52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 36
Prompt - Work
Isn't he handsome? I believe this
picture is from his U. S. Naturalization Declaration of Intention
papers which he signed in April of 1932. That would have made him
about 53 years of age.
Mary Krikau, my grandmother and his
daughter left us an oral history which was kept. Originally she was
responding to her nephew's request for more family information. It
was 1987 when my sister took and recorded this from grandmother in
order that it may be typed up and sent to her nephew. Thank goodness
she kept a copy. Thanks Bonnie.
The Volga Germans farmed their new land
with winter hardy wheat. Milling in the 1860's became the fasted
growing industry of the Volga German area. Almost every village had a
mill of some kind. Saratov was home to the largest steam driven mill
in Russia in 1870.
I have to wonder if Andreas had some
farming experience as well. His cousin Philip Krikau was established
in Rosthern, Saskatchewan and wrote to Andreas.
However as grandmother said, her father, Andreas
did not like farming. In fact we realize through family stories and
other sources that he was doing carpentry work in Rosthern. Probably he
did both.
There is a family story of why Andreas
and family left Rosthern besides his dislike for farming. The cousin who sponsored them, Philip
Krikau married a Catherine Kinzel. The Rosthern Kinzel family had
hired Andreas to build two houses for them in Rosthern. I wonder if this is his first time building a home or had he experience in Russia that made family ask him to build a home? Upon
completion it is said that the Kinzel family never paid Andreas. Or
as it was told to us “he was swindled out his money.”
In June of 2009 I connected with
Charles Krikau of Rosthern. He is the grandson of the Philip Krikau
who sponsored Andreas and family. Charles took us to meet his aunt
Esther - a daughter of Philip Krikau. Esther had memories of Andreas and family and
Mary. She did mention that she did not see Vivian (my mom) at the
farm very often. “She was angry and did her own thing. We
accepted her as she was. That was who she was!” But I digress!
After a bit I finally asked Esther and
Charles about the home - building / swindle story we had been told.
Together they didn't know whose homes they were specifically, but
thought that “it could have some merit.”
Thus in anger Andreas and family left
Rosthern and was headed to California. From a previous blog you
might remember they were joining a gentlemen who Andreas had saved in
God's name (redeemed him), and sent Andreas passenger fare to join him in Sangar,
California. This was 1913 and they were turned away because he did
not have the money to pay the whole family head tax of a $100.00 per
person. Upon being turned back at the border they settled in Winnipeg.
The 1916 Canada Census states that
Andreas is “a laborer doing odd jobs.” The next Canada Census
was done 1n 1921. Andreas and family is living at 609 Herbert Avenue
in Winnipeg, Manitoba and listed as a carpenter who earned $1600.00
that year and worked through the year without being unemployed.
The family left Winnipeg in 1924 to move to the States. My grandmother did not join them as she was married already and stayed behind. I found a 1926 City Directory for Oshkosh,
Wisconsin where Andreas Krikau and family was living. The 1926 City
Directory lists him as an employee of a lumber company.
The 1930 U.S. Census lists him as a
carpenter for a steel mill. That kind of helps me figure out a
newspaper article from mom's scrapbook. There is no description of
when or where the article was printed. I do think it was a local work
newspaper. It says he has just completed 15 years of service in a
“machine shop”. However I still believe he worked as a carpenter
in this particular place.
We know that according to the 1926 City
Directory he was living in Wisconsin. However the 1928 City
Directory lists him as renting in Chicago and employed as a
carpenter. According to John Krikau, the grandson of Andreas
who lived in Chicago, he stated in his letter to me that the family lived
in Chicago since 1926. Thus with some simple math, the newspaper article was probably printed about
1941. The occasion of a trip to Canada could have been to visit his
new granddaughter, Betty who was born and baptized in the spring of 1941.
The 1940 U.S. Census lists 60 year old
Andreas Krikau as a carpenter of a local Steel Company and he worked
full time earning about $1950.00 the previous year.
By all accounts Andreas was a carpenter. I
want to know if the homes in Rosthern are still standing. I have a
vague recollection from somewhere that I can't put my finger on at
this moment that he built his own Chicago home. Is it still
standing?
I am not sure of where he learned his
trade of carpentry. Did he do carpentry work in Russia? Did his father
teach him? Or was it in his nature to be handy and a natural
woodworker?
Wendy
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