52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 43. Prompt - Quite The Character

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 43

Prompt – Quite The Character

My mother was a very complicated person.  Her moods were every colour of the rainbow.  I have 6 siblings and I dare say that we would not agree on how to characterize her.  None the less, there were times that my mother, Lydia Vivian Peters or Vivian, could be quite a character.

I have scanned photos from the family albums that show a sillier side of my mother. Of all her characteristics, being silly seemed the least probable characteristic to explain who she was.

My mother giving her mother, Mary McLaughlin, a hard time about shrinking. 

What was the joke? My mom, Vivian, her mom, Mary, and Vivian's brother Wally.

Mom loved music.  So hiking up her dress to sit down to play drums while my brother's rock band was rehearsing in the garage at home was not surprising.

A cigarette, a coffee and a story as animated as she was. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Among her often sullen angry moods there appeared an almost childlike self that I believe was a longing to go back to a simpler time in her life. This silly side of mom showed up rarely.  However when it did, it was a breath of fresh air.  

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 42. Prompt - Proud

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 42

Prompt – Proud

 

Jacob Peters

Private, L74422.
Served in WWII from March 27, 1942 to March 15, 1946.
He served 49 months of which 37 months were in the U.K., Sicily, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Part of his time was spent as a Truck Driver Class 1/C and part as Cook Class C.
He saw unspeakable things and did things commanded of him as duty to His Royal Majesty and the Canadian Army.
Jake came home silent and like so many other veterans rarely spoke of these things.

I am very proud of my father and every other veteran who served and continues to serve. I can only say these simple words to my father and all veterans then and now;

Thank you.

Jake Peters Standing Next to Army Truck - Circa 1943. 

Jake Peters Army Metals Ordered by My Sister, Bonnie and Received in 1973.

To me the prompt of proud is synonymous with my father's army photo.  Although early for Remembrance Day, being proud of your father is to be celebrated every day. 

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 41. Prompt - Newest

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 41

Prompt – Newest.

My father's youngest brother was Abraham or Abe Peters

I know very little about him.  This information is sourced from Susan Cliffe.   Susan is my cousin or Abe Peters niece.  I am not sure how she established his date of birth. 

 

Lt to Rt; Shirley Knoxel, Helena Heide, Abe Peters. Ca. 1980”s. 

Three siblings of my father. This is the only photo I have of Abe Peters.

I started perusing my newspaper.com database in hopes of finding an obituary. I did not find one (yet)! However I did run across this article in The Vancouver Sun dated September 15, 1987.  I found the following article; “No Finish in Sight in Fight For Homeless. Expo Evictee: Abe Peters Now Lives in 4 Sisters Housing Co-Op”

The photograph of Abe Peters in this article seems to resemble the only other photo I have of Abe.  It states his age as 61 and that fits with his birth date of 1926.   If this is my Uncle Abe Peters I have learned just a bit more about him.  It states he was a former PNE ride operator.  According to Jim Green of DERA (Downtown Eastside Residence Association), Abe was living in Regal Place Hotel at 146 West Hasting across from Woodward's.  Abe was served eviction orders under his door and because he could not read or write he had somebody else read it to him.  He had 5 days to move out.  However he came home one day and his locks were changed.  Jim Green goes on to say Abe eventually found another hotel to reside in, but that sounded as if it was never secure.  Upon which he moved into 4 Sisters Housing Co-Op

His resemblance, his age, his labour type employment, his illiteracy. and his low rental room living accommodations all come together to paint a background that is much like my father's other siblings, nieces and nephews who lived in Vancouver and we visited several times over my childhood.

This housing co-op is addressed as 133 Powell. Now here is the OMG in this story!. When I googled 4 Sisters Housing Co-op, it became crystal clear where this was.

I have been on that roof top patio and looked out over that same beautiful scenery of Vancouver Harbor. I have been inside that Co-Op housing and stayed inside several times; because it is where my daughter lives today!

This is my newest discovery in my genealogy journey and I don't know what to think about this coincidence, but it definitely has a spine tingling feel about it that leaves me in awe.

Can it be Serendipity?

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 40. Prompt -Oldest

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 40

Prompt – Oldest

The Oldest Photograph in my Genealogy Tree.

The Jahnke Brothers
Johann Friedrich Jahnke - The gentleman on the right.  Born: Nov 21, 1863 Died: February 3, 1945 This is Bill's Great Grandfather.  This Photograph was taken in Germany prior to their immigration to United States. The actual photograph is held by Bill's sister.  

The Oldest Document in My Genealogy Tree.

Maria Krikau October 3, 1911 Ship Inspection Card from the immigration ship, Birma.  This is my maternal grandmother.  She was 8 years old when the family left Privalnoje, Russia through Libau and across the ocean to Ellis Island, New York and then on to Saskatchewan by railway.  I have it in my personal possessions.    

The Oldest Correspondence in my genealogy. 

This postcard was sent March 16, 1911 from Lydia to Ida Bachmann.  They were cousins.  Ida Bachmann is Bill's maternal grandmother.  I love that the photo has a horse drawn buggy driving down the road in front of the Banff Hotel.  

The Oldest Wedding Photograph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Johann and Emilie Jahnke.  This is the same Johann Jahnke from the first photograph.  They were married in Bromberg, Prussia on April 20, 1890.  It is 130 years old.  Will any of our digital photographs still be available 130 years from now (2150)?  Bill's mother, Clara Hoffart has the actual photo in her possession.  

The Oldest Ancestor Line in my Tree. 

Michael Miller born in 1665 + Marie Unknown  =

Peter Miller born 25 Sep 1694 in Amlach, Kärnten, Austria +Dorothea Santner born 15 Jan 1694 =

Peter Miller born 10 Nov 1721 in Unteramlach, Carinthia, Austria + Elisabeth Innerwinkler (1838) =

Peter Miller born 18 Jan 1768 in Ciorogirla, Ilfov, Romania + Susanna Stahl 30 Jan 1765 = 

Andreas Peter Mueller born 9 Jul 1798 in Wischenka, Tschernigow, Russia + Maria Penner (1794) =

Katharina Mueller born 13 Feb 1836 in Schoenhorst, Chortitza, Ukraine + David Peters (1835 -1919) =

Franz Peters born 29 Jul 1876 in Plum Couleem Manitoba + Elisabeth Dueck (1881-1872) =

Jacob Peters born 28 Mar 1917 in Hague, Sask. + Lydia Vivian Sullivan (1922 - 1987) = 

Wendy Peters born 1954 in Saskatoon, Sask + William Hoffart (1954) =

My daughters= 

My granddaughters.

That is 11 generations from the generation of my granddaughters.  Wow!  

Historically, 1665 was the outbreak of Bubonic Plague or Black Death in Europe.  Isaac Newton was just a college student in Cambridge. It was one year before the Great Fire of London that killed 15% of its population.

Wendy H.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 39. Prompt - Questions?

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 39

Prompt – Questions?

1. If my Grandmother Peters is blind, why does she wear glasses?   This question came to me recently in the middle of the night.  You know the nights where you are awake for no reason and your mind just wonders?

   
    
2. On my Grandmother McLaughlin's naturalization, she is listed as a subject of the United States when she never lived there.  Also she has listed she was divorced!   Before 1968, divorce was enacted as private acts of the government which was recorded and now on a searchable database. She is not in it!  Note her last name is listed as Sollivan and not Sullivan.
   

3. And you wonder why I never use the security question, “what's your mother's maiden name?”  I know that she was never adopted by her grandmother's new husband.  Thus, my mother's legal name was Lydia Vivian Sullivan.  But she went by Vivian!  In her wedding book she is listed as:

   
   
   
   
   
   And in her newspaper announcement she is named Lydia Vivian Sullivan McLaughlin.

4. On my father's Registration of Death, his address is listed wrong and it states that his father was born in Russia.  In fact Frank was the first Canadian born child to David and Catherine after immigrating to Canada.  These are the type of errors that send a genealogist in the wrong direction.

   
   5. Why does my maternal grandfather, Pat Sullivan have several different places he was born?  In his marriage certificate he says he is born in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.  And on my mother's live birth registration it is Los Angeles!!!  His wife, my grandmother was the informant for the Live Birth Registration.
   
   
   
   
   6.Why do I not have any DNA matches in my Ancestry Tree to any of my maternal grandmother's side?   That is Krikau.  Again I really don't understand the whole DNA thing but since my Peters side has many many matches, it just seems I should have some on my maternal side too.  Am I adopted.?!

 

Wendy H.