Our Western Home

Most of the children were girls aged 5 to 12, who were trained in domestic tasks before they were adopted or hired as indentured servants. Maria reportedly brought over 4,200 children to Canada. The home received support from local leaders and the community. The townspeople would often wait at the wharf to greet the young girls. But, the community’s sentiment was often a mixture of pity and suspicion; the children were the lowest on the social ladder. Our Western Home was in operation until 1915 when it was forced to close because of WWI.  

Maria genuinely believed that her program helped these children have a better life. But, in 1874, the British authorities responsible for child emigration commisioned Andrew Doyle, to report on the children sent to Canada. He was critical of both the policy and practice, especially of Maria Rye. The report stated that the girls experienced poor travel conditions, lack of training prior to placement, and little supervision after placement. Criticisms also included a lack of interview and inspection of the hosts and the homes in which the girls would be placed. Maria vigorously challenged Doyle’s report. To her benefit, the Ontario government, the media, and Canadians denied the validity of his findings. Despite her reluctance to improve upon his critiques, many of which were accurate, Maria would continue her work.