An Unconquered Crime: Infanticide in Huron County

An Unconquered Crime: Infanticide in Huron County

by | Nov 10, 2022 | Archives, Blog, Investigating Huron County History

According to the Criminal Code of Canada, “a female person commits infanticide when by a wilful act or omission she causes the death of her newly-born child.” Using local resources, student Kevin den Dunnen explores local cases of infanticide in the late 19th and 20th century (the period for which Gaol records are readily available), and the contemporary attitudes towards this act at home and abroad.

Through the 19th and 20th centuries, Huron County newspapers printed cases of infanticide, or the act of killing an infant, allegedly taking place in other countries and cultures. These articles often framed this the context of the supposed inferiority of cultures without the influence of Western Christianity. (1) However, the prevalence of infanticide in Huron County and surrounding areas during this same time period disproves any claims of cultural immunity to infanticide in southwestern Ontario’s Christian-dominated communities.

There are many social factors that contributed to the infanticides that occurred in Huron County. In the 19th and 20th centuries, a birth outside wedlock threatened an unmarried woman’s status in society. Many known infanticide cases in Huron County involved these young, unmarried women. Contributing to the devastating decision to commit infanticide was the lack of local social services available to single women needing help to provide for their child. As such, infanticide has been present in Huron County for much of its history.

The story of a Huron County woman called Catherine and her child exemplifies many of these themes. Catherine was a 30-year-old servant and unmarried woman working in Goderich Township in 1870. She had gone to her doctor that year claiming her body was swelling. The doctor suspected that she might be pregnant, but Catherine did not agree. Later on, her employer came home to find some of her work unfinished and could not find her. Upon searching, they found her sitting in a privy. After telling her to leave the privy several times, Catherine went to the house. Upon inspection of the privy the next morning, the house-owner and a doctor found a dead child in the privy vault covered by paper and a board. In his subsequent report, the coroner believed that the baby was born alive. (2) Upon first reading, this story appears to be a cold-blooded case of infanticide, but the reality of the society around Catherine makes the situation far more complex.

Turn of the 20th century newspapers in Huron County printed or reprinted articles from larger news agencies about non-Christian societies in India, China, and Hawaii and touted their supposed propensity of infanticide. These stories promoted the positive influence of Christian conversion outside of Canada, even though infanticide was also a local issue. Figure 1 is one such article from The Exeter Times, published on Feb. 1, 1894. This article states that the work of missionaries converting foreign societies to Christianity would “introduce the mercy of the Gospel among the down-trodden of heathenism.” The uncredited author claimed non-Christian cultures frequently committed infanticide but stopped when they converted to Christianity. (3) There is an apparent hypocrisy in these newspapers portraying other societies as uncivilized while the same issues were happing contemporaneously in their own Ontario communities. Figure 2 shows an article from The Brussels Post, dated Nov. 20, 1902. In this article, the author argues the need for laws restricting the distribution of alcohol. They state that such opportunities to change society are “the call of God” whose influence had already “conquered great evils, such as infanticide.” Yet, infanticide still occurred in the paper’s own region.

How prevalent an issue infanticide was throughout Huron County’s history is difficult to know, because many cases likely went unreported. A large proportion of the known cases involved single mothers of illegitimate children. However, some scholars suggest that more cases of undocumented infanticide frequently occurred in Western societies. These theories argue that hidden infanticide by married couples might partly explain changing gender ratios in select western societies. They claim this was a way of tailoring gender to fit family needs, like wanting males to help with farming. (4) Single women living and working away from their families would face greater difficulties concealing a birth without detection. Hidden infanticide drew attention from journals like the Upper Canada Journal of Medical, Surgical and Physical Science in 1852. This journal argued that women should have to register their children immediately after birth to lessen the chance of hidden infanticide. (5) This call for registration suggests that the journal suspected or knew of infanticide cases where the mother did not register their child to hide its birth. This research indicates that communities like Huron County could have many cases of infanticide that county records do not include.

One record that is available for study is the “Huron County Gaol Registry.” The portion of the Registry currently available for research includes entries for every person who stayed at the Gaol from 1841-1922. There are at least 12 cases that list infanticide, concealment of birth, child exposure, or a related charge as the reason for committal (Figure 3 and 4). While not a staggeringly high number, these records only include the people sentenced to gaol for allegedly killing their infant or related crimes. If they were not apprehended or not committed to jail, they would not appear in the registry. Additional cases do appear in the local newspaper accounts (Figure 5) and coroner’s inquest records , including Catherine’s story .  The registry shows that the first prisoner committed for infanticide came to the Gaol in 1846 and that a prisoner was committed for procuring drugs for an illegal abortion in 1920. While not demonstrating frequency with complete accuracy, the registry clearly does indicate that infanticide and other crimes resulting from unwanted pregnancies occurred in Huron County throughout the entire period documented from 1841-1922. These instances of infanticide would increase when including the records of nearby counties like Middlesex, Bruce, and Perth, which also had reported infanticide cases during the same period. There was therefore no reason to look to other countries to find the circumstances that fostered infanticide: Huron County residents could see the evidence in their own towns and the surrounding counties.

image of a newspaper clipping

Figure 1: “The Safe Arm of God,” The Exeter Times, 1894-2-1, Page 6 

Image of figure 2 - newspaper clipping from Brussels Post

Figure 2: “Prohibition Notes,” The Brussels Post, 1902-11-20, Page 4

Figure 3: Newspaper clipping from The Huron Expositor, 07-22-1881, pg 5.

Figure 3: The Huron Expositor, 07-22-1881, pg 5.

Newspaper clipping: "Concealment of a Birth" Mrs. Ellen Wandby and her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart, were before his honour Judge Toms, Tuesday last, to answer to a charge of concealment of birth in the town of Wingham.

Figure 4:The Huron Signal, 06-10-1887, pg 4.

Figure 3: Newspaper clipping from The Huron Expositor, 07-22-1881, pg 5.

Figure 5: The Huron Signal, 12-10-1880, pg 1.

Image of newspaper clipping from 1870 Schedule of Convictions featuring prosecution of Maria Flood for “concealment of birth.” The Huron Expositor, 07/08/1870, pg 1.

Mothers faced most of the blame for infanticide from the legal system and contemporary journalists for reported cases. However, this viewpoint often neglects to consider both the devastating judgements placed upon these women for their unwanted pregnancies, and the lack of support available to help struggling mothers. Of the cases involving infanticide, concealment of birth, or abortion found in the Huron County newspapers and Gaol records, a large number involve young women under 25 years old and illegitimate children (the offspring of a couple not married to each other).  For example, a case from 1864 involves a 15-year-old unmarried female servant; a case from 1877 involves a 22-year-old single female servant; a case from 1880 involves a 17-year-old female servant. As servants, these women were dependent on wage labour. With the birth of a child, the woman would have to give up employment to care for the baby, as without the security of legal marriage the father would often refuse any support. Her ability to care for herself, let alone the child, declined greatly after giving birth. In addition, women faced religious and societal pressures to remain chaste until marriage. Bearing an illegitimate child proved to society that a woman was unchaste. (6) Women who gave birth to illegitimate children, no matter the circumstances of their conception, would face harsh judgement from their communities, which could impact their ability to find new work or to be married. These women with illegitimate children immediately became outcasts. This happened because Christian societies at the time judged much of a single woman’s morality and value according to her chastity. (7) As such, women of this period faced significant social judgement if they had an illegitimate child. The idea of concealing the child’s birth may have appeared to be the only choice for single mothers hoping to retain their ability to earn a living, maintain their place in society and avoid becoming an outcast, which could lead to cases of infanticide and child abandonment. 

The lack of available social services in Huron County before the 20th century could also factor into these cases of infanticide. Before Huron County’s House of Refuge opened near Clinton in 1895, the only municipal building available for social services was the Huron County Gaol. There was no local lying-in hospital or home for unwed mothers. During this period, the Gaol often housed the elderly, destitute, and sick. Some lower tier municipalities made the choice to commit unwed mothers to gaol to give birth, and multiple women would have their babies behind bars at the Huron Gaol. This was an inexpensive way to house the mother and child until such a time she could return to the labour market. A young woman faced with the birth of an illegitimate child in Huron County would therefore have little support and few options available should she struggle to care and provide for her baby, and may have to bear the stigma of being committed to gaol regardless of committing a crime.

While newspapers like The Exeter Times and Lucknow Sentinel reprinted articles featuring infanticide as a cautionary tale to criticize and condemn outside cultures and to promote the positive influence of western Christianity, infanticide remained prevalent in their own communities. Stories like that of Catherine demonstrate the difficult circumstances that sometimes drove women to commit infanticide. Having an illegitimate child immediately lessened the perceived status and life options of a young woman in respectable Christian Southwestern Ontario society. Also contributing to the devastating decision by some of these young women to commit infanticide was the lack of social services available to help them provide for a child. As such, infanticide was not a conquered issue for the residents of Huron County in the 19th and early 20th century.

Sources:

  • (1) Nicola Goc, Women, Infanticide, and the Press, 1822-1922: News Narratives in England and Australia (New York, NY: Routledge, 2016), 28.
  • (2) Coroner’s Report #365 Huron County Archives,  Unnamed baby of  Catherine J.  
  • (3 “The Safe Arm of God,” The Exeter Times, February 1, 1894, p. 6.
  • (4) Gregory Hanlon, “Routine Infanticide in the West 1500-1800,” History Compass 14, no. 11 (2016): pp. 535-548, https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12361, 537. 
  • (5) Kirsten Johnson Kramar, Unwilling Mothers, Unwanted Babies: Infanticide in Canada (Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2006), 97.
  • (6) Nicolá, Women, Infanticide, and the Press, 21.
  • (7) Nicolá, Women, Infanticide, and the Press, 21.

Further Reading

Find an index of coroner’s inquests on our Archives page (scroll to the bottom to find indexes and finding aids).

Find more stories from Huron’s past through a search of Huron County’s historical newspapers online!

Double, Double Toil and Trouble: The Tale of Maggie Pollock and the Huron County Witch Trial

Double, Double Toil and Trouble: The Tale of Maggie Pollock and the Huron County Witch Trial

by | Oct 27, 2022 | Blog, Huron Historic Gaol, Investigating Huron County History

In time for Halloween, students Kyra Lewis & Mary Murdoch share the history of witches in North America and Huron County’s own witchcraft case: “the weirdest [case] that has come before the Ontario Courts in many years”.

Today, popular culture often suggests that the legal pursuit of witches was something that began and ended with the infamous Salem Witch Trials in Salem, MA, in the 1690s. However, that was far from the beginning or end of the story. In fact, Huron County had its own witchcraft case as recently as the 1920s: the case of Maggie Pollock of Morris Township.

Background: The History of Witchcraft Law in North America

The history of prosecuting witchcraft as a crime has a long history in North America preceding Miss Pollock’s case. Historic Haudenosaunee society viewed witchcraft as very serious offence. Because witchcraft could endanger anyone in the community, people took accusations of witchcraft very seriously. Practicing witchcraft also went against the core principles of unity and peace found in “The Great Law”. The Great Law refers to the guiding principles of life in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The first step was to determine if the person was guilty. If the Council found the accused to be guilty, the punishment was death. If the accused promised to change their ways, they would always be forgiven and spared.

By the time Europeans began settling in North America, widespread panic surrounding witchcraft had decreased in Europe. However, in the 13 American colonies, settlers were still paranoid about the possibility of witches living in their midst. Not Salem, but Windsor, CT, was actually the first place in the US where an execution of a person charged with witchcraft took place. In total, Connecticut accused 46 people of witchcraft between 1647 and 1697. Of the 46 accused, 11 were executed. There were also witchcraft trials in Virginia between 1626 and 1730, but no executions.

Massachusetts’ Salem Witch Trials began in June of 1692. Residents of Salem accused 150 men and women of witchcraft. Over a period of 11 months, the residents of Salem killed 19 people by hanging and tortured one man to death. Of the 20 people killed, six were men. Five more people would die in prison before the end of the trials.

In Canada, pretending to practice witchcraft was illegal until 2018 under section 365 of the Criminal Code of Canada. This section read:

Pretending to practise witchcraft, etc.

365 Every one who fraudulently

  • (a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration,
  • (b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or
  • (c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found, is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

Note that the crime in question was pretending to practice witchcraft. The Criminal Code of Canada did not mention the practice of witchcraft itself. The law was implemented in 1892 and was based off of a previous 1735 British Statute which condemned “fraudulent” claims of occult powers. The statute attempted to remove earlier religious rhetoric prior to the 18th century, which presumed and enforced that witches were indeed a very justifiable and dangerous threat to humanity. Instead, the 1735 Statute suggested that claiming occult powers was inherently fraudulent, thus upholding the notion that witches were not real. Logistically it was intended to limit fraud, and preying on the naive and desperate, but much like earlier witchcraft laws it could be used to prosecute vulnerable or marginalized women.

Although not commonly used in the 20th and 21st centuries, the law against pretending to practice witchcraft remained in effect until 2018.  Maggie Pollock, a Huron County woman, was charged under the law in 1919 in “the weirdest [case] that has come before the Ontario Courts in many years”.

Illustration of a young woman being accused of witchcraft

The Huron Expositor, 1963

Newspaper clipping from WIngham Advance

The Wingham Advance, 1920-04-29

newspaper clipping from Wingham Advance Times

Wingham Advance Times, 1930-09-11

Morris Township’s Gifted Lady

Margaret Pollock, more often referred to as “Maggie” or “Miss Pollock”, was a woman born in Huron County on May 11, 1879.

She was of Irish descent and lived and worked on her brother’s farm as a housekeeper in Morris Township, near Blyth. Maggie claimed to be “possessed with a peculiar occult gift” that she used on several occasions to help neighbors locate lost or stolen items and property. Following a peculiar court case, Maggie’s “gifts” would earn her sudden celebrity not only in Huron County, but across the country.

From a young age, Maggie knew that she had a special gift. At 16, she realized that she had an ability to see and to hear things that others could not. While visiting a friend’s house in Boston, Maggie realized that she had seen the house and an elderly woman who lived there before. Around the turn of the century, Maggie experienced visions of two strange machines. The first Maggie thought was a chariot of angels at first glance, but then she noticed that the machine had wheels. It shocked Maggie when she saw the machine in the sky land right beside her and saw regular people disembark from it. Maggie saw the second strange machine when she was driving down the road and turned around to see a machine that ran like a train without a track behind her. This vision puzzled Maggie. It wasn’t until many years later that Maggie realized that she had seen an airplane and a car many years before the modern version of either was invented. While some might label Maggie’s gift as relating to the occult, Maggie claimed that her abilities were completely natural, without witchcraft or trickery involved. When Maggie’s neighbours came to her for help, Maggie never guaranteed results, but rather promised to do the best that she could to help them. When questioned about the things she saw, Maggie claimed that she had no powers of her own, but that her visions and insights were a God-given gift which she felt compelled to share when they came to her.

Huron County’s Witchcraft Case

On June 30, 1919, Maggie was brought to the Huron County Gaol after she was accused of “Telling Fortunes,” which was illegal under section 365 of the Canadian Criminal Code. In Goderich, a farmer had testified that he had given Maggie 50 cents for a séance. He did this in an attempt to locate oats and grain which someone had stolen from him. It wasn’t revealed in court whether Maggie’s premonition actually resulted in recovering the oats and grain, but she saw a vision of the thief and was able to describe his horse. She appeared before Goderich Judge Henry Dickson, and the court decided that; “she did unlawfully pretend from her skill and knowledge in an occult and crafty science to discover when and in what manner certain goods and chattels, to wit, certain grain and oats, supposed to have been stolen from one, John Lienhardt.”

On Oct. 13, 1920, Maggie’s case was appealed to Osgoode Hall, one of the oldest and most distinguished legal associations in the country, by her counsel, Mr. C. Garrow. Osgoode upheld Judge Dickson’s conviction. According to the contemporary account of the Clinton News Record, “The judge admonished her that the practice must cease and has bound her over in bonds of $200 from herself and from her brother to refrain from pretensions of occult power and from practicing the occult science.” The court gave Maggie permission to offer her opinion about lost items, but not to claim that she had any special powers.

Members of the local community continued to support Maggie during her conviction and appeal, and her supporters were upset with her treatment in the legal system. The Toronto Saturday Night chastised the judges and those involved with the case for, “harrying a poor old woman.” A neighbour, Mrs. Sinclair, also testified at Osgoode Hall to corroborate the effectiveness of Maggie’s “gifts”. She stated that Maggie had successfully helped her to find a lost diamond ring. Maggie had claimed to do this by speaking with Sinclair’s deceased mother, and told Mrs. Sinclair that she had thrown out the ring with some dust. Maggie added that Mrs. Sinclair would find the ring when the snow melted. Despite this advice, Mrs. Sinclair and her husband decided to melt the snow. When this did not work, she sent a letter to Maggie detailing what she had done, and that she had not found the ring. Maggie replied that Mrs. Sinclair needed to be patient. Sure enough, the snow thawed weeks later, and the ring was there.

The Legend of Miss Maggie Pollock 

Considering a continued public fascination with witchcraft and the occult, it is no surprise that Maggie’s legal battle gained widespread recognition in 1920. It was notable to some that an older woman from Huron County could perform such “miracles,” while others were shocked that she could be accused of something as archaic as witchcraft. The Toronto Daily Star questioned the wisdom of the verdict: “There is a fairly widespread belief in the occult. It is growing. Why not cope with this sort of thing more intelligently than by merely putting the ban of the law upon it?” The same article suggested that rather than legal prosecution, a public test to determine the validity of Maggie’s gifts would be the superior solution: her powers could simply be disproved or verified to harmlessly help with more cases of missing valuables.

A large number of supporters did not doubt Maggie’s abilities. She received many visitors and letters from people as far away as Florida, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, California and Vancouver. Her skills were also allegedly sought-after on the other side of the law. The police asked her to locate missing bodies of drowned persons several times: including a young boy who had drowned in Wingham and a man who fell through ice in New Hamburg. The Seaforth News reported that Maggie was also paid a visit by High Constable A.J. Wharton of London to discuss the escape of two murderers from London Jail in 1927.  

Maggie Pollock passed away in August of 1931, in her 70th year. The Seaforth News said of her, “[She] has honour in her own country, because her neighbours have always had the upmost faith in her and can relate scores of interesting stories.” She was fondly remembered as, “a well-known and highly respected resident of Morris Township.” Despite the verdict of the witchcraft case, Maggie was able to continue to help others with her gifts as she had wanted. Whether those gifts were real is still something up for debate. One thing is certain, Miss Maggie Pollock was one magical woman, one way or another.

Sources Consulted & Links to Learn More!

Seeking volunteer for Collections Committee

Seeking volunteer for Collections Committee

by | Oct 27, 2022 | Blog, Museum News

Residents interested in helping to preserve and shape how local history is presented for the future can now make their voice heard. By joining the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s Collections Committee, interested individuals will have a say in how the Museum grows, expands and diversifies the stories shared through its unique collection.  

The County of Huron invites applications for an open position on the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s Collections Committee. The position is for a volunteer community member from Huron County. The committee welcomes applicants that represent different communities, backgrounds, age groups, and cultures across Huron County, including newcomers and generational residents. Volunteers meet every third month, generally on Tuesday mornings, for terms of one, two, or three years with the potential of two consecutive terms.

The Huron County Museum’s collection is built from community donations from people, homes and businesses across Huron, following a collections policy and mandate.  

“This is a great opportunity for those who are passionate about Huron County’s on-going history and heritage,” said Senior Curator Elizabeth French-Gibson. “If you love material culture, and want to engage others with the memories, stories and community ties that can be evoked so powerfully by objects from the past then this is a great opportunity for you!”

 The Collections Committee presents a volunteer opportunity that is short on time-commitment, but makes a long-term impact on how our community recognizes, prioritizes and preserves history close to home. 

The purpose of the Committee is to advise County Council with respect to matters pertaining to the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol collection. Recommendations include review of short and long-term planning regarding collections, site policies in relation to collection development, and requirements of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries’ Museum standards.

“When I was a child, a visit to the pioneer museum, which is what we called it then, was a confirmation that you don’t throw anything out; there was a story or use to every item,” said Collections Committee member Rhea Hamilton-Seeger, who shared what this volunteer experience has taught her. “As a member of the Collections Committee, I now get to learn more of the stories and appreciate what people collect and donate. One of the criteria for items to be in the Collection is that they relate to our [Huron County] history. While I would like to keep everything, there are some unique pieces that simply don’t relate. The staff of the Huron County Museum and this committee work hard to ensure a home is secured where these items do relate. A very interesting committee to be a part of and I have been able to share some of the stories with friends and better understand my local museum and how it teaches us, and reminds us, of our history.”

Those interested in applying for the volunteer position of Huron County Museum Collections Committee Member can submit a written application by Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 to:

Senior Curator
Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol
110 North St., Goderich, ON, N7A 2T8
museum@huroncounty.ca

2022 Huron County Art Show Winners Announced

2022 Huron County Art Show Winners Announced

by | Oct 17, 2022 | Blog, Museum News

The County of Huron and the Huron County Museum are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Huron County Art Show:

  • 1st prize – Harvest Landscape Huron County, Roman Turczyn
  • 2nd prize – With Wonder, Michele Miller 

Honourable Mentions:

  • Spring on the Maitland – Anita Wood
  • Lucknow Road – Kaaren Batten
  • Memories of Huron – Sharron Rogers
  • razing landscapes #91 – Kelly Stevenson
  • Hop on the Bus, Gus – Jerry McDonnell
  • Untitled – Don MacGillivray

The two winning artworks will become part of the Huron County Art Bank with a purchase award from the County of Huron.  Artworks in the Art Bank remain on display in various County buildings. To date there are 52 artworks that are part of this special collection.

 

The 20th year for the art show, the exhibit features 31 artworks by artists from across Huron County.  The 2022 Huron County Art Show & Sale is on display at the Huron County Museum in Goderich from Oct. 16 to Dec. 17, 2022.

Visitors to the exhibit are invited to submit their vote for their favourite artwork with a special ballot available at the Museum.

The special exhibit is open to the public during Museum hours Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 4:30 pm, extended hours Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 4:30 pm.  Regular admission rates apply.  Admission is free to the Museum for members and Huron County Library card holders.

Henderson Collection – Blackstone’s Furniture

Henderson Collection – Blackstone’s Furniture

by | Oct 5, 2022 | Blog

Close up photo of Blackstone's front window display promoting War Bonds

Brooklyn Wright, Huron County Museum assistant, spent time this summer working on the Henderson Photographic Collection and highlighting some of the stories and images from the collection.

Gordon Henderson was a Goderich-based photographer who produced black-and white photos using a variety of mediums, such as negatives, glass-plate negatives, and cellulose nitrate film. The Henderson Collection housed at the Huron County Museum contains more than 10,000 negatives and photographs taken by Mr. Henderson from the 1930s – 1970s. Included in the collection are class pictures, summer camp pictures, wedding pictures, advertising campaigns, pictures of local events, buildings, businesses, and much more.

While Blackstone’s Store is no longer in operation today, it stood on West Street just off the Goderich Square. The photographs shown above were taken by Mr. Henderson of the store’s window display in September, 1939.

References to Blackstone’s in The Signal, available online through the Digitized Newspaper Collection, date back to as early as 1908. At this point, Blackstone’s was a restaurant that served oysters, ice cream, and confectionaries. By 1930 it had expanded to sell furniture as well, and was known as Blackstone’s Furniture Exchange, as shown in the ad at right published in the Goderich Star in 1928. It was around this time that the owner, Harold Blackstone, christened West Street as ‘The Broadway of Goderich’, as shown in the newspaper clipping published in The Signal in 1930. 

By the time Henderson took the above photographs in 1939, Blackstone’s was selling appliances and furniture, while they also continued to sell ice cream and other sweet treats. Take note of the War Bonds advertisement in the window! This photograph was taken just two weeks after the start of the Second World War. If you’re looking for a better view, you can see similar War Bonds advertisements in person at the Huron County Museum.

Blackstone’s continued to operate until at least 1980, known then as Blackstone’s Furniture, as can be seen from an advertisement published in the Village Squire.

SOURCES

Photo of a Blackstone's Furniture ad from 1928
Photo of a newspaper clipping of a Blackstone Furniture ad from 1980

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

by | Sep 29, 2022 | Blog

Beginning in 2021, Canadians mark Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools and the survivors. The Huron County Museum and Huron County Library also recognize this day as Orange Shirt Day, on which we acknowledge and remember the harm the residential school system caused to Indigenous children, their families and their communities. This post by summer Museum Assistant Robyn Weishar intends to inform readers of the origins of Orange Shirt Day and explores the history of Residential Schools in Canada.

It is important to start by acknowledging the Indigenous peoples who have lived on this land, and continue to do so today. The Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol recognizes that the land our historic sites reside on has a history that long predates the settlement of Goderich or Huron County. This area is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudensoshaunee, and Neutral Peoples. In 2021, the Museum, along with the County of Huron, published a Land Acknowledgement Statement that recognizes “the First Peoples’ continued stewardship of the land and water…[and] the Upper Canada Treaties signed in regards to this land, which include Treaty #29 and Treaty #45 1/2, and our roles as treaty people, committed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation, gratitude, and respect with all First Nation, Métis and Inuit people.”

 Phyllis Webstad remembers as a six-year-old how joyous she was to begin school and to show off the new, bright orange shirt her grandmother bought her. The shirt was especially significant because Phyllis and her grandmother did not have a lot of money. When Phyllis arrived at the Mission school in British Columbia, she, like the majority of children who attended Residential Schools across the country, was stripped of her clothes and she never wore or saw her orange shirt again. The colour orange lost its excitement for Phyllis and the colour had now become associated with feeling worthless and insignificant. At 27, Phyllis began her healing journey from these experiences which ultimately led her start Orange Shirt Day. As the Founder and Ambassador of this day, Phyllis has fostered awareness about the impacts of Residential Schools through the telling of her story.  

Phyllis’ story is only one of many Indigenous children who endured the oppressive forces and abuse inflicted by the Canadian Government and the various Christian organizations who operated the schools. The purpose of these institutions were to “kill the Indian but save the child”; removing the children them from their spirituality/religions, their language, and their social practices, thus eradicating their sense of unity and self.

The first Boarding School in Canada was established in New France around 1620 and lasted in this form until the 1680s. Residential Schools, as we know them today, were in operation by the early 1700s.

Egerton Ryerson, who is considered to be one of the founding fathers of Canadian education, played a huge part in influencing the “Indian” Residential School system. Ryerson’s 1847 recommendation to “deal with” the Indigenous population was religious instruction and domestic education with a particular focus on agricultural training.

The introduction of the Indian Act (1876) was one of the first major developments towards the goal of assimilation by the state. A 1920 amendment to the Indian Act made attendance for school-aged children at state-sponsored schools mandatory; which was enforced by truant officers. It was within these Residential Schools where Indigenous children were robbed of their cultures and histories. These children lost more than the clothes off their backs like Phyllis Webstad, they lost their childhood and their innocence. Within the confines of the school walls the conditions were abysmal; the schools were underfunded and overcrowded, resulting in widespread and preventable diseases and deaths. Many school children were physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by members of the church clergy and various other staff.

The atrocities of the Residential School System are still felt today. The last federally funded facility was in operation in Saskatchewan until 1996. This fact is critical in the understanding of why working towards Truth and Reconciliation is so important. We must honour and recognize both the good and bad histories of Canada, and acknowledge the suffering many Indigenous families endured, and still battle with to this day.

On Sept. 30, Canadians are asked to wear orange to pay respect to the many lives lost and the many lives that have been negatively impacted by the Residential School system. We also respect the resilience and vibrancy of  Indigenous cultures across Canada. The work of Truth and Reconciliation is still ongoing, and requires action. We invite you to further your own understanding by exploring some of the resources linked below.

Resources for Land Acknowledgement

Resources for further information on Residential Schools

Further Reading

  • Huron County Library Staff have compiled a list of 100 books by Indigenous authors to help educate and better understand the history of Residential schools and their long-lasting impact on Indigenous people and communities.

Donations & Ideas for Action

References