suggested was a "seaside resort," on the west coast of England. The youngster recalled several of these fascinating excursions, to both Bournemouth and Brighton, including on one of the trips, a side-venture to the village of Swanage, accessed by a small coastal region steamship. This was something special to the astute young Johnny Moon, who adored the idea of travelling and having outdoor adventures, like the ones he read in his story-books. He could understand why his step-brother William, had wanted to escape the city, by signing aboard a sailing ship as a crewman.
Johnny also keenly reminisced about a family trip to Epping, via Chingford, and travelling through the forest where he caught a glimpse of former Queen Elizabeth's (then Queen Victoria's) hunting lodge. It involved a period of enjoyable hiking along the Epping Forest's trails, and rail travel with his mother and father. His most memorable visit, was to see the famous "Crystal Palace," near the community of Sydenham, the beauty of its architecture, even at fifty two years of age (when he wrote the journal), was still clear in his memory.
His mother had been prone to illness, throughout her adult life, and when the family was living in East Ham, she became seriously ill, such that she was removed entirely from the Moon household, which may have been considered too damp and cold, and sent to live in Chatham (England), at a home owned by her brother, David, in Kent, in order to have the peace and quiet she needed, in order to recover. Johnny's step-sister, who he called "Bess" took him to visit his mother, circa the summer of 1892, and the young man recalls the enjoyment of going blackberry picking, with his cousins. He recalls that it was most likely in the month of August when they visited Kent, to see his mother, who it was said on some authority, was on the mend. Most of all, he enjoyed the steam train ride back home to London, following the short stay. Unfortunately for the family, Mrs. Moon, having returned back to her home in London, had never regained all of her strength, and a year later, in 1893, suffered a second bout of her illness, and this time, passed away as a direct result. With great sadness, Johnny Moon watched as his kindly mother, who had looked after him so well and thoughtfully, for the early years of his life, was buried in Manor Park Cemetery, amidst floral tributes to her life's work. One can imagine the little fellow, tears running down his rosy cheeks, hanging on to his father's hand, as the minister concluded the ceremony, being ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But he claimed later, that he had dreamt about this scene sometime before.
One of his greatest characteristics, is that he made friends easily, no matter where they lived, or where he went to school, something he was known for even in his Muskoka years. He was a particularly affectionate child, something characteristic, presumably given to him by his mother, who was well liked, as was his charitable father, the printer. There were times, especially in Muskoka, that he became obsessive about friendships, as it turned out, with children many years younger than himself, and this did not please some of the parents, wondering about his intentions. As it would turn out, as the journal entries mature, that Johnny was not adverse, to intervening between his younger mates, and their parents, and in one case, contacting a doctor directly, because he felt a serious affliction, hurting the child, was being ignored. He went so far as paying the doctor to treat the ailing youngster. It was just his nature, and something that developed very early in his life, when for example, he refers in the journal, to Albert Hobart, and Ernest Harcourt, as being his close friends when they lived in Old Ford. He referred to Harold Cook, for example, as not only a "special friend," but a boy he loved the first. His other close chum was James Burt. Keeping it in perspective, however, and with some respect to modern times, there is nothing to suggest any of his affections toward male friends, was perverse in nature, but in later references, if one reads between the lines, it's likely some of the parents who wanted him to stay away from their sons, may have suspected there was more to the friendship, than what was being confessed by Johnny Moon. It was just his nature, and it went all the way back to childhood, but these concerned parents had mo way of appreciating this, as they didn't want to talk to the young man, let alone give him the benefit of the doubt.
Johnny Moon loved to talk about his gad-abouts, in his region of England, with trips to Illford, Barking, Leytonstone, and other locations, in and around the famous woodlands of Epping Forest. He remembered vividly the "little River Roding" and other of the scenes he had studied in passing, that were still vivid memories forty or more years later, when he penned his journal.
Johnny Moon's mother passed away, when her child was only eleven years of age, and he remembers moving from place to place with his newly widowed father, one being a short stay in Plaistow, lodging at the homeplace of a Mr. Barlow, known as a dockside worker, and a "market gardener". As a matter of ongoing misfortune, it was in this locale, that his father was seriously injured in an unspecified accident, at the Uptown Park Station, while coming home following a day's work in the city; landing him in the hospital, in London. Johnny was told his father was likely to recover, but like his mother, he knew better of the situation. It's interesting to note here, that the younger Moon, had a privileged vision, first of all, of his mother's imminent death, well before she passed away, and it had happened similarly, prior to his father's demise. Call it premonition, but it seemed Johnny Moon may have had an "in" with the so called paranormal side of life. He was known to be very intuitive in his observations, and this is in evidence throughout the journal. Johnny, at the time of his father's death, was only fourteen years old. Now an orphan, who would have to be cared for by family members, until he was of working age. It was a period of great turmoil, temporary residency, and part-time employment, at the firm his father had been employed; he would work as a printer's assistant and messenger, but for only a short time. He clearly recalls the adventure of carrying messeges, letters and parcels, on the underground railway, (early subway trains), that ran under the city, which was then known as the "District Railway."
It needs to be recognized, at least in my opinion, and knowledge of the story, that the earlier injury to they young man's head, may have involved a serious concussion, and potential brain injury, that effected in some acute cases, his emotional stability. After only two months, at a job he might well have kept for the rest of his life, he became dissatisfied with the opportunity, and like many of his employment positions yet to come, was dispatched from the company payroll. His brother Fred, had tried to look after the teenager, but he was not secure in his own residence, or with finances, to take on the roll of guardian. Especially under the circumstances, of Johnny's disinterest in gainful employment. So he was taken, quite without understanding the whole situation, and all its implications, to the offices of Dr. Bernardo's London Homes. As he points out, in retrospect, "This event marks the first turning point in my career," although, it can be said with some accuracy, that Johnny Moon never really had what could be considered a career, except as a sort of undefined hobo, who would stay at a job long enough to earn a little money for provisions, and then retreat into his private world; which in Muskoka, became a tiny rustic, riverside shanty, with a row boat pulled up on the shore near by, which he used to navigate to town for supplies.
It is known that he stayed at the Stepney Causeway home, for two months, before being placed in Canada, by Dr. Barnardo's staff. During the stay at the orphanage, he was given an opportunity to pursue some skill training, in the trades, as there were imbedded facilities, and equipment, to foster this hands-on education. Johnny however, when asked by staff, insisted that he wanted to become an "engineer," and when he was told there was no capability of staff helping with this, he opted instead, to train as a carpenter. He couldn't deal with either the nature of the work, or the fact he had been placed in a wood working shop, with much more aggressive youth, from much poorer backgrounds than his, and he found himself being bullied right out of the classroom. He left after less than two full days, and refused to go back to the shop. But he was intrigued about going to Canada, which he considered a great life adventure, especially considering he had nothing holding him, as far as family that wanted him, in England. His brother Fred, had been advised, by Barnardo's staff, after the initial paperwork, admitting him to the home, that it was most likely he would be sent to Canada; so it was no surprise to Johnny, when word finally came, that he was going to be sent across the ocean for farm placement. There were four trips abroad, for these orphan children, each year, and because the teenager didn't want to learn a trade, which may have kept him at home, the only other option was being sent to Canada, to work as a farm labourer. There was no down side to this, as far as he was concerned. It was instead, a glowing opportunity, to be, in part, like his step brother William, working the high seas.
His cross-Atlantic adventure began officially on September 23rd, 1897, and with a legion of others from Barnardo homes, were transported via rail, to port at Liverpool, where, on the platform, he recalled the "Home Band" playing two memorable songs; one being "Auld Lang Syne," and 'Till We Meet Again." The youngsters were probably teary eyed, for this part of the adventure, but soon were too full of anticipation, to worry about such trivial matters, as the early stage of homesickness. The trip was from London's Euston Station to Liverpool, which is a distance of 180 miles, taking a total of four hours in transit. Later that evening, the train arrived at Riverside Station, and the young emigrants had to walk to the dock in Liverpool, to where the Dominion Liner, "Labrador," was tied up. A party of Bernardo girls came aboard shortly after.
NOTE: I should make it known here, at this point in the story of Johnny Moon, that my own grandmother, on my father's side, Doris Harding, was also a Barnardo child, sent to Canada, as a domestic, quite a few years later in the Barnardo story. We found this out, via the Barnardo Home registry, still in operation, in England, one year ago, after a decade of suspicion this was the case of her emigration, as an orphaned teenager, to Canada.
His was a feeling of excitement, about what was unfolding on the ship, and could be seen on the broadening seascape unfolding, as the tugs pulled the "Labrador" to mid-river, and the ship could thusly steam free into the ocean, on the first hours of the trans-Atlantic crossing. Before getting to the geographical mouth of the Mersey River, the Barnardo children onboard, were taken below deck to have their supper. It was one of many meals on that trip, of "corned beef," from a tin, which most of the children exposed to it, vowed, once ashore, to never eat again, including Johnny Moon. You see, the first meal, was just ahead, of what would be a rolling, early part to the voyage, meaning sea-sickness would prevail for most of the youngsters, unfamiliar with boat passage on a rough ocean. As most were able to get some sleep that first night, they awoke after being encouraged by a Barnardo representative, to come onto the deck, to see a wonderful sight. The steamship Labrador, at that point, was moored in Lough Foyle, of Port Rush, a short distance from Londonderry. This was the first time most of them had seen Ireland, a country in Johnny's blood, on his mother's side. He writes of the scene thusly:
"The country to the west consisted of meadow and woodland, sloping gently to the Lough side, on which nearby stood the buildings of little Port Rush. To the east, some fair distance off, rose a lone mountain, with its top wreathed in hazy clouds. Meadows, woodland, mountain, village and lake-like expanse of Lough Foyle made a beautiful scene." Johnny Moon knew how to express himself in words.
The first bout of seasickness had ended for most of the teenage passengers, but there was more to come, once the roughness of the ocean returned, to rock the smaller steamship. They stayed on the deck for a long time, consuming the scenery, and talking about the voyage yet to come. Some were homesick already. Others didn't want to go at all, wishing to return to the remnants of family, but not Johnny Moon, who felt there was nothing left for him in England, in the way of family, who would help him move-on in life. They were all struggling on their own, except for his step-brother William, who had also taken to the sea, as part of a windjammer crew, many years earlier. He makes the interesting observation, that amongst the passengers, who were boarding from this location in Ireland, were two priests, going on to do missionary work in the colony, and young men, with gear to tackle the bountiful fields of the Klondike, as it was around this time, that the well known gold rush, in Northern Canada, was unfolding, circa 1897-98; with thousands of new prospectors arriving to quest for buried treasure.
The Labrador, under a full-head of steam, propelled itself back out on the ocean, and "Port Rush and the calm waters of Lough Foyle were left behind, and the ship rose and fell to the billows of the ocean, as we rounded the shoreline of the rugged north coast. Two priests were standing at the bow of the vessel, when the spray from a heavy wave, striking the ship, head-on, dashed over the deck, wetting both of them; they laughed and stood further back," penned Johnny Moon, about his vantage point on the Labrador, as it headed out to the great expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. "Before long, the deck was almost deserted; most of us retiring below. The previous night's experience (seasickness) had been bad enough; this was worse."
Johnny admitted the next affliction with seasickness lasted six days and nights, a period where he wasn't able to take food and little water, so he was becoming malnourished and dehydrated. It wasn't until eight days later, that he was finally able to ingest some food and water, enough to stave off an impending serious medical crisis. "When we came in sight of Belle Island, I was able to move about a bit, though still very weak."
He had made much more progress, with his health, by time the Labrador had reached the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, strong enough to climb on deck, to see his new home country, Canada. "There, I looked at the shores of the big river, as we sailed on upstream; viewing for the first time, the scenes of a new and strange land. In Canada now! Old England, very far away. That evening, of a day's sail up river, brought us, to the Levis dock, opposite the old city of Quebec. Just before tying up at the Levis Wharf, a rocket or two was fired over our ship; this evidently being a signal of welcome or 'all clear'. From Levis quay we, along with our boxes, were taken over across to Quebec, where we landed, for the first time upon the soil of Canada. The trip from Port Rush to Quebec, had taken ten days; so this must have been the evening of the 4th of October, 1897," according to the young traveller, who found the sights of the new land quite pleasing and full of untold potential."
Following the landing, the Barnardo children were taken to the railway station of Canadian Pacific, to the lunch room made available for their large number. "Those of us who had money to spent, spent it in buying candies, drinks, etc. while those who had none, had to be content with either being treated by others or doing without. I was one of the latter; but that did not matter because just at that time, I was not feeling well, so was not hungry. Presently, we were led out of the lunch room to the platform, where our train was standing. We climbed aboard," wrote Johnny Moon, in reflection, when he was fifty-two years of age, with failing eyesight. He died legally blind.
Some of the older Barnardo teenagers, were thusly ticketed to travel on the trans-continental train, heading for job placements with farms on the prairies. The others were headed to situations arranged, in the Province of Ontario. He penned that, "On we rode (via steam train), hour after hour, through rugged country, rural districts, by lakes, streams, hills and valleys, by villages and towns, coming to a stop at Peterborough, where the girls' contingent, alighted for Hazel Brae; the Peterborough girls branch of Dr. Barnardo's homes." Carrying on, the Barnardo boys arrived in Toronto, later that evening, at the Union Station. They disembarked, and were walked by supervisors, to 214 Farley Avenue, arriving at "our destination," according to Johnny Moon. Another Barnardo home for children, who had emigrated to Canada, and were awaiting placement. This was documented by him, as being the night of October 5th, 1897. He and the other boys were led to the back of the large building, and to a dormitory room, where there were rows of bunkbeds. He remembers sleeping well, and then being stirred back to life, at first light, by the crowing of a rooster, in a neighbor's yard.
A significant entry is made by Johnny Moon, in his journal, at this point, that references what I wrote about earlier, as regards his friendships with other males, which to some degree, he became unusually obsessive. He writes, "That morning, the dawn of another day, was the sixth of October. Now, at this date, nearly thirty-six and a half years later, I know that the hand of destiny (and he really did believe this as true, just as having the premonitions of his parents deaths) was directed all my ways. For on that day was born Aubrey Foulkes, with whom, and his brother, Fred Foulkes, I was to meet some years later, and a chapter of my life to be lived and written, in which they played a part."
One of the most profound insights, of the Barnardo situation, and the lives of the boys compromised, was covered in the following explanation offered by Johnny Moon. He writes:
"Occasionally some boys returned from farms, remaining a short time until news situations were found for them. I remember two boys who had been together a few years at some place, on a Muskoka farm, I think, and had become attached to each other. After a short stay at Farley Avenue (Barnardo facility in Toronto), one of them, the eldest of the two, I think, was told that a new place had been found for him, and that he would shortly be sent away. When the other heard of it, he broke down and cried; and tears were in the eyes of the other one also, when they parted. This incident, so clearly remembered by me now, took place in the small school room which was a part of the Farley Avenue lay-out."
On December 4th, a Barnardo supervisor, from the Farley Avenue home, took Johnny Moon, and another boy, William Price, to Toronto's Union Station, to catch the 1:45 p.m. train to North Bay. Their destination, on this journey, would be the Town of Bracebridge, where they would disembark, and be picked up by property owners, and then transported to the farms they had been assigned. This would bring about a new misfortune to Johnny, and make his stay in Canada, quite unpleasant. The host families were not generally known for their kindnesses bestowed on these orphans.
Please join me for the continuation of the story of Johnny Moon, in my next blog. Thank you for joining me today!
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