James Abandons the Children

James Henry McCallum married Mary Alice McLaughlin. Together, they were the parents of four children: Edward James (1892-1953), Edith Margaret (1894-1941), Marie Frances (1897-1965), and Ella Catherine (1899-1970).[1] Mary passed away a few short months after the birth of Catherine on December 9, 1899; she was only 29. She died following a fight with nephritis and spinal meningitis.[2]

St. Ann's Orphanage shortly after its 1900 opening. via the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake

Following Mary’s death, James took the children to St. Anne’s Orphanage where they were raised by Catholic nuns. St. Ann's Orphanage was opened in 1891 at First South and Third East in Salt Lake city by Thomas Kearns, an influential Utah mine owner. By 1900, over 100 children lived in the orphanage with the McCallum children.[3] James remarried and never took the children back into his home to raise as his own.[4]  

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[1] Mary Alice McLaughlin, FamilySearch, PID L9H3-H1F, (familysearch.org : accessed 31 October 2014).

[2] Mary McLaughlin Death 1899, "Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records, 1908-1949," index and images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 11 Dec 2013), folder 004139834, image 223 of 490.

[3] “The Orphanage,” The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake, accessed 31 October 2014, http://www.dioslc.org/history/the-orphanage.

[4] Edith, Eddie, and Marie McCollom in St. Anne's Orphanage (Catholic), 1900 US Census, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, population schedule, Enumeration District 50, precinct 49, sheet 3A&B, family 81, FHL film 1241684, Ancestry.com Census Index and Images (ancestry.com : accessed 1 Nov 2013).

Prince Edward Island by Smulan77

James Henry McCallum was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada in approximately 1867 and was raised Presbyterian.[1]  He was the son of James Henry McCallum; the identity of his mother is still disputed. There are currently two possible candidates for James’ mother: Catherine and Isabella. Catherine was listed on James’ death certificate as his mother whereas Isabella was the appropriate age for a mother in the James McCallum household of the 1881 census.[2] Although James’ origins remain cryptic, further research will yield answers about James and his story.  

1881 Canadian Census

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[1] 1881 Canada Census, Kings County, Prince Edward Island, pg. 11, line 23, James McCallum Household; database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 October 2014).

[2] “Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1956,” (www.familysearch.org : accessed 25 October 2014), for “James Henry McCallum (1956),” #0590 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.