Women, girls, and babies who died during or after imprisonment
Below is a partial list of the deaths of babies born to incarcerated mothers, and the deaths of women and girls who were imprisoned, including those who died after release or escaping from Mercer.
This is ongoing research and may be subject to change as we locate details on the correct spelling of the names or racial origins and other deaths. For now, we have identified some of the women:
*British Home Children (BHC)
**Black
***Indigenous
Due to the limitations of historical records, we have not verified these entries as complete or correct.
For the month of March 2024 five new deaths have been added to the List of Deaths below.
One new death added in April.
One new death added in May.
One new death added in June.
| Surname | First Name | Alias/Alternate Spelling | Date of Death | Sex | Age at Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls Industrial Refuge | ||||||
| Woonch | Ellen | Feb 6 – 1892 | F | 3 | Industrial Refuge for Girls died while imprisoned | |
| Mclean | Kate | Feb 28 – 1898 | F | 17 | Industrial Refuge for Girls died while imprisoned | |
| Babies of imprisoned mothers | ||||||
| Sharp | Edward | Oct 13 – 1881 | M | 4 weeks | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Burk | Charles | Aug 30 – 1883 | M | 4 months 3 weeks | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Lawrence Baby | Feb 3 – 1891 | F | 3 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Williams | Adams | Feb 28 – 1893 | M | 6 3/4 months | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Cunningham | Francis | Oct 15 – 1894 | M | 4 weeks | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Atcheson | Garfield | Nov 15 – 1894 | M | 36 hours | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Johnston Baby | Jul 5 – 1896 | M | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Hoam Baby | May 15 – 1899 | M? | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| St Armour Baby*** | Dec 26 – 1900 | F | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |||
| Lovell | Mary Josephine | Jun 24 – 1907 | F | 2 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Wright Baby | Mar 18 – 1920 | ? | 6 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Paris Baby | Apr 20 – 1922 | ? | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Lalonde | Thelma | Dec 20 – 1922 | F | 2 months 20 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Barnes | William | Ap 30 – 1928 | M | 2 months | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Breaton | Gerald | Feb 9 – 1929 | M | 1 month 20 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Moir Baby | Jan 7 – 1930 | ? | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Soloman Baby | Nov 22 – 1931 | ? | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Puttock | Victor Edward | Apr 4 – 1932 | M | 2 months | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Woodcock Baby | Jun 20 – 1934 | ? | S.B. | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | ||
| Schram | Margaret Virginia | Jul 14 – 1943 | F | 2 months | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Johnson Baby | Edward | Oct 22 – 1948 | M | 2 months 12 days | Born while mother was imprisoned and died | |
| Women Mercer Reformatory | ||||||
| Ryan | Winnifred | Mar 18 – 1881 | F | 50 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Hill | Emily | Mar 4 – 1882 | F | 32 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Emsley | Ann | Apr 1 – 1882 | F | 25 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Smith | Isabella | Apr 9 – 1882 | F | 41 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Sheehan | Margaret | Not known | F | Died while imprisoned | ||
| Addison | Mary Ann | Mannah | May 14 – 1884 | F | 36 | Died while imprisoned |
| Fox | Margaret | May 31 – 1884 | F | 45 or 40 | Died while imprisoned | |
| McGill | Ann | Aug 19 – 1886 | F | 40 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Dowling | Alice | Aug 15 – 1887 | F | 24 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Linstead | Mary | Jun 25 – 1888 | F | 18 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Brunan | Mary | May 28 – 1892 | F | 17 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Hunt | Alice Ada | Dec 2 – 1898 | F | 20 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Woodson** | Esther | Nov 16 – 1900 | F | 43? Or 45? | Died while imprisoned | |
| Snake*** | Julia | Not known | F | Died while imprisoned | ||
| Leavis? | Liza Janet | Leovis | Oct 17 – 1914 | F | 42 | Died while imprisoned |
| Brown** | Laura | Apr 6 – 1915 | F | 18 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Henderson | Mable | May 1 – 1916 | F | 42 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Noble | Myrtle | Mar 16 – 1916 | F | 18 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Stevenson | Margaret | Oct 1 – 1917 | F | 25 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Brooks** | Georgina | Sep 18 – 1922 | F | 30 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Henderson | Lillian (nee Miner) | Mar 4 – 1923 | F | 42 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Beedie | Susan | Feb 6 – 1924 | F | 19 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Horner | Mary | Sep 3 – 1927 | F | 49 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Slauson | Gladys | Slawson | Feb 7 – 1927 | F | 19 | Died while imprisoned |
| Tekhuma*** | Alice | Aug 31 – 1929 | F | 19 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Walker (Giles) | Annie | Apr 28 – 1930 | F | 27 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Pheasant*** | Mary | Aug 28 – 1931 | F | 34 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Marshall*** | Catherine | Mar 2 – 1933 | F | 25 | Died while imprisoned | |
| Long | Evelyn | Nov 18 – 1963 | F | Died while imprisoned | ||
| Died after release of imprisonment | ||||||
| Camp | Dora | Feb 10 – 1905 | F | 28 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Lulu | Wilkinson | Grace | Jul 3 – 1905 | F | 23 | Died after release of imprisonment |
| Royal | Blanche | Aug 23 – 1905 | F | 20 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Bennett | Janet (Jeannett) | Apr 14 – 1913 | F | 40 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Jamieson*** | Levina | Lecour | Sep 24 – 1921 | F | 24 | Died after release of imprisonment |
| Williams | Della | June ? – 1923 | Died after release of imprisonment | |||
| Stewart | Ella | Dec 12 – 1933 | F | 42 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Jocko*** | Eileen | Jun 26 – 1947 | F | 24 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Schram (nee Dionne) | Virginia Marquerite | Sep 20 – 1947 | F | 29 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Houle (nee Noon)*** | Cecile | May 18 – 1957 | F | 22 | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| Other | ||||||
| Lessard | Lizzie | Apr 3 – 1911 | F | 30 | Transferred to Kingston Pen | |
| Walker ** | Mary Ann | Jul 16 – 1913 | F | 55 | Died at Brantford jail while waiting to be transferred to Mercer | |
| Ecker | Jessie | Dec 21 – 1918 | F | 29 | Died while imprisoned at the Industrial Refuge (Belmont) | |
| Holloran | Alice | Holland | Jan 19 – 1919 | F | 17 | Died while imprisoned at the Good Shepherd |
| Smith, infant of Mary | Jul 11 – 1925 | F | 3 months, 3 days | Died while mother imprisoned at the Jail Farm – Concord | ||
| Madison | Francis | Dec 24 – 1925 | M | 3 months | Died while mother imprisoned at the Jail Farm – Concord | |
| Howarth | Mary Ann | May 22 – 1929 | F | 44 | Died at Hamilton Barton street jail while waiting to be transferred to Mercer | |
| The Infants’ Home | ||||||
| Maron | Mary Ellen | Feb 19 – 1897 | F | 5 months | Died after release of imprisonment | |
| More coming soon | ||||||
| The Haven | ||||||
| Coming soon | ||||||
In the above List of Deaths there are five names that are bolded. Sadly, Gladys Slauson died in 1927 after being transferred from a jail while very ill to the Mercer Reformatory. Despite the scandal of her death and subsequent enquiry, it appears four, and possibly five, more very ill women would die while incarcerated after Gladys’ demise.
- Gladys Slauson (1927) Tuberculosis
- Alice Tekhuma*** (1929) Toxic Goiter myocarditis – Terminal Pneumonia
- Annie Walker (1930) Tuberculosis
- Mary Pheasant*** (1931) Tuberculosis
- Unknown (1932)
- Catherine Marshall*** (1933) Tuberculosis
While it appears that one prisoner a year from 1929-1933 died at Mercer, there is more to the tragic deaths of these women.
For example, Annie, Mary, and Catherine were actually incarcerated at the same time in January of 1930. Research shows that Catherine and Alice had a connection as they were previously incarcerated at the same time in 1928. Sadly, Alice would die in 1929. Catherine is also listed in the 1931 census with her infant, which means according to the Mercer annual report she was 1 of the 19 mothers who delivered an “illegitimate” baby while incarcerated that year.
Oddly the Mercer annual report for the year ending October 31, 1931 doesn’t list there was a death in the year that Mary died!
Often newspapers will report on deaths at Mercer as they did for Gladys and Alice (see news section below). However, we haven’t been able to find mention of the deaths of Annie, Mary, or Catherine in any of the newspapers. If we do, we will update this post.
“Her Own Fault” is a 1921 film sponsored by the Ontario Government depicting the attitudes regarding those who had tuberculosis.
Ontario Motion Picture Bureau
This film was made for the Division of Industrial Hygiene of the Ontario Provincial Board of Health, to demonstrate the consequences of unhealthy lifestyle choices. The story follows two factory women, Mamie and Eileen, throughout their daily activities. Her Own Fault is an educational film that would have originally been shown in schools, churches and other public venues.
IDC: 99688.
Read more about the film by clicking on the following hyperlink here: Toronto’s “Girl Workers.” The Female Body and Industrial Efficiency in Her Own Fault, by Shelley Stamp Lindsey
News Section
Stories written by descendants
