Week 14 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - The Maiden Aunt

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Prompt The Maiden Aunt

This has been exceptionally hard prompt. As far as I know, I do not know of one maiden aunt in my family. I'm sure there is one out there. Let me know if you have one for me.

I think given the tragic news of the Humboldt hockey team, I will can my blog this week.

Until next time stay safe and hug your loved ones.

Wendy

Week 13 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - The Old Homestead

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 

Week 13 Prompt – The Old Homestead

When I think of an homestead, I think of a piece of land claimed by immigrants and the home which they built themselves. It seems to me that it should be something that has been in the same family for many generations. As I look at my direct ancestors I can't seem to put my finger on one homestead. I wonder why? Partly because I haven't been looking into homesteads in my research. I suspect that being Mennonite is the other part of it. Mennonites used communal type farming. I'm not sure how this worked with claiming a homestead and attaching it to one person in Canada. Obviously I need to do more work on it.

I look to my maternal side for any semblance of a homestead.

Last week I spoke of my maternal grandfather, Andreas Krikau, his wife and children and their arrival through Ellis Island. Their destination was Rosthern, Saskatchewan. They were sponsored by Phillip Krikau who was a first cousin of Andreas Krikau, my grandfather.

In 2009 I had a chance to connect with Charles Krikau whom is a grandson of the above Phillip Krikau. Charles lives in Waldheim, Saskatchewan which is a 45 minute drive north of Saskatoon. Charles farmed on land close to the Phillip Homestead farm. Charles father was Fred Krikau.

Fred Krikau and his brother Henry Krikau along with John Krikau from Chicago paid to have the Krikau family researched which produced a RAGAS chart ( a descendant chart). It was John Krikau who suggested that I write to Henry Krikau who lived in a nursing home in Rosthern at that time. I sent a letter to Henry in November 2007. I never heard back from him, but that is how I connected with Charles Krikau who was going through his father's paperwork after he died and found my letter. He emailed:

“Hello. I'm Charles Krikau, Fred Krikau's son. Dad passed away in May, and I found your letter when I sorted through his papers. Dad had not been well for the last number of years. I do not think you would have had much success finding information from him with the condition he was in.”

That was summer of 2008.

We arranged a meeting in the summer of 2009.  Charles told me about his grandfather whom homesteaded a farm between Waldheim and Rosthern. He told me Philip married a Catherine Kinzel in Warenburg Russia. Philip's parents did not approve of the marriage and the bride. They married anyway in early March 1910 and came to Canada for their honeymoon. Philip was in the military and due to work his compulsory 2 years. The officials came on board his ship to America to question Philip and make sure that it was only an honeymoon and that he would be back. He said yes and breathed a huge sigh of relief when the ship was out of port. Of course he never did go back and instead started on his homestead that year and sponsored my grandparents and family the following year.

Charles and I looked over the Ragas chart and tried to find out where our two families intersected. (and we never did). This Ragas was new to him which confused me because his father supposedly had a copy that he paid to have done. However Charles said that his father may have had it but was “not good at putting paperwork together. Or he may have put it off for another day which never happened.”

Charles took us to see his aunt Esther (sibling of Fred). Esther had some memories of my grandma McLaughlin visiting the farm with her children. Mainly it was my uncle Wally because Vivian (my mother) did not like to visit the farm. As Esther pointedly said, “she was angry and always did her own thing. We accepted her as she was.”

Esther said that Grandma (and children) would get to the farm by taking the bus to Martinsville and then switch buses to Hague, but got off the bus at Esther's farm. Esther would visit with my grandmother until the farm work was done and she could be driven to the Phillip Krickau farm.

One of the reasons we tried to connect to this side of the family was to see if they had information of grandmother’s first husband- you remember Pat Sullivan that Irishman. Esther said she vaguely knew of him and his “rather bad history”. And yet she could not or maybe would not shed any further details. I have learned that people would rather be silent than tell a bad story.

I also had another family story that I wanted an opinion on. We heard that Andreas Krikau (grandfather) left Rosthern because he had built two homes for The Kinzels and was never paid for them. Or as we were told he was swindled out of his money. Charles and Esther tried to figure out who it may have been but came up with no answers. Esther thought the story “could have some merit.”

Charles drove us to the sight of the Philip Krikau homestead. It remains in the family. Fred Krikau's brother, Rheiny owned it and then it was sold to Rheiny's son Glenn. I would have really liked to stop and poke around the homestead. However Charles informed us that Glenn is an “odd sort, if not a weird dragon and Glenn was not hospitable to company.”

We took pictures. We saw where Grandpa Andreas and family ended up at upon arriving in the area. We saw the flat Saskatchewan fields. I understand that Andreas did not stay on the farm but stayed in one of the two homes he built in town. He was only in the area for 3 years. He apparently did not like farming and wanted to move to a city a pursue carpentry.

This may not have been my ancestral homestead, but it was a homestead where my ancestors first lived.

Wendy

The Philip  Krikau Homestead Property Circa 2009

Looking Back on The Philip Krikau Homestead Property Circa 2009

Week 11 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - Lucky

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Prompt - Lucky

Postcard Photo of S.S. Birma

 My great grandparents immigrated from Warenburg, Privalnjoe, Samara, Russia to Canada through New York Ellis Island. Andreas Krikau (20 JAN 1879 - 29 DEC 1946) and Maria Krikau, nee Kraft ( 27 AUG 1879 - 2 JULY 1954) and their 4 children, one being my grandmother Mary McLaughlin, boarded the SS Birma on October 3 1911 and landed in New York October 17, 1911. According to family folk lore Great-Grandfather Krikau had considered taking the famous Titanic in spring of 1912 however decided on the more practical and direct root from Libau, Russia. What a lucky decision for me and all of his descendants.

I often wondered what that voyage was like for grandma. She was just 7 years old. Through the website of New York Ellis Island I was able to obtain much information. They even had a picture of the ship. I wanted to know a little bit more about the S.S. Birma and of course googled it. The ship was built in Glasgow in 1894 and originally named the “Arundel Castle”. It was 415 feet in length with 4 masts and a top speed of 13 knots. In 1905 it was sold to the East Asiatic Steamship Co. And renamed S.S. Birma. In 1908 it was sold to a subsidiary known as Russian East Asiatic Steamship Co. (Russian American Line) and its first sailing to New York from Libau was December 8, 1908 under the Captain of Ludwig Stulping.

Looking for this information I stumbled upon a very intriguing story of the SS Birma and the Titanic. The Birma was one of several ships who received the SOS from the Titanic and respond to it. The story has been the target of speculation and dissection by many writers. It has been a story for a thesis student. Several newspapers have published it. The British Inquiry ignored it and the United States Senate Subcommittees hearings only briefly touched on. And it was once again brought to the forefront when the Titanic was discovered in the 1985.

The Birma and her Captain, Ludwig Stulping had been sailing this route for nearly 3 1/2 years before that fateful night in the Atlantic. The Birma left New York Thursday afternoon April 11, 1912 heading for Rotterdam and then Libau. There was a newly qualified wire operator, Joseph L.Cannon on board on his own maiden voyage. He was a key tapper in the wireless realm of the United Wireless company of America ( De Forrest system). This company was one of three companies that steam ships used at this time. The other two were Marconi and The Telefunken System.

Every evening the wireless operator received news from Cape Cod which was then turned into a paper the next morning for the first and second classes. On Sunday April 14^th, Cannon said his evening press report was interrupted by a distress call at 11:45 PM.

Apparently the Birma was among the first to receive the S.O.S. By morning these coordinates would be proven to be wrong. The wire operator then woke his other more experienced wire operator and he sent the message “MGY What is the matter? SBA” Reply “OK we have struck iceberg and sinking. Please tell captain to come MGY.” Upon this call the wireless operators went to Captain Stulping with the news and he took charge of the situation, figuring he was only 100 miles out and altering his course, adding additional men to stoke the fire to get to maximum 14 knots. Stulping had no idea who MGY was because those call letters were not in their call book. The captain sent the following message; We are 100 miles from you, steaming 14 knots, be with you by 6.30. Our position Lat 40° 48 N, Long 52° 13 W SBA. The Titanic responded with OK OM which would be a cordial way of saying OK old man knowing full well that 6:30 would not rescue them. Soon other ships were responding to the mayday. It was through one of the other ships that Stulping found out that the distressed ship was the new White Star Liner the Titanic. The next SOS came stating its same coordinates but added sinking head down. The last message the Birma received was; CQ to all stations - "Women and children in boats. Cannot last much longer – MGY.

By 4AM Captain Stulping called his crew to start making the ship ready for passengers from the Titanic. At 7:30 Captain Stulping arrived at the coordinates given to find that it was not the right place. Several other ships also arrived at this wrong position. Stulping took nearly five hours to get around the iceberg to the easterly side where he saw ships probably recovering the survivors.

Stulping noted he passed The Carpathian going west at full speed. They crossed paths at which time the Birma wire operators were asked to call and ask whether all were saved and could they assist in any manor. The Birma was told to Stand down. Sometime later he again asked if he could be of assistance. The reply to them was “Shut up”.

The captain of Birma seeing that they could be no further assistance continued easterly on its original course. However Captain Stulping was furious over his treatment despite all his crew had done to be of assistance. He made an unplanned stop in Dover to register his complaint to the media. On board was a journalist who had made arrangements with The Daily Telegraph for the interview and it appeared April 25, 1912.

Since the Birma was not a Marconi wireless system, those who were such as the Carpathian would not share information over the wireless. As Stulping thought this may have made commercial sense but did not make sense during a distress call and recovery. For several days the Birma tried to get information but was asked if they were Marconi system and were denied information because they were not.

For many years after this tragic and very unlucky sinking of the Titanic the events of that night would be dissected. Did The Birma have the right coordinates? Did The Birma write its times correctly? Did it gets its speed up to the 14 knots and if so how did it make it to the site in 7 or so hours? Were they snubbed because they were not a Marconi set wireless instillation? Did a ship ( The Californian) stand by and refuse to go to its aid despite being 15 or 22 miles away? Which ship saw who and at what time was never agreed upon. Why was it that The Carpathian, the ship that rescued all the Titanic survivors, was silent and not heard from during the entire night of distress calls and responses?

Somewhere in all of this story is the strange coincidence between the ship my great grandparents came to Canada on and the Titanic. A mere 6 months after they disembarked from the Birma, the ship was called to duty of the distress call of The Titanic.

Wendy

Captain Ludwig Stulping

Week 10 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - Strong Women

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Prompt - Strong Women

Wendy Kathleen Hoffart (born Peters) 

Me

March 25 1954

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lydia Vivian Peters (born Sullivan 925915)

My Mother

Apr 19 1922

Jan 24 1987

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mary Katherine Sullivan / McLaughlin (born Krikau)

Maternal Grandmother

June 8 1903

Aug 1 1989

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Maria Katherine Krikau (born Kraft)

Maternal Great-grandmother

Aug 27 1879

July 21 1953

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Elizabeth Kraft (born Pfieffer)

Maternal Great-great-grandmother

1847

1917

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Elizabeth P Peters, #182099 (born Dueck)

Paternal Grandmother

Circa Jan 11 1881

Jan 16 1972

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Helena J Dueck (born Peters 182093)

Paternal Great-grandmother

May 12 1848

Mar 3 1918

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Katharina Peters (born Janzen 188317)

Paternal Great-great-grandmother

Unknown

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Maria Janzen (born Bergman)

Paternal Direct ancestor (5 generations)

Jan 6 1758

Dec 22 1808

We are all strong women. We all did what we had to do. I am descended from German, Prussian, Russian Lutherans and Austrian Catholics to German &Transylvanian Hutterites to Russian Mennonites. They left behind homes due to religious persecution and always moving toward that land of the free. The strength of these women was unimaginable. I hope that my daughters and their descendants inherit their ancestors' strength.

Wendy

Week 9 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - Where There's a Will...

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 9 Prompt – Where There's a Will...

My father (1917 -1983) enlisted and served in WWII. Jake Peters' official rank and number is listed as: L74422, Private. He enlisted January 28, 1942.

Approximately ten years ago while I was going through some of mom and dad's memorabilia that my sister held, I came upon an intriguing envelope. The Canadian postage was only 3 cents. The canceled stamp says it was mailed June 24, 1946.

The covering letter is from Department of National Defense – Army.   It was sent registered mail. The army returned his will that was made the day he enlisted. However this will was missing from his memorabilia. I suspect that when he and mom updated their wills they disposed of it.

I have difficulties articulating the reason this find moved me.

How sobering it must have been for my father to go through the complicated army enlistment process and then have to contemplate the making of a will. He was 24 years old and I know I was not thinking of a will at that age, but then I wasn't enlisting into the active duty of the Canadian army. The “just in case” scenario must have become very real for dad at that moment. Did he light up another cigarette to calm his nerves and ponder what the hell he was getting into?

I wondered what was involved in making a will in the army. Was the process just another station in a maze of stations of filling out never ending paperwork?  You know for example, a station for filling in personal information, a station for filling in employment records, another for physical examination and finally getting to a station named “Wills”. Hmmm? Was it overwhelming for him because he could not read or write?

Knowing the army it was probably a “fill in the blanks” type of will. In the Government of Canada website and in particular National Defense and the Canadian Armed Forces there is a whole section devoted to making wills and its administration for the army. The website states that the Canadian Armed Forces is “strongly encouraged to make a will if they do not have one already”. It gives guidelines when to make and revise wills. It has forms to be filled out when the recruit does not make a will. It has forms for everything. It is the army way.

I'm glad the will was sent back to dad because obviously he did not die in active duty. Well he didn't die physically but emotionally he died a little each day thereafter. Dad went on to father three more boys and two girls to complete his family.

Where there was a will there was a live veteran. Thank you dad for your service and self sacrifice. 
 

Wendy

Week 8 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - Heirloom

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

 Week 8 Prompt – Heirloom

When I was first married, my grandmother Mclaughlin (from previous blogs) was still living. She was quite lucid but did experience some forgetfulness from time to time. One evening while my husband and I were visiting for tea she noticed me admiring her china cabinet and her beautiful china with in. She pointed and talked about a few pieces of china when she decided to give me a tea cup and saucer which she said she had since she was first married to “Benny” and was a gift from him. The funny thing is that for the life of me I can't remember much about its design. I vaguely recall maybe a yellow rose design but not much else. Pity. I gingerly took home this almost 50 year old cup and saucer. She lived in Saskatoon and at the time I lived in Regina.

A few months down the road I receive a frantic call from my grandmother. First of all this was in the mid 1970's. I had never received a call from my grandmother ever before. Long distant phone calls were expensive and rarely done except in extreme circumstances. Grandmother was beside herself because she could not find her special tea cup and saucer that Benny had given her. She told me that she heard from one of my siblings that I had it. She really wanted to know why I took it and basically was accusing me of stealing it from her house. I was flabbergasted and bewildered. I tried to tell her that she had given it to me as a keepsake, but she was not buying it. Later that week my mother called me asking me what was going on with this tea cup and saucer. I explained the story and we decided that I would return it to her on my next visit to Saskatoon. My grandmother was happy to get it back and still had no recollection of giving it to me.

I have never seen the cup and saucer since that time. My mother died before grandmother. When grandmother died she had just her one son, Wally, living. He came to Saskatoon and cleaned out her home and very few heirloom type belongings were ever passed on to my siblings and I .

My dear grandmother was such a loving and kind soul. It did cause me to think about aging and losing one's memories. Further I wondered just how intricately one's memory is attached to physical things. In my grandmother's case the loss of a special tea cup and saucer must have seemed like a loss of someone she held near and dear to herself.

I may not have the physical “heirloom” but I do have one heck of a story and a memory that takes up very little physical space.

Wendy

Week 7 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt - Valentine

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 

Week 7 Prompt – Valentine

Benjamin Franklin and Maria Katharina McLaughlin
April 1 1932

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word Valentine is love. I started looking through my pictures that I have scanned for an appropriate wedding photo. I think that your wedding day is the ultimate day for a couple in love and hopefully their portraits show that.

I found a lovely wedding picture of my maternal grandmother and her second husband. Mary and Benjamin McLaughlin. They were married on April 1, 1932.  Mary was in an earlier blog of mine. The blog spoke about her first husband, Pat Sullivan and all the woe he caused her. Fast forward 10 years after her first marriage and Mary finds love again. Benjamin was 32 years her senior. According to my older sibling “Benjamin worshiped the ground that she walked on and Mary said it was the happiest time of her life.”

Benjamin McLaughlin is not a biological ancestor but he does come with some interesting background.

Benjamin was a “foundling”. A foundling is an infant abandoned by it's mother / father and taken care of by strangers.

In the box of Mary's important papers was a birth certificate and an attached letter for Benjamin McLaughlin. He was applying for his birth certificate in June of 1939, but had never been registered as a baby and thus had to get his sister to write a letter explaining the story of his being found by her parent's neighbors who did not want to care for the child and how her parents took him in. I have included the letter for interest. His new family named him Benjamin Franklin McLaughlin. Franklin was named for the man of the neighbor that found him. Birth date was established as May 23, 1871.

The 1881 census shows Benjamin as one of 9 children and their parents were Marie and Thomas McLaughlin. Marie McLaughlin died in 1882 and Thomas in 1891. All of this in Ontario.

Benjamin and his older brother appear in 1891 census as farmers in the Pine Creek area (south of Calgary).  In 1903 Benjamin acquired some land in De Winton and farmed on his own. He then sold his farm and moved to Vancouver for 5 years. I do not know about his life in Vancouver during this time  He came to Saskatoon in 1912 where he remained until his death. He started to work at Saskatoon Quaker Oats in 1916 and stayed with them until his retirement in 1937.Benjamin died January 29,1945.

In the Saskatoon Henderson's Directory, Mary was listed for several years before their marriage as his housekeeper. I am presuming that this is how the two met and fell in love.  As a single mother of two children, an immigrant with no real formal education, and a bad marriage, Mary had up to this time had a rough life. I'm am happy that she found love.

Wendy

 Letter Re Benjamin Franklin McLaughlin, A Foundling