52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 32 Prompt - Sister

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 32
Prompt - Sister

These are the sisters in my genealogy photographs! 

1912 - Bill's Great Aunts and Grandmother - Ida, Caroline, Dorothy Bachmann

1943 - On Killaly Farm Lina, Dora, Ida (Bill's Grandmother)

1950 Circa - Bill's Mother, Clara Jahnke, Grandpa Art Jahnke and Clara's sister, Aunt Elsie Jahnke

1921 April 11 - Elizabeth Krikau and Sister Mary Sullivan - My Grandmother

1932 Circa - Elizabeth Krikau and Sister - Mary Krikau

1960's Circa - My Father's Sisters and Mother. Lt is Mary,  Center is Grandmother Elizabeth , Rt is Katie

1958 - Hoffart Siblings. Third From Rt is Bill's Father, Tony Hoffart and his 3 Sisters are Lt to Rt are Eva, Barbara and Regina

Circa 1980 - My Father's Sisters and Brother. Lt to Rt. Shirley Noxel, Helena Heide, and Abe Peters (the only pic of Abe Peters that I have.)

These are my cousins, Helena (from above)  and George Heide daughter's.

2016 Aug 25 - Vivian Heide Ratzloff & Sue Heide Cliffe

2016 Mar -  Sisters- Sue, Emma and Kay — with Susan Heide Cliffe, Em Kawa and Kay Sbitney in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

1961 Circa - Gloria, Noreen Cheryl_Jahnke -  Bill's Cousin's.

2004 - Peters' Sisters;  Diane,  Betty,  Bonnie and Wendy

2011 July - My Nieces -  Sue, Sarah & Sandy Lutz

My Grand Nieces - Kayla, Miranda, Sandy (their mother), Cynthia.

Bill's Sisters

1966 Dec - Elaine and Norma With Santa

1978 Jun 17 - Elaine Reed and Norma Hoffart Sisters

My Daughters

1983 Christmas - Jackie & Jill Hoffart Special Xmas Dresses1

1984 Circa - Jackie and Jill Hoffart

1985 Circa - Halloween; Jill and Jackie Hoffart

1990 - Jill & Jackie Kananaskis

2001 May - Jackie and Jill Hoffart

2018 July 27 - Jackie & Jill at Wedding Party

My Granddaughters

2008 Nov - Kelsey Kissing Alanna

2009 Xmas - Alanna and Very Sad Kelsey Visiting Santa

2017 - Alanna and Kelsey in Hawaii

2018 - Alanna, Kelsey and Charlie

2018 - Alanna and Kelsey at Jackie and Robyn's Brunch

2018 Summer - Sisters, Alanna & Kelsey

The Many Faces of Sisters

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 31 Prompt - Brother

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 31

Prompt – Brother

My maternal grandmother, Mary McLaughlin; nee Krikau had 2 sisters and 7 brothers. Her youngest sibling was her brother, Wilhelm Krikau. 

After my Uncle Wally who was Grandmother McLaughlin's last surviving child died I received a box of documents, pictures and papers from Aunt Phyllis (Uncle Wally's wife). Aunt Phyllis said she had no need for them and was considering throwing them away until I coincidentally contacted her regarding family genealogy. I was ecstatic that she sent them my way. That box contained some of my family's oldest documents along with many incidental pictures and random papers. It was a treasure trove to me. 

In that box I found an envelope. In my grandmother's handwriting is written; “ My brother's grave no. In Winnipeg Man.” 

Inside the envelope was this; 

I received this in 2009 just as I was beginning to put together my family tree. I didn't think much about it until years later when I realized that there was no Krikau brother in my family tree named Wilhelm Krikau. The clues on the note said it was “baby” Krikau who was buried May 20, 1918. On Ancestry the only hit closest to the above information was this;

I have seen this variation of this last name; that is Krikan instead of Krikau. The first name matched. The city matched. The death was several months before the May 20, 1918 burial. It was probably a match. I decided to dig a little deeper and looked on the Government of Manitoba Vital Statistics website.

The information was again quite vague but I noted his age as 4 months and not 4 years.

The obvious next step was to order the death certificate from Manitoba Vital Statistics. For $12.00 I received the genealogical copy and it filled in many blanks and gave more detail.

Wilhelm died at home of lobar pneumonia at 4 months and 7 days of age. It said the contributing factor was indigestion. I would have thought it was related to the pandemic flu of the time. The address was 613 Talbot Avenue Winnipeg. They listed his birth date as 25 October 1917. The Medical Certificate states his doctor knew him from February 15, 1918 to March 1, 1918. Wilhelm died March 2, 1918 at 5 A.M. The undertaker from Brookside Cemetery stated the date of burial or “removal” was March 2^nd.

Knowing the date of death I have to believe that his interment was March 20 and not May 20 as I interpreted and assumed it was.

When I look up the Brookside Cemetery and search for Wilhelm Krikau and various spellings I can't find him.

However I know from Grandmother's document that he is buried at Brookside Cemetery in Section 74 at Lot 167.

Someday when I get to Winnipeg, I will visit Brookside and see where Wilhelm Krikau is buried.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 30 Prompt - Easy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 30

Prompt – Easy

To me genealogy is more than births, christenings, marriages, deaths and burials. I seek out the stories behind these facts. As is the case in genealogy most of the stories I wish I had have long been lost and in fact buried. The lament never ends and that is – I wish I would have asked when they were alive. Again the truth is that when they were alive we did not care to ask or even think there was more to their lives than what we knew at the time. 

I have had the fortune of interviewing, Bill's mother, Clara Hoffart; nee Jahnke. She was the only remaining parent of Bill and me at the time I started doing genealogy. I was encouraged through my fellow members of the local genealogical society to get on with that before it was too late. How does one do that?

On line there is many sites one can go to and find interview questions. I printed out one and dedicated a notebook to getting the answers. I did not have the phone technology to record her answers but tried my best to write down her answers as she answered them. It never felt easy asking such personal information from her. Clara was always willing to answer the questions. They produced insight to her early life on a farm outside of Killaly, Saskatchewan. For example when asked about house chores on the farm, Clara remembered how when she was younger her mother, Ida Jahnke nee Bachmann did the ironing and baking bread chores on the same day. That produced a very warm and at times a hot home, but that is why her mother did those chores together on the same day. She worked on a wood stove. It was Clara and her brother's job to bring in wood from outside and place it in a huge wood box. Clara said they brought in huge armfuls until her mother said it was enough. The iron was placed on the stove until warm. Ida used a cloth to wipe the bottom of the iron before ironing the clothing.

It is seemingly a small detail of Clara's early life but it was so rich in detail that had I not asked it would have been lost forever. I learned that Clara's mother managed a home efficiently. Clara had chores that were expected of her from an early age. When I asked if she remembered any other farm chores she told me that she was expected to pump water to the two troughs for the thirsty farm animals. It would take an half an hour or more. And she had to do this twice a day. By the time she was 10 along with her brother, they were expected to get the cows from the pasture to the barn with the help of their trusty dog. They fed the calves and pigs and the few chickens and of course they had to milk the cows. At 14 she helped with “stooking” She remembered that “the boys” would come from town to help out with stooking and made $5.00 per day. 

These chores were done before and after school. She attended a one room country school. She remembered that it was 2.5 miles from their farm and the prairie school was 4.5 miles from the town of Killaly. They got to school by walking or horse if it was available and in the winter by horse and sleigh. However she noted that they never had school in January because of the harsh weather. They started school in July and had two weeks off at harvest time. I never thought about school and farm life working hand in hand for the convenience of climate and farm life.

I found that going through her photo albums were an easier way to get stories and history from her.

Her Brother Herb, Her Mother Ida and Clara Jahnke.

The Photograph That Started a Memory of Living in Selah, Washington

When she looked at the above photographs she instantly knew that it was a picture of her and her brother in summer of 1936 on their return trip to Killaly from Selah, Washington where they had lived since October of 1933. At that time I did not know that they lived in the US for almost 3 years. So the story unfolds as this. Clara's parents – Arthur and Ida Jahnke, her older sister, Elsie and older brother Herb and herself went to visit their Uncle Len and Aunt Amelia in Selah in 1932. Len was Art's brother living on an orchard. The following winter Len's wife Amelia died. Uncle Len thought that Art and his family really enjoyed picking apples and being on their orchard and he convinced Art to come to Selah, Washington and try out fruit ranching. Despite having a mixed farm (3/4 section), things in the dirty thirties were quite desperate. Art being an astute business man decided to get registered Jersey cows and that is pretty much what got them through the poor crop years. It was the cream cheques from the cows. Art also thought he would try out the orchard living in Selah. So after his harvest of 1933 he rented out his farm to Edwin Meiers and they moved to Selah Washington. The Killaly farm renters kept the registered herd as part of the agreement. Further the renters could keep 1/3 of the new calves born. While in Washington, Art and Ida received 1/3 of the cream cheques. Clara said that at that time lots of cream was being shipped to The Creamery of Melville. Clara also noted that had it not been for the jersey herd her father would have gone broke on the Killaly farm.

Jahnke's Jersey Herd

Their first year in Selah was spent on a rented fruit ranch about a mile out of Selah and it came with a fully furnished home.

First Rented Home in Selah, Washington.

Their trip to move to Selah by car took 3 or more days. Several years after the fact Art told Clara a story about her traveling to Washington since she was only 4 or so she did not remember it. Clara had grew really tired of the trip and had said the mountains should be gone – I don't want them anymore. Her father told her in German “little Clara don't worry. Lay down and go to sleep. He would take care of them and move them aside” When she woke up she was happy to have them gone.

Years later Clara recalls her parents talking about their decision to move to the States. The town folk and farmers told them that gloom and doom would befall them for taking their brand new car ( 1932 Chev) and family so far away. However understandably, Clara said traveling great distances like that was unheard of in the 1930's!

Clara started school in Selah Unit School for Grades 1,2 & 3. That school she remembers being across from the high school. As is to happen to this day the grades got shuffled and to different schools in the area. Her parents dropped her off at the original school and as Clara said her parents had a conniption when she was not there on pick up. The superintendent drove her home with many apologies to Art and Ida. 

Their 2nd House in Selah, Washington.

The second year in Selah, Art and Ida along with Ida's younger brother (Henry Fesser) bought a fruit farm. Clara remembers that the house was much prettier and made of cedar. She remembers the smell of the cedar. Clara remembers that Mrs. Berquist was her teacher and since she was a neighbor, Clara visited Mrs Berquist quite frequently.

Her Grade 1,2 & 3 were done in a one room school house called Selah Heights School. In grade 2 her best friend was Amy Bjork who as it turned out many years later wrote the book – I'm OK Your OK.

I guess that the price given for their harvested apples was even worse than the price they got for wheat. It was the dirty thirties. Ida's brother Henry Fesser was apparently a bit of a perfectionist and his ideas were always more costly. Apparently after two years Henry got “itchy feet” and Art and Henry sold the fruit farm.

Clara said it was not only Henry who was ready to move on. Her father felt “hemmed in by the mountains”. And Clara further mused that every time the Canadian geese flew overhead her dad would get homesick.

Her paternal grandparents lived in Yakima at the time which is about 5 miles away from Selah. Johann and Emilie Jahnke spoke mainly German in the house. She would be taken to a different church than her parents and grandparents because they went to a German language church and she went to English speaking church for Sunday School. After church the whole family would have lunch together at her grandparent's (Johann and Emilie) home in Yakima.

On her 6^th birthday, Clara apparently decided that she needed a birthday party. She invited everyone that she knew to her party. However her parents never knew about it until the day before when one of the invitees asked at what time the party was. They managed to put one together despite their surprise to find out they were holding it. On that same birthday, her grandfather Johann Jahnke, bought a brand new store bought dress with matching panties without  his wife's, Emelie being their to assist him choosing the dress. That totally surprised her grandmother, Emilie because Grandfather was so straight laced and buying something so personal was really out of character.

Clara's 6th Birthday. Clara in front. Lt sitting is Clara's Grandpa J Jahnke and Rt is Clara's  father Art Jahnke.  Back Row is Sister Elsie, Clara's Grandma Emilie, Her Brother Herb, Her Mother Ida Jahnke.

After the fruit farm was sold Clara's family moved into the living quarters above the fruit packing plant. She remembers it as generous space with two bedrooms. Her brother slept on the couch , Clara and her sister slept in the first bedroom and her parents slept in the other.

The only part of the fruit farm she really remembers is the drying of the fresh fruit on big screens outside such as apricots, plums, apples etc. They put the dried fruit in large cloth bags and took them home to the farm in Killaly. They had them for years and apparently they made excellent jam. Who knew?

Clara's teacher, Mrs Berquist gave Clara a going away present of a plate, the type you would get from the box of Rolled Oats.

Most specifically Clara remembers from the photograph of the car and wagon fully loaded for their return trip that she got measles which slowed down the progress of their return trip.

How easy it was to look at two photographs and find out a part of Clara's life that I did not know about. Not just that she lived in Selah, Washington for three years, but the rich detail of her life while there and all that despite being only 6 or so years old.

It was two photographs of one photo album of many that she has. I got this story when I first begun genealogy in 2008. Clara was just at the beginning stages of macular degeneration. She could still see the photographs. Now 11 years later she is almost totally blind and sadly not able to make out most of the photos. However at 91 she is living in a senior's apartment mostly on her own. Her mind is sharp as a tack and her stories are still there for the asking.

It is much easier to get a story rich in detail from them when they are alive!

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 29 Prompt - Challenging

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 29

Prompt – Challenging

DNA !

I have blogged about my trepidation in taking the Ancestry DNA test, but I did it anyway. I have blogged about DNA and it's steep learning curve and how it all fits into my family tree. I believe I will have to put in much more work and study to make it as useful a tool as it claims to be. Ancestry has many tutorials on line. One of these days I will get to them. It might even make DNA less challenging. 

The DNA home page is divided into 3 main panels.

 

My DNA ethnicity estimations is shown as above and it is found in the first panel of my DNA home page. It has a lovely map showing the areas where my ethnicity is found. If you follow through the different groups such as Germans from Russia it gives you a time line of their migration from Germany to United States. It will give you the history of the time which gives you the back story and perhaps the reasons why they moved.

The next panel is the list of my DNA matches which breaks down into the following categories. I have 25.000 + matches. Oh joy. 

Thrulines (Trade Mark of Ancestry) is my favorite part.

 

In this example of my 4^th great grandparents, it shows 2 potential ancestors based on my DNA and similar family trees that I do not have in my Ancestry Family Tree. Franz and Susanna Klassen are already in my tree, but they are there for me to go over and check out sources that other DNA matches have made in their family trees. I want to look at Abraham Krahn. Thrulines suggests that I may be related to 30 DNA matches through this person. 

Now all I have to do is follow up on the 4 trees linked by DNA matches and peruse the 103 other Ancestry Member trees to see if this could possibly be my fourth great grandfather.  One would think that since this ancestor is linked to me through DNA it must be my 4th Great Grandfather.  However Ancestry warns me to check carefully as it is not always a given. Say whaaat?
DNA is challenging for me because it is relatively new for genealogy purposes. It is always evolving. All I need to do is work through it with the help from books and tutorials and get he basics down and the rest will surely follow.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 28 Prompt - Reunion

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 28

Prompt – Reunion

I can't say that I have participated in a formal family reunion. Sometime after both parents had died my siblings decided to get together for a camping weekend at Pike Lake just outside of Saskatoon. It was quite informal. It was a gathering of all of us, our spouses and children. We had fun and food and a grand summer Saskatchewan thunderstorm that scared the wits out of me as we were in a tent which barely withstood the wind storm. However we made it through the weekend alive.

I have attended many weddings which in a way is a form of family reunion and mostly under happy circumstances. A family reunion would be the ultimate genealogy party – well for me!

Betty and John on Their 56th Anniversary - April 2018

Last evening, my sister and her husband were over for our usual Friday evening get together and coffee. We were chatting about this and that when Betty recalled a memory from her childhood. I love when this happens. 

November 1941 - Betty Peters.  Dad Enlisted 2 Months Later

Betty remembers the day that dad returned from the war. She would have been 5 years old. She was excited and couldn't wait to see him. She, mom and Diane went to the train station. I imagine there were many many more waiting just as she , mom and Diane were. Betty recalls the train coming into Saskatoon train station and they were waiting on the platform for the men to disembark. She recalls that the soldiers came off the train and marched 4 abreast into the station. When they had all gone by they had not seen dad among them. Betty was very sad. They turned around to go back into the station when she saw dad sitting on his haunches next to his duffel bag in the corner of the station. Betty was so happy to see dad again and went running to him. 

Diane & Betty Peters Circa 1946.  Around The Time Dad Came Home.

What could be a happier reunion than this? What a beautiful memory. I can visualize it. I can see dad sitting quietly at the side and possibly smoking a cigarette. I could see dad looking across the scene of the military disembarkation and maybe even thinking that he had been forgotten by his family. Although I can't say for sure I bet he sadly took in the scene thinking about the last time he was at the Saskatoon train station leaving for war and how naive he was and how now his world would never be the same after all that he had seen, done and experienced in the name of war and peace. 

Jake Peters 1942

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 27 Prompt - Independent

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 27

Prompt – Independent

My great grandfather was born in South Russia on April 18, 1835 and his name was David Peters. On January 5, 1859 he married Katherina Mueller also born in South Russia on February 13, 1836. It is her family name of Mueller / Miller which I want to focus on in this blog. This is not my research but research done by Jake Buhler, a president of The Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and published in The Saskatchewan Mennonite Historian in October of 2010. He traces eight generations of Mueller's from 1665 to 1916. As a descendant of this family, I find his history of this family fascinating. It is about religion, persecution, death, daring escapes and travel to new countries. Ultimately all to gain independence to practice their religion whatever that looked like. .

The first couple of generations of the Mueller's is traced back to 16^th century Austria. It was a time of Martin Luther reformation. Austria was predominantly Catholic and their empire was ruthless with any dissenters from the Catholic faith. During this period in 1665, Michael Mueller (FIRST GENERATION) was born. He married a Maria Unknown Unmarried name and they had one son – Peter Mueller (SECOND GENERATION). He was born on 25 Sep 1694 in Unteramlach, Spittal, Austria.(In today's map this is 163 Kilometres south of Salzburg, Austria.) He married a Dorothea Santner. As Jake Buhler said they likely lived their life as devout Catholics. They had one son that we know of named Peter Mueller (THIRD GENERATION) who was born in Unteramlach, Austria on November 20, 1721 As mentioned before at that time Austria was Catholic. He was born a Catholic and therefore likely baptized as a infant. This Peter was likely a day laborer. In his 30's Peter fell into a group of dissidents who were not happy with the Catholic church and protested. In 1755 the protests got them exiled to Transylvania, Romania where they lived with the Lutherans. Still dissatisfied with the religion he found several small groups of people who followed Jacob Hutter and were ultimately Hutterites. Peter and 58 other Catholic individuals joined him and 1762 was re-baptized as a Hutterite in Alwinz. The next year he married Elizabeth Innerwinkler and they had 3 children.

On October 3, 1767, under persecution again Peter and Elizabeth along with 78 other Hutterites fled in the night to Prisiceni, Wallachia, near Bucharest where they joined other Hutterites.

Jake Buhler explains what happened next.

"But on November 27, 1769, mercenaries destroyed the colony and tortured five Hutterites, including  Peter Miller, using hot irons. Peter died a painful death. Five months later his wife Elizabeth Innerwinkler and their three children joined 66 other Hutterites in their escape to Wischenka, Russia."

They established a Hutterite colony in Wischenka Russia.  Peter (FOURTH GENERATION) grew up in this colony, was baptized at 14 and for ten years was chief tailor in the colony. At 22 in 1791 he married Susanna Stahl. They had 7 children. In 1802 the Wischenka Hutterite colony broke up and the family went to nearby Radichev and established another colony. Peter and Susann Mueller lived out their life here and died in their early 40's leaving behind their young family.

The FIFTH GENERATION Mueller was Andreas Mueller and was born July 9, 1798. He was only 10 when his mother died and his father died three years later. It is unknown who raised this family. In 1818 the blacksmith caught fire and destroyed the whole colony. The land was sold and the monies was distributed among the 25 families. In 1820 at the age of 22, Andreas, his brother, and few others moved 350 miles south to Chortitza and joined the Mennonite colony. Three years later he married Katharina Lehn and they had 3 children of which only Isaac survived childhood. 

SIXTH GENERATION Mueller was Isaac Mueller and was born June 19, 1824  He was 4 when his mother died and 12 when his father died. At the age of 19 he married Gertruda Wall. As is common in Mennonite Colonies Isaac lived in her village called Neuhorst. At age 26 Isaac purchased a windmill to grind grain and became a miller by trade. Isaac and Gertruda had 11 children. It was during their lifetime that the Russians were rescinding the Mennonites freedoms promised by Catherine The Great and in particular the ability to abstain from military service. The very poor Chortitza Mennonite Colony had hoped they could arrange and alternative to conscription to military service. This did not work out. In 1875 Isaac Mueller organized a group of 198 to move to Manitoba. Jacob Buhler explains the trip as follows:

   "Their first stop was in Hamburg where 268 Bergthal Mennonites joined Isaac’s group. They landed in Quebec City on July 20, 1875 on the SS Quebec. Isaac took them by train to Collingwood, Ontario, by steamer to Duluth, Minnesota, by train to Moorhead, Minnesota, and finally by riverboat to Fort Dufferin, Manitoba."

Upon arrival the land promised along the US Border had not been resolved and they waited in barracks.   Isaac Mueller was elected Obervorsteher (literally a head master but more like a mayor or superintendent of the colony. And it was his job to take care of all civic duties and he set about organizing the villages, building church and school, assisting in getting loans and set up a local self -  governing system. All of this was done by late 1875 despite not having formal approval of homesteads from Canada. He worked as counsel for 12 years as the go between of government and the colony. He was nick named “Kaiser” by non – Mennonites. By 1886 he stepped down having served the colony during the ups and downs of establishing the colony within The Dominion of Canada. In 1912 Isaac Mueller died in obscurity.

Several of Kaiser Mueller's sons moved to Hague – Osler Reserve. Among them was Peter Mueller (SEVENTH GENERATION) who was born in Russia in 1860, immigrated with his parents in 1875, and in 1878 was baptized and a few months later was married to Maria Doerkson. In 1900 he took out a homestead of a 1/4 section that borders Osler. He almost lost this homestead because it was too rocky to clear, but he sent letters to the government who eventually relented. On this land he built a 60 foot barn and fenced in the slough and pasture area to raise horses and cattle to sell to the new immigrants. He also owned a small Massey Harris dealership in Osler. By 1910 he sold his homestead.

Maria and Peter had 12 children. Their son Isaac (EIGHTH GENERATION) was born in 1879 in Manitoba and married Maria Vogt. Isaac and Maria moved to Saskatchewan in 1903 and settled in Warman 3 years later. Isaac like his father had a flare for commerce. According to Jake Buhler Isaac set up;

"Miller, Friesen and Co., General Merchants. By 1908 he was selling real estate and insurance, and offering loans. In 1908 he was on the first Warman school board, and sat on the Warman Board of Trade. He also managed the Saskatchewan Trading Company, which sold farm equipment." 

Isaak Mueller was excommunicated from the Old Colony Mennonite Church after some unspecified trouble.

Maria and Isaac moved to British Columbia in 1910. In 1916 Isaac was tragically killed by of all things a falling tree!

Muellers (Millers) started out as loyal Catholics and by the 3rd generation had gone from disgruntled Catholic to a Martyred Hutterite. The 4th generation of Muellers remained Hutterites but due to persecution kept on the move seeking their own independence and religious freedom. The 5th generation Muellers became Mennonites. 6th generation Muellers became a leader of the newly immigrated Mennonites in Manitoba.  The 7th and 8th generation Muellers were entrepreneurs possibly leading to their excommunication from the Mennonite Church. 

Wendy