THE HARPER ORPHANS

Josephine, Edwin, Fred and William Harper: Orphans at Müller's Orphanage, Bristol

There seems to be a gap in communications for a while but there is a letter from William which advises that he is trying to get all the documentation together but as he is living some distance away from Gloucester, this is taking some time. [Cit.7]

The next correspondence is dated 25 November 1925 and reads as follows [Cit.8]:

"Dear Sir,

Dr. Bergin has directed me to inform you that the Orphans, Edwin, Fred, William and Josephine Harper should be brought to the New Orphan House No. 4 for reception on Monday Afternoon, 30 Nov. 1925 at two o'clock precisely, and that it is therefore necessary that they should arrive in Bristol not later than one o'clock. The Orphans must be brought by a near relative or some responsible person.

The arrangements of the Institution render it necessary that the orphans should be here at the time specified and on no account whatsoever should be brought on any other day than that before named.

Particular care should be taken to see that the Orphans are perfectly free from all skin or other diseases to prevent rejection when examined by our Medical Officer, on being brought for admission: unless the hair is quite clear from nits we may find it necessary to cut it short.

Should the children have had any illness since the time they were last medically examined, please inform us immediately, stating the nature of the illness.

Kindly at once, acknowledge the receipt of this Order of Admission, which should be produced when the children are brought.

As it is so long since the children were medically examined, please have this done at once, and return the enclosed certificate duly filled up and signed by the doctor, without delay.

Yours truly,
George R Packer."

On 27 October 1925, all four children were medically examined and found fit and healthy.

William Harper formally signs the contract with Müller's Orphanage on 6 December 1925, several days after the children had arrived there [Cit.9]. Attached to this contract is a document marked 'Z' defining 6 conditions. [Cit.10]

In 1936, Edwin Harper married Mary Jones in Tiverton, Devon. The year before their marriage, Josephine Harper had established a friendship with Mary and had written this letter to her on 9 May 1935 from her home at "Orphan House No 3" [Cit.11]:

"Dear Mary

I was longing to write to you and now I have the chance. I have written to Fred and Edwin and told him all sorts of things.
On Jubilee day, we all had a beaker of chocolate and they were really delicious.
We heard the wirelss twice that day and we heard the King's service and it was beautiful.
At 10 o'clock in the evening we were allowed to look out of the window to see the fire-works and beacon fires, and that looked ever so pretty in the sky.

This is the first time I ever written to you, but I would like to write to you again every month if I could have money and stamped envelopes.

I suppose you have enjoyed your holiday as much as I have.

I must close now,

from your loving friend,
Josephine."

The final documents in the file relate to the dismissal of the children at the end of their stay at Müller's Orphanage. I have transcribed the relevant extracts here:

11400: Edwin Horatio Herbert Harper:[Cit.12] Sent 28 June 1929 as Apprentice to Mr John Salter, The Forge, Loxbeare, Near Tiverton, Devon. A Christian. Indenture 28.6.29 (5 yrs.

11453: Fred Harper:[Cit.13] Sent 5 November 1932 as an Apprentice to Mr John Salter, The Forge, Loxbeare, Near Tiverton, Devon. A Christian.

11474: William Jonas Harper:[Cit.14] Sent 12 September 1934 as Apprentice to Mr G.J. Hughes, Hairdresser, 4a Northgate Street, Aberystwyth. A Christian.

11531: Josephine Mary Harper:[Cit.15] Sent 29 February 1940 to her brother, Mr F Harper, The Cottage, Halberton, Near Tiverton, Devon, who is responsible for her. A Christian.

As a general rule, Orphan boys were sent out at, or around the age of 14. Müller's established apprenticeships or other work for the boys and ensured that they were sent out to good homes to learn a trade or business. They were all equipped with a bible, 3 suits and a sum of money. On the other hand, girls remained at the Homes until they were nearly 17 but they too, were also found employment, usually as nurses, domestics, or in some cases teachers.

Josephine Harper, my mother, organised collections for Müller's Homes throughout her working life. She was always thankful for the home she had and the upbringing, although tough, that gave her high moral standards throughout her life. She was well aware though, that boys at the Homes were not as well treated. Indeed, Edwin Harper, although he rarely spoke about life in the Homes, remembered very strict discipline to the point of cruelty, at times.

The next few pages display the original documents referred to in the above entries and in the Citations below. Clicking on the Citation link will take you straight to the original document or letter.

Citations:

• Cit. 1: Letter from William Harper to Müller's Orphanage, 12 Oct 1925.
• Cit. 2: Letter from Mrs A Tyrell regarding request for references, 16 Oct 1925.
• Cit. 3: Letter from Müller's accepting 3 of the children and then amended to 4, 19 Oct 1925.
• Cit. 4: Letter from the Church Army to Müller's advisng that they caanot take Edwin, 26 Oct 1925.
• Cit. 5: Terms of Reference sent to immediate family relating to admittance of all children except Edwin, 19 Oct 1925
• Cit. 6: Terms of Reference sent to immediate family relating to admittance of Edwin Harper, 29 Oct 1925.
• Cit. 7: Letter from William Harper to Müller's apologising for delay.
• Cit. 8: Letter from Müller's to William with instructions for bringing the children for reception, 25 Nov 1925.
• Cit. 9: Signed Contract returned to Müller's by William Harper, 6 Dec 1925.
• Cit.10: Appendix 'Z', Rules and Regulations, 6 Dec 1925.
• Cit.11: Letter from Josephine Harper to Mary Jones, 9 May 1935.
• Cit.12: Müller's Orphanage Discharge Documents for Edwin Harper, 28 Jun 1929.
• Cit.13: Müller's Orphanage Discharge Documents for Fred Harper, 5 Nov 1932.
• Cit.14: Müller's Orphanage Discharge Documents for William Jonas Harper, 12 Sep 1934.
• Cit.15: Müller's Orphanage Discharge Documents for Josephine Mary Harper, 29 Feb 1940.
• Photos: Postcards of Müller's Orphanage.

Acknowledgments:

The Harper Orphans file was made available to me by The Müllers Foundation, Bristol, England.
Photos of Müller's Orphanages reproduced by kind permission of © Bygone Bristol