The Family of Thomas Percival and Mary Ann Swarbrick: Emigration to Canada

Mary Ann's elder brother, Thomas Simm emigrated to Canada sometime between 1901, when he was listed living with his parents in Preston, and 1923, when Thomas Percival Swarbrick emigrated.

Thomas Percival went to Canada alone with the presumed intention of finding work and setting up home before sending for his wife and children.

He set sail from Liverpool on 13 October 1923 aboard the SS Athenia bound for Quebec. On arrival, he filled in a 'Declaration of Passenger to Canada', stating that he was 35, married but travelling alone, born in Preston, racial origin English, and was a Roman Catholic.

He stated that his intention was to settle in Canada, that his present occupation was Joiner and that his intended occupation in Canada was Joiner. He had never lived in Canada before but now intended to reside permanently.

He had paid for his own passage and had £40 in his possession.

His final destination was the home of his brother- in-law:

Mr. T Simm
1551A Cherbot Street
Montreal
Quebec

His nearest relative back in England was his wife:

Mrs Swarbrick
19 Lark Hill Street
Preston

He had no mental or physical defects, was not tubercular, and was not otherwise "debarred under Canadian Immigration Law".

Signature of Thomas Percival Swarbrick from the 'Declaration of Passenger to Canada'

After what must have seemed an eternity, Mary Ann and the children were finally able to join Thomas Percival, who had settled in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

They set sail from Liverpool on 1 August 1925 aboard the SS Athenia, the same ship that Thomas had sailed on two years earlier, and landed at Quebec on 9 August 1925.

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT RETURN - CANADIAN IMMIGRATION SERVICE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	BIRTHPLACE:	NATIONALITY:	RACE:
Mary Ann Swarbrick	Wife	Married	M	33	Preston, England	British	English
Gertrude E Swarbrick	Daughter	Single	F	3	Preston, England	British	English
Amelia Swarbrick	Daughter	Single	F	4	Preston, England	British	English
Letitia Swarbrick	Daughter	Single	F	8	Preston, England	British	English

FURTHER INFORMATION:
1:	Mary Ann paid for their third class (steerage) passage.
2:	They had never been to Canada and were intending to reside permanently.
3:	They were going to join Thomas Percival, at 1072 Lilian Street, Windsor, Ontario.
4:	Their nearest relative back in England was Mary Ann's father, Henry Simm of 9 Larkhill Street, Preston.
5:	None of them had ever been mentally or physically defective or tubercular.
6:	Mary Ann was carrying £20 on their arrival in Canada.
7:	They were travelling onward to Windsor on the Canadian National Railway.

On at least three occasions, Mary Ann attempted to cross the border from Canada into the United States to visit a friend in Michigan. On all three of these attempts, once on 3 October 1939, once on 12 May 1942 and again on 25 May 1942, she was refused entry due to a previous conviction for perjury.

In 1939 she was recorded as being a widow, age 47. She gave her date of birth as 26 December 1892, her maiden name as Simm, and was accompanied by her daughter Amelia, who was 18 and unmarried, and they were going to visit Mrs Alma Pepper, of Vendome Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, for a 3 week visit.

On 12 May 1942 Mary Ann was travelling on her own and gave her home address as 60 Esdras, Riverside, Canada. She gave the name of her daughter Amelia, at the same address, as her nearest relative in Canada.

On 25 May 1942 she was again travelling alone, gave the same home address, but this time gave the name and address of her daughter Eva Douglas, 217 Pride Place, Riverside, Canada as her nearest relative.

This the last record of Mary Ann and I have not found any record of her conviction.

NOTES:
1:	Although Mary Ann gave her date of birth as 26 December 1892, she must have been born on that date in 1891 as she was baptized on 3 January 1892.
2:	Eva Douglas was Gertrude Eva (Swarbrick) Douglas, Thomas and Mary Ann's youngest daughter.
3:	The above information is taken from the scanned images of immigration records at www.ancestry.co.uk.

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