Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada How did you get "here"?

Meaning, how, and why did your people, family, settle where you are?
Reading on Grosse Isle, and Pier 21. It must have been an experience beyond our comprehension.

My first direct family ancestors, came with Sir William Alexander, in the group he commanded that settled in "Nova Scotia" in the early-middle 17thC. I am, we are, of Norse-Celtic-Anglo-Saxon ancestry and my father's side came to Pennsylvania, at the same time from "Baden", they were Swabian Celts.

We ended up here in BC, I think, more due to the "wanderlust" so typical of our people and also due to the interest in prospecting and mining so much a part of almost all pioneer's lives during the 19thC., as the "fur trade", a fundamental aspect of Canada's beginnings, slowly declined.

It is interesting, as the REAL motivation for the founding Norse pioneers/explorers was more the "over population" of the crowded regions of northern Europe from whence we came, than any of the popular myths really were. As the Norse-Viking era faded, it evolved into "The Hanseatic League" which was Norwegian-Dutch-German-British and some French in origins and seaport bases and this actually continued the 500 years of Norse voyages and trading activity well into the era when so many of our ancestors came to pioneer and build Canada and the USA.

Recent historical-archaeological research has also shown that many European cultures supplied at least a few of the first mariners and traders that we owe our beginnings to and then, the Catholic missionaries, an incredible group of people, founded so many of what became our major cities.

However, certain elements in contemporary North America, are trying to obliterate the factual historical record of who DID found our two nations and then attempt to promote a false and agenda-laden tale in place of the facts. This is due in no small measure to the "academics" of the past half-century and it is getting more prevalent and more socially destructive as time passes.

Interesting. An older family friend from Russia was a stowaway on a cattle boat to Canada. A year in prison, then walking papers. He worked on ranches, and hotel kitchens, landing in NW Ontario.
Another friend tells me her mother was one of the Home Children. More, or less, and mostly more taken from England, and shipped to Canada. No choice in the matter.

Dad's side of the family emigrated to Cape Breton from Scotland in the 1760s,as part of the Highland Clearances imposed by the English after the Rebellion of 45.My Mom's Dad was on his way to Australia in 1912 from Scotland,had to wait 2 weeks in Vancouver for the Empress boat,and never left!So here I am! Cheers,Monasahee

Our families (Mine and my wife's)seem to have moving genetically programmed. On my mother's side, her father's roots were French Canadian, her mother's, English. Her maternal family were Kentucky hill people. On my father's side, the first arrival was an indentured servant of Scotch-Irish origin who arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700's. This family moved westward and most ended up in Colorado and southern Idaho. My mother's family moved from Kentucky to Michigan, to Idaho, to Oregon and back to Idaho (my grandfather claimed his dad just couldn't get used to the prosperity of the Willamette valley and had to move back where life was a little harder!). We moved to Taylor BC in 1957.
My wife's family, on her fathers side, came from Switzerland in the late 1800's. Her maternal predecessors were from Scotland by way of Saskatchewan. We moved back to BC after I got out of the US Army in 1972.
Mt son, American born, will undoubtedly stay in Canada for the duration. My daughter, Canadian born, will live in the states for the forseeable future. I hope to keel over while hunting here, in the Kootenays, and be recycled naturally! GD

On my moms side we have always been in BC...Salish mixed with Scots and that started the move away from the reserve...then some blood from Pennsylvania...everyone else on moms side is from Sask or Manitoba...Cree, Metis, scots and english mixes.

My fathers parents immigrated from Croatia and took work in the coal mines in Alta [Luscar]. GD was killed when a tree fell on him there, and the family moved to BC.

These story's are worth more than their weight in gold. Good books have been written with less.
Between the lines, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, with pestilence, empty stomach's, heartbreak, and perseverance thrown in.

wabigoon;
My lineage is a mixture of German and German speaking Jewish ancestry who came to Canada under duress about a hundred years ago.

One of the interesting things about researching one�s heritage is that we never really knew about the Jewish component until quite recently. We�d always been told Mom�s side was German, but it makes more sense knowing the whole story now.

So my grandfather on my late Dad's side was German, as was my Grandmother, but they were living in a German colony in Romania. His brother-in-law was in the Romanian Army at the time that they decided to leave the country to head for Canada. As his BIL was not given permission to go - it�s my understanding he was AWOL � they likely would have all faced some pretty dire consequences if they�d been caught while still in Romania.

One thing is certain though, that they didn�t really have an option to return home if this farming in Canada thing hadn�t worked out for them.

They landed here in 1908 and my grandfather built a sod house near Fox Valley, SK which is north of Maple Creek. When WW 1 broke out he went into Maple Creek to enlist in the Canadian Army however he was told he could serve better by continuing to farm and grow food. My late father was born in that same sod house in 1920.

They moved to the Yorkton, SK area about 1926-28 or so where my grandfather built an operation big enough to house his 11 kids and all the rest of the good sized (for those days) farming operation.

My Grandfather on my Mom�s side lived in Russia but High German was the language they spoke at home. From what I can understand I believe he was fairly well educated for that time and place.

In 1911 he was drafted into the Czar�s army as the Russian revolution was starting up and instead of showing up as told he was smuggled out of the country under a load of hay by some Jewish farmers.

When he hit Canada there was no mention of any Jewish heritage as we were somewhat anti-Semitic in our emigration policies at that time.

Again I am struck by the fact that there was no �do over� option for him back in the old country if the whole Canada thing failed.

By the time my Mom was born in 1927 he�d already established a successful cow calf and grain farm/ranch near Etzikom AB.

For me growing up with that heritage the one thing that stands out in my memory is how fiercely proud of Canada and being Canadian my grandparents were. Some folks I�ve met tended to view their country of origin in a more favorable light than Canada, but not so with my grandparents and subsequently my parents after that.

They knew that they�d been blessed to arrive here when they did and to be given the opportunities that they were. To the best of my knowledge they never, ever forgot that. It strikes me that is a key ingredient of any successful immigration program.

Anyway wabigoon, that�s my story as to how it was I got here. All the best to you and yours this weekend.

Dwayne

That situation with relatively recent immigrants of German or similar ethnicity was quite common at the outbreak of "The Great War" and there actually were some very sound reasons behind it...and, of course, the animosity toward "the Hun" that was do prevalent here, especially in Ontario and BC at that time.

Funny, if ANY ONE "nationality" could be really said to be the "founders" of Canada, it would BE "Germanic" peoples....one of the so frequent puzzles of Canadian AND human history.......

That said, don't you wish that ALL immigrants to our Canada, had the same attitude as your folks did....boy, WHAT a difference in today's newcomers.

In 1663 Canada's population was 3000. This included the Huron. In 1665 Louis 14 sent a Regiment called Salieres Carigan. 1200 french soldiers were sent from France. Of these 1200, 3 were brothers and of these 3 came a large crop of Cajuns and Canadians. The British conquest of Acadia happened in 1710. French and Indian wars since both were allies against the Brits. The Great Expulsion happened between 1754-1763. The French Acadians were deported to Atakapa which is now called Louisiana. 200 Acadians arrived to Louisiana in 1765 aboard the Santo Domingo. Many more followed in subsequent years. I was in Lafayette about 3 times now and opened a phone book and found 2 pages with people that have the same family name. Some day I'll go to Lafayette and contact some of these ancient family members.

Great stories here and lessons to be learned.

378, you can do that, it would be interesting.
A few years back I tracked down old teachers my class had. With the internet, and cell phone weekend minutes, I called the "names", till I found them.
The searches don't give phone numbers like they did then, but you could try.

Mother's side from Islay Scotland, father's from the Highlands of Scotland.
Mid 1700's for one family, they came into the North Settlement area of Quebec, mosrt ended up halfway between Ottawa and Montreal.
My wife is knee deep in Ancestory.ca and has found out some very interesting stuff!
One Robert McVicar ( mother's side) came from Islay with the HBC and was actually married to a white woman in Ft. Chipewayan by Sir John Franklin!!
Another cool thing about that is Ft. Chip is only about 125 miles from where I live in Alberta!!
Cat

Our town of Bruno SK is a settlement of German Catholics, a large region of Saskatchewan just East of Saskatoon was founded a little more than 100 years ago by an order of Benedictine monks based at Muenster, SK. The settlers came from the midwest USA, and were mainly first generation offspring of German Catholic farmers who settled in the Wisconsin to Illinois region and whose families were looking for new land and new opportunities for their younger sons and daughters. A quarter section of free land was a powerful attraction.

My paternal great grandfather and grandfather established homesteads and then founded a slaughterhouse & butcher shop to feed the railway crews and the first settlers. My dad was a parter in that butcher shop business for a while, until he and Mom started a turkey farm on his father's former homestead on the edge of town. I have two cousins who still operate that shop, more than 100 years in the family.

My maternal grandfather came north with wheat threshing crews from the USA at the age of 16 years. He had run away from home, and liked the area when he got here. At 18 years of age he took out his own homestead bordering my paternal grandfathers's place.

My Mom and Dad grew up as neighbours, and their home was established on grandpa's home quarter soon after they were married. Today, my Mom and two brothers still live on that piece of land, and I am a partner in the turkey farm that Mom & Dad established. My wife and I live in our little town, and have raised our three kids here. What a privilege to have such deep roots in our family and our community and our land.

My grandfather's grandfather brought his family from Galashiels Scotland circa 1870, settled southwest of Ottawa. The whole family were textile workers in Woolen mills, making me a 5th generation textile worker, although i work in a nylon plant...:)

Wonderful stories men, I appreciate them. Scotch/Canadian, great. Not to take a thing away from any other!

My great grandfather (paternal) emigrated from Ireland in the later 1800s. Rumour was that a "relative" also had to leave Ireland to escape the British, something about the IRA! My grandfather was born in Ontario but lived most of his life in Kamloops, from very early in the 20th century until his death in 1975. No doubt he saw a lot of change in that time and was well known in the community. To my knowledge he never fished or hunted though, but my dad did! It was pretty neat to meet long time residents of Kamloops as a kid/young man who knew the family and instantly accepted me as one of them!
Maternal great grandparents emigrated from Scotland, to Vancouver. He did fancy plaster work for a living. He did work on the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (I think that was the name) in Honolulu in the early 30s. What a time to see Hawaii!
Grandfather (maternal) was quite a golfer. Both he and his brother (Stan Leonard) were talented amateurs as teenagers and golf pro's at various courses. His brother hit the PGA (in his early 40's I believe) and played the Masters at least twice. (lead the tournament one year, for a while!). Grandfather had a fishing lodge outside Kamloops for a couple years til the partnership fell apart and his partner ran out on him! He hunted some, but really was a fisherman and flyfishing was his passion.

My family were Pennsylvania Dutch, settling in Penn. in 1680.

They fought for freedom during the American revolution, but when the cause was lost, they had to move to Canada, and settled north of Kingston in Ontario.

In 1822 my direct ancestor bought a farm near what is now Ridgeway in the Niagara Penninsula. The Battle of Ridgeway in 1866 was fought largely on their farm against (supposedly) Fenians, causing a group of parliamentarians to be sent to London to negotiate Confederation.

Big game were basically hunted to extinction in southern Ontario by the late 1800s, but my family began going north to hunt deer and later moose in 1907. I still hunt out of one of the camps they established in 1938.

My Dad's parents emigrated from Germany in the 1890's and homesteaded in the Cloverdale area of southern B.C. When WWI broke out the local constable who was quite friendly with them came by one day to warn them that the authorities were gathering everyone up that was of German descent for "questioning." They didn't know how long they'd be detained - as it turned out they probably wouldn't have been kept for long - so they abandoned the farm, loaded up their buckboard, and left in the middle of the night for the US border. My father clearly remembered riding in the night with his parents through the woods. They settled in Bellingham, where my dad grew up.

My mother's parents also emigrated from Germany sometime before WWI and settled in the SF bay area, where my mom grew up. My father met her in SF during the depression, having travelled there from Bellingham looking for work.
We used to travel to Bellingham and southern BC in the summer, where we'd hook up with my Dad's old high school buddies and travel around, camping and boating through the San Juans and Gulf Islands. I loved it up here and, even when I was only 10 years old, told my Dad that I would come back here the first chance I got.

I came (back) to Canada in 1973 and have lived in BC ever since: Williams Lake, Vancouver, Abbotsford, and now Chilliwack.