52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 47 Prompt - Good Deeds

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 47

Prompt – Good Deeds

I believe I have written about this before.  None the less, it is the first story that comes to mind when I think of “good deeds”.

My grandmother Mary McLaughlin (nee Krikau) is the daughter of Andreas and Maria Krikau.  My grandmother was 8 years old when her parents and siblings crossed over the Atlantic to begin a new life in Rosthern, Saskatchewan.

In 1987, Mary gave a short oral history in response to her nephew, John Krikau's letter with questions about the Krikau family.  I have to thank my sister, Bonnie for getting it down and keeping it to share into the future. 

 

The first time I read this history was the first time I heard the story of Great Grandfather, Andreas Krikau “redeeming” a stowaway.  The following paragraph is taken from the oral history from Grandmother Mary McLaughlin; Nee Krikau.

My great grandfather was a very religious man.  Thus redeeming a stowaway from his sins to receive eternal life in heaven with God is in keeping with who Andreas Krikau was in his life.

This explains the reason why they were debarred from the United States as stated in “List or Manifest of Alien Passengers Applying For Admission To The United States From Foreign Contiguous Territory.” and listed in Ancestry in, “U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1825-1960” collection. 

 I have quickly perused the 1911 Passenger List of the ship that The Krikau's came over on for anyone named Jacob Smith.  Not surprisingly I did not find anyone by that name listed.

Jacob Smith repaid great grandfather Andreas Krikau's good deed of redemption with tickets to Sanger, California. It fell apart due to “head tax” rules of the time. 

 

 

I have often wondered what our Krikau Family would have been had my Great Grandfather Andreas Krikau been allowed into the United States.   Fresno sounds like a good place to be raised!

Wendy