Mrs. Ellinor Close

Mrs. Ellinor Close

Mrs. Ellinor Close had an idea, called the "scattered farm system" which she proposed to the Canadian Government. Mrs. Close wanted to bring young children between two and three years of age to farms in the western parts of Canada. The children were to be raised in a family type setting with about 15-20 children to each farm. When the children became of age they would be returned to England.

After long discussions with the Federal Government, who were not very interested in the scheme and believed the young age of the children to be a problem, the plans fell through. However, the government of New Brunswick agreed to work with Mrs. Close to start a farm in that province with older children. In 1906, the first of Mrs. Close's children came to Canada. The emigration ceased with the outbreak of war in 1914.

Mrs. Close established the Ellinor Close Farm near Rothesay (King's County) New Brunswick. She gave these children an option to return to England at the age of 16 years. She faced strong opposition from the Canadian authorities in doing so. It only housed 26 children and was open for 5 to 7 years (1907 to about 1913)