Niagara Historical Society published a new comprehensive Maria Rye database on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum website in late 2018, This project aims to include all known BHCs in chronological order in the charge of Maria S. Rye from 1868 to 1896, and in the charge of the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society from 1896 to 1914 that were administered by the Our Western Home staff
in NOTL. The few unknown exceptions, the following complete documents are in the author's electronic backup document files, having been extracted and included in the new Rye BHC database:
(I) Ship Manifests for all Rye BHCs from 1868 to 1914. Prior to 1880 several shiploads of Rye BHCs to Halifax, NS and St. John, NB are largely unaccounted for. Unlike Quebec City, the Maritime ports did not retain their ships' records until 1881. It is believed that we have yet to account for about 200 Rye BHCs. It should be noted that all early BHC shiploads to Canada were accompanied by Rye herself. Later Mrs. Hannah Soffe was the matron in charge for ship transportation for more than 25 Atlantic crossings. There were usually 2 voyages per year with about 100 BHCs.

(Ii) Miss Rye's Annual Reports.
(Iii) Department of Agriculture correspondence and reports
with regard to BHCs (some now missing).
(Iv) Department of Agriculture correspondence with regard to
Miss Rye.
(V) Available Rye BHC Letters.
(Vi) Government oversight records (e.g., field reports) with
regard to Rye BHCs.
(Vii) Appropriate Census
records in NOTL and
England.
(Viii) Boards of Guardian
and Charity Commission
reports.
(Ix) LAC's RG17 file.
(X) The Collins
Collection at LAC, the
Kohli Collection at
University of Waterloo, and
the Taylor Collection at the
NOTL Museum.

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To access this information visit:
 

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The compiler of the database cited above, and on the Niagara-onthe-Lake Museum website is:
David F. Hemmings
President, Niagara Historical Society
Email: hemmingsdd@gmail.com
Tel: +1-289-783-2772

You can contact David through this form:

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