Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How Grandma got to Canada

     After my last post telling about my Grandma's story telling ability, I started thinking about how she got to Canada.

    Grandma arrived in Canada about 1902. The real story happens before she got here.

    My ancestors moved to Russia/Ukraine in the late 1700's. Catherine the Great asked Germans to come to farm and show Russians and Ukrainians how to farm more productively. My family were devote Lutherans. They were pacifists. They were promised they could keep practising their Lutheran faith, keep their German language and not be made to join an army.  Over the next 100 years these things eroded away depending on the location. For example, my Grandfather was in Russian army. Land had become scarce and this meant that their children would not have the opportunity to farm and this meant that they had very little opportunity to make a living. Canada was giving land away. They did not have cash so free land looked like a golden opportunity.   All the Germans learned to speak Russian and many learned Ukrainian.

   My Great Grandfather was fearful that they would lose these rights. To him they were absolutely mandatory. They began to think about where to move so that they could maintain their beliefs.Two of the family were sent to Canada to look at the prospects of moving to Canada. They came back with a positive report. Plans were made and by 1900 some of the family had moved. Great Grandpa was the organizer and leader. Great Grandpa had all his adult children and their spouses move to Canada. Many of the in-laws of his children also came with this large family.

    So this is how my Grandma came to Canada. She was not part of the decision making group. Some of her relatives were left behind. She kept in contact with them. My Dad also kept the contact up.

  Now over a hundred years later, probably none of great Grandpa's family speak German. Very few of them follow the Lutheran faith. Many of them have been in the armed forces. Several of Great Grandpa's grandchildren fought in WW II. What would great Grandpa think today? Would he be happy how things turned out? He was a great leader and I think he would agree that he made the best decision by moving to Canada.

37 comments:

  1. Emigration stories are always very interesting, where people come from and their decisions to move. I always admire that to leave everything behind and start a new life in a complete other part of the world. People have done that over the ages.

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    1. Here, everybody has emigrated. Now we're getting pretty well mixed.

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  2. Yes it sounds like he made the best decision. I love reading these posts and thank you as always for sharing :)

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    1. They were pretty well forced to move and it's a good thing they moved before WW I and the revolution.

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  3. Oh Red I am so glad they did. What a wonderful rich family history you have. Lucky B

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    1. They had a big challenge to come to this country with no English. There are many funny stories of mis-communication.

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  4. What an adventurous family you are. It reminds me how fortunate my forbears were.

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    1. Ancestors on my maternal side came from England.

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  5. That's an interesting piece of history regarding your family. My Dad's mother was born in Odessa, Russia, but she was German.

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    1. My family was also German. North Dakota has a huge file on German Lutherans.

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  6. The best laid plans....no matter what we hope for, generations change.

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    1. It's interesting to look back on the change. It's hard to look ahead.

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  7. What a good story! Yes, I think he would be glad. Canada is a great place in many ways, much better and less bellicose that, for instance, their neighbors to the south (my country). :-)

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    1. Your country has a few bad apples that give you a bad name. We also have the bad apples. When I visit my neighbors I find very few of the extremists.

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  8. just amazing the leap of faith they made - twice...

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    1. In those days with limited communication and info, it was a leap of faith.

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  9. I think military made mandatory brought a lot of families to North America

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    1. Yes, the Mennonites were in the same situation.

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  10. Moving to Canada was indeed a great decision...'cause here you are now!

    Either way, things change over time, and we eventually adapt.

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    1. I would not be able to survive the rough rugged lifestyle they lived.

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  11. We Canucks would be hard-pressed to think it wasn't a fine decision. I'm grateful that my ancestors moved here when they did. I wouldn't want it any other way. Of course, neither would I know that if it had been any other way. ;)

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    1. WW I and the revolution were big things to avoid.

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  12. I'm a firm believer that things turn out the way they're supposed to. Aren't you glad you aren't in the Ukraine now?

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    1. Yes, the Ukraine is a worry right now. The map in that area has changed many times.

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  13. I admire those who take the huge gamble and move whole families across the world in search of a better life. Such a leap of faith. I'm glad it worked out well for your ancestors.

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    1. Today we have information and communications but it's still a big leap. For the ancestors .. they had to be daring.

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  14. What an interesting story. Its always good to know the roots of our family. You are lucky that you could go as far back as 1700.
    Emigration how it happened and why it happened is always interesting.
    Following you.

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    1. I would like to know more details. Maybe some day I will find more.

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  15. I find it very interesting how people got where they are and why. Grandpa did well in getting his family moved to a better situation before everything came loose in Russia.

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    1. It was a lot of work to organize things for emigration and travel. Some of them had to borrow money.

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  16. That’s how it goes. Families disperse and new elements enter and history changes. My own children have very little feeling for either their father’s country (Greece), or mine (Germany). They are making their own history.

    I like your grandma. She reminds me of my grandpa, who was a great story teller, or so my mum used to say.

    I

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    1. Since this is a new country we've had many influences.

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  17. A most fascinating story Red. My grandfather came to America in the late 1860's. I suspect the Kaiser's draft had something to do with it.

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    1. There were usually a variety of reasons for emigration...all of them interesting.

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  18. My husbands Grandfather was from Canada, French Canadian they said from Ontario. I am not certain where his parents were from...I always assumed from Canada. They struggled with the taxes from the Crown back then any improvement to their farm was taxed even painting the barn. So in about 1885 they moved to Minnesota. I should do more research on that part of the family!
    I enjoy your stories Red. Keep them coming:)

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  19. Both your grandparents sound like really incredible, adventurous people. It's fabulous that you know all of this history.

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    1. Some of the older relatives were smart enough to write things down and share them with us.

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