52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 31 Prompt - Grandfather

 2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 31

Prompt - Grandfather

I have a subscription for a genealogical website called Ancestry. I have worked on my family tree within Ancestry. Besides connecting to genealogical hints, historical records and genetic websites, it produces some interesting charts and reports.  Ancestry has created a life story report of my paternal grandfather, Franz Peters.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 30 Prompt - Ships

2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 30

Prompt – Boats

Mennonite immigration to Manitoba between 1870 and 1880 totalled approximately 7,000 men, women and children. They immigrated from their colonies in Southern Russia. My paternal great-grandparents and their children were among those that came to Canada at this time. 

In 1875, 8 ships crossed the Atlantic (between May and October) carrying a total of 3,341 Mennonite immigrants. David and Katharina Peters and their 7 children were on the S.S. Canadian leaving July 2, 1875. The Peters Family were among the 561 passengers on this ship.

S.S. Canadian

They left from Hamburg, Germany. Their departure port was considered Liverpool, England and they travelled 17 days across the ocean landing at the port of Hull, Quebec on July 19, 1875. I believe they then travelled by train to Kitchener, Ontario. The immigrants then boarded a boat to make their way to Duluth, Mn. The distance was over 800 miles and took several days.

In Duluth they boarded a train to travel 250 miles to Moorhead, Mn. Once in Moorhead they boarded a steamer ship to travel the last 150 miles up the Red River to the “immigration sheds” in Dufferin, Manitoba.

There is a story written in the Mennonite Historian magazine that sheds more light on what happened once they arrived at Fort Dufferin. Jacob Fehr was 15 years old when he and his family immigrated to Manitoba. They left Chortitza Colony in Russia which was the same colony that David and Katharina Peters left. Jacob Fehr's family and fellow immigrants arrived at Fort Dufferin on July 14, 1875 just days before The Peters Family arrived. Apparently the Mennonites had to wait at Fort Dufferin until the land could be surveyed. The surveyor was going about the task of surveying the land at the time of their arrival. Fort Dufferin was established in 1872 and used by the Canadian Government as a boundary commission which housed those hired to establish the border between the U.S. And Canada. In 1874 North West Mounties made it their headquarters until they moved to Winnipeg in 1875. From 1875 to 1879 they used it to hold the immigrants. Fort Dufferin was made to hold 300 people but at the height of immigration it held 1,000 Mennonites in this very cramped building. Jacob Fehr noted that there was illness and death especially among the children. Almost daily they buried their children around Fort Dufferin. The Mennonites called Fort Dufferin “a place of mourning”.

They stayed in Fort Dufferin for 6 weeks waiting for the surveyors to finish their jobs. In the meantime the Mennonites were assigned villages. When the time had come that surveying was done and they were given approval to leave Fort Dufferin, they did so with ox and cart to their villages in open grassland.

According to the Mennonite Historian, Jacob Fehr and thus most Mennonites following the same trail to their new land travelled 13,000 miles by rail and by boat.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 29 Prompt - Automobiles

2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 29

Prompt – Automobiles

These are photographs of my ancestor's automobiles taken in the first half of the 20^th century.

Rt. Car is John Jahnke's 1909 Model T

John Jahnke, Bill's mother's father's father bought his first car in 1913. It was a 1909 Model T costing 300.00 dollars. They would have lived in Hatton, Saskatchewan.

1915 - Arthur Jahnke's 1st Car - Model T

In 1915 Arthur Jahnke, Bill's maternal grandfather, bought a brand new 1915 Model T that cost him 600.00 dollars.

1910 circa - Lizzie Fesser, Minnie and John Bachmann

In 1910 circa Minnie and August Bachmann pose in front of their car. Lizzie is Minnie's sister. The Bachmann's are Bill's mother mother's father. They lived in Killaly, Saskatchewan at this time.

1916 Maxwell - John and Son, Arthur Jahnke

Bill's maternal great-grandfather, John Jahnke bought a brand new 1916 Maxwell because it was bigger and they were travelling through the northern California area. They were looking for a new opportunity to open a store and finally settled in Gibbon, Mn. 

1920 Circa - Pat's Car

Among my maternal grandmother's photographs that I inherited is this one which says Circa 1920's Pat's Car. Pat being my maternal grandfather, that is Grandmother McLaughlin's first husband, Robert Wentworth Sullivan. AKA - Pat

1930 Circa - Peters' Family Car With Family

This photograph is a photograph that says Peters Family Car and Family. Circa 1930. Who knew my paternal grandfather had a car. They were Mennonite and they took a dim view of cars. Also the Peters family was very poor.

1936 - Arthur, Ida Jahnke With Herb and Clara Jahnke

In 1936, Bill's Grandparents ,Arthur and Ida Jahnke with their children moved back to the farm in Killaly, Saskatchewan from Yakima Washington in this car with attached wagon with their belongings. 

1941 - Andreas Krikau Holding Granddaughter, Betty Peters

Grandfather Andreas Krikau is holding my infant sister, Betty in front of their car that brought them to Saskatoon from Winnipeg for Betty's baptism. 

1940 Circa- Tony Hoffart in Ontario

 During the war, Bill's father and some friends moved to Ontario to work in the factories.  Tony did not like the repetitiveness of the job and came back home to Saskatchewan.

These are some but not all of our ancestors' cars. 

Wendy