Turtle Lady Genealogy: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 6 Prompt

2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 6

Prompt – Earning a Living

My maternal grandmother was Maria Katherina Krikau. She was born 8 Jun 1903 in Warenburg, Samara Province, Volga Valley, Russia. Maria was 8 years old when her family immigrated to Canada. They left on 3 Oct 1911 from Libau and arrived in New York Ellis Island on 17 Oct 1911. The family immediately boarded a train to Rosthern, Saskatchewan. After a few years her father, Andreas Krikau decided he did not like farming and the family left. They ended up Winnipeg, Manitoba. There is a whole story in between leaving the Rosthern farm and arriving in Winnipeg which I wrote about in a previous blog. She arrived in Winnipeg in the summer of 1913 in her pre-teen years. Her parents were staying in Winnipeg only until they could raise the money for family's head tax to get across the Canada – United States border.

My sister told me that our grandmother worked while in Winnipeg. I don't know the exact years but I presume it was as a teenager. Was she working to help her parents with the cost of getting across the border? My sister was told that she worked at the “Bemis Bag Factory” making bags for beans. I googled and found that their was indeed a factory in Winnipeg called “The Bemis Brothers Bag Company”.

“Although not a visually attractive or inspiring structure, this five-storey warehouse and factory on the northeast corner of Stanley Street has the distinction of being one of the city’s earliest reinforced concrete structures, a new construction method that would allow for the construction of one of the most familiar urban landmarks – the skyscraper....The original and long-time owner/occupant of this factory/warehouse was the Bemis Brothers Bag Company, makers of canvas and cotton bags, tents, etc. The company was founded by Judson Moss Bemis in St. Louis, Missouri in 1858 with six sewing machines and contracts to produce shipping bags for several local milling companies. It was incorporated as the Bemis Brothers Bag Company in 1885 when brother Stephen joined the venture. Today, the company operates worldwide, most of its packaging and labelling used in the food industry.”

It is interesting to me that this company existed in Winnipeg and the building that she worked in is still standing as one of the original skyscrapers of its time.


Robert and Mary Sullivan

Mary Krikau married Robert W. Sullivan three years before her parents left Winnipeg for the United States. She was not quite eighteen and the marriage was not particularly popular with her family. Her brothers Andrew and Fred did serve as witnesses. Robert was a cook on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway run between Winnipeg and Saskatoon. Mary may have earned some money housekeeping in Winnipeg before they moved to Saskatoon.

Mary's parents and most of her siblings moved on to The United States mid 1924. It was at this time that Mary and Robert Sullivan moved to Saskatoon.

The marriage of Robert and Mary Sullivan broke down in the mid-1920's. And now Mary was a single mother of one toddler living alone with no family to help her. She had to earn money to support herself and her daughter.

Mary was estranged from her husband but was pregnant again in 1927. Wallace Alvin was born in Calgary. His wife, my aunt Phyllis told me the story of why he was born in Calgary. Aunt Phyllis said to me that Mary Sullivan had Wallace in Calgary in The Salvation Maternity Hospital. She went on to say that Mary needed a job and took on a job with a rancher from Alberta. She drove the horses in and around Calgary. There is a story that Mary was alone on a runaway wagon hitched to 6 horses. My meek and mild grandmother brought the horses under control and stopped the wagon.

Several years ago we went to Waldheim to have a conversation with Esther who was Mary's Cousin's niece. She has lived in the area of Waldheim where the Krikau homestead is located. Esther had several memories of Mary visiting during the early 1930's. I brought up the story of Mary working with horses in an Alberta ranch and told her I could not believe she did that. Esther without a pause or hesitation said she could see her doing just that. She went on to say that Mary was “very daring”. Really !!!

Anyway The Salvation Army Hospital was a hospital and home for unwed mothers. Apparently Mary couldn't have the baby in the Catholic Saskatoon St. Paul's hospital, being considered unwed.

After the birth of Wallace on 5 May 1927, she would have only been able to stay there for a few weeks or possibly a month or two.

My sister Betty told me that Mary Sullivan wanted to go back to the remaining family in Winnipeg. Mary had no money when she left Calgary and cleaned houses along the way to pay her way back to Winnipeg. However she only went as far as Saskatoon where she stayed for the remainder of her life. I do not know why she stopped there.

With two small children, Mary continued to support herself as a housekeeper in the city of Saskatoon. Esther remembers how poor Mary was and they would send a care basket home with her from their family farm.

I asked Esther if there was any memories that she remembered about Mary Sullivan. She went on to tell us that she was a midwife to many of the Krikau women and apparently more than half of the babies and mothers would not be here had it not been for Mary. My sister also told me that our grandmother was a midwife to her neighbourhood in Saskatoon. I am not sure she was paid for these services. I had no idea she was a midwife.

Mary Sullivan continued to work as a housekeeper in Saskatoon after her separation from Robert Sullivan and returning from Calgary. Her client was Benjamin Franklin McLaughlin at 512 Ave K South. According to the 1930 Saskatoon Henderson Directory, Mary Sullivan roomed with Ben McLaughlin as a 'domestic'. Benjamin and Mary married 1 Apr 1932. Mary was 28 years old and Benjamin was 60 years old. Mary McLaughlin told my sister, Betty, that Benjamin McLaughlin "fell in love with her and he worshipped the ground she walked on". Mary McLaughlin also told my sister that those were the best 10 – 11 years of her life. The neighbours were less enthusiastic about their marriage calling Mary McLaughlin “a gold-digger” and that she married him for his money. Of course this was said behind her back.

Benjamin and Mary McLaughlin

Married 1 Apr 1932.

Benjamin McLaughlin became ill in the early 1940's. He had dementia and Mary had her hands full looking after him full time. He had a heart attack and his health steadily declined. Benjamin died 29 Jan 1945 at the age of 78.

Around the time of his death, Mary started working at The Olivier Chocolate Factory in Saskatoon. Yummy. At some point after this she began working at The Saskatoon Quaker Oats Mill. Benjamin had worked as a labourer in Quaker Oats for some time. I am sure that after his death they felt obligated to give grandma a job. She cooked lunch for the staff of 25 to 50. Most of the time she was all by herself. She made everything from scratch as you wood do in the 1930's. Grandmother McLaughlin was a wonderful cook and I am pretty sure she was very appreciated at the Quaker Oats Mill. My mother, Vivian worked at the mill for a short time along side her mother, Mary. Sometimes my older siblings would be asked to help out. Betty worked the summer between Grade 11 and Grade 12. She unpacked bowls from shipping crates from China. These bowls were added to Oatmeal Cereal boxes as an incentive to buy their brand.

Mary McLaughlin With Unknown Person

In Quaker Oats Kitchen.

Mary McLaughlin retired from this job in 1955 when the Saskatoon Quaker Oats Mill closed down. She thought she had it made for the rest of her life because she got a pension of $50.00 per month. She soon discovered that her life would be difficult financially. On the other side of the coin, Mary had inherited the home from Benjamin. She also inherited his cabin at Waskesiu Lake which she sold off shortly after because it was really too much bother. Further she had a border for years now which brought in some extra money.

Mary McLaughlin was my grandmother. The grandmother that I knew was a meek and mild quintessential church lady. Who was this women who drove wild horses on an Alberta ranch? No one ever talked about her life as a midwife. She had worked in two different factories in her young life to make money for herself. She struggled through an awful first marriage. She had a son out of wedlock in a city quite far from her home in Saskatoon. I always knew she was a great cook and had heard that she worked as a cook at Quaker Oats. I can't imagine cooking a full lunch for 25 to 50 staff everyday by yourself. Working as a housekeeper seemed a normal employment opportunity for the young immigrant women. And as it turns out it gave her some stability that her younger life never enjoyed.