Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Hamilton Orphan Asylum fonds
General material designation
Parallel title
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Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1848-1914 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
4 volumes of textual material.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Hamilton Orphan Asylum was the creation of the Ladies Benevolent Society. The Society, which was established in 1846, consisted of prominent Hamilton women who were concerned about the welfare of the poor within the city, particularly women and children. The Society held its first meeting on May 25, 1846 to discuss how to best provide for the needs of those suffering from sickness and poverty. Beginning as a soup kitchen on John Street, the charity provided relief with the help of donations from prominent citizens, churches, lodges, and other benevolent societies. During this time period, the ravages of cholera and other illnesses left many families destitute, and left numerous children orphaned. The plight of the working poor also resulted in many parents being unable to care for their children. In 1848, the Society established a day school to assist with provisions and the education of these children. With an increase in donations, the Society was able to construct the Hamilton Orphan Asylum, which was completed in 1854 and existed until 1914, when care of the children transferred to other children’s aid organizations in the city.
Custodial history
The material in the fonds was formally donated by the President of the Board of the Aged Women’s Home, Mr. Francis Malloch. Mrs. W.B. Duncan brought the donation to the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives department (formally Special Collections), on behalf of the Board of the Aged Women’s Home, on July 16, 1958.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of 4 volumes of records pertaining to the Hamilton Orphan Asylum, including 3 volumes of Registers of Names, dated 1848 to 1869, 1848 to 1886, and 1874 to 1914, as well as a volume entitled, Record of Orphan’s Apprenticeships, dated 1881 to 1913.
Notes area
Physical condition
The volumes are fragile, and some are badly damaged with covers detached from the spine. The volumes are wrapped for preservation purposes.
Immediate source of acquisition
Mrs. W.B. Duncan
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Yes. Historical Documents on Microfilm Collection: Reel number 453.
Restrictions on access
The material is open to researchers. There are no restrictions on access however, researchers should use the microfilm to preserve the original materials.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Records are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on reproduction for research and private study.
Preferred citation: Hamilton Orphan Asylum fonds, 00584, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, Ontario.
Preferred citation: Hamilton Orphan Asylum fonds, 00584, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, Ontario.
Finding aids
File list is not applicable.
Associated materials
The following related material can be found in the Local History & Archives (LH&A) department at the Hamilton Public Library pertaining to the Hamilton Orphan Asylum fonds:
Accession Number 00017 – Aged Women’s Home fonds
Accession Number 00562 – Orphans and Orphan Asylums
CF – Hamilton – Orphans and Orphan Asylums
Houghton, Margaret. Vanished Hamilton, Vol. 4, p.81. Burlington: North Shore Publishing Inc., 2012.
Accruals
Further accruals are not expected.
General note
The records for the Aged Women’s Home and the Hamilton Orphan Asylum were donated to the Local History & Archives department at the same time. They were originally catalogued for the book collection. At a later date, they were de-accessioned from the book collection, given separate archival accession numbers, and added to the archival collection.
The names of the of the children who were registered at the asylum are listed in the Local History & Archives department card catalogue index, under the format (last name, first name).
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Hamilton Orphan Asylum (Creator)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
The fond was processed in 2023 by Archives Technician Kelly Bucci.