From Landestreu to Landestreu

This is my maternal grandfather. His name was Jacob Besler and he was born on 28 December 1883 in Landestreu a town in Galicia, a province in what was then the Austro-Hungarian empire.

From the writer's collection

Landestreu was a small town populated by members of Jacob's extended family - Baumungs, Kandels, Lowenbergers and Beslers (spelled Bößler in this town map. 

Courtesy of GalizienGermanDescencants.org

Beslers were among the earliest residents of Landestreu moving from Germany in the 1770s. The Austro-Hungarian Empire invited foreign settlers into its newly acquired province of Galizien. German settlers found the offers of transportation and special status attractive and moved east.

More emigration was to come, this time westward. In 1872 the Dominion Land Act was enacted by Canada's Parliament. For a $10 registration fee a settler would receive 160 acres of land. He would have to live on the land for six months of the year for three years, clear at least 30 acres, erect a house worth at least $300 and be a naturalized British citizen. Canadian officials actively recruited in Europe for immigrants to settle western Canada.

Library and Archives Canada, collecitonscanada.gc.ca

Some of the first settlers to take advantage of the Act were residents of Landestreu. They moved to Saskatchewan in 1890 and founded a village also named Landestreu in honour of their home in Galicia. The name of the town was eventually to changed to MacNutt in 1909 in honour of Thomas MacNutt, who was the Member of the Legislative Assembly at the time. But in 1902 it was still called Landestreu and this was the town that Jacob Besler emigrated to.

I have not yet been able to find Jacob on a passenger list but hope one day to locate him. I like to picture him heading for North America with other young men from his town, perhaps some of the Baumung and Kandel cousins who show up on Census records in the same part of Saskatchewan. He appears to have left Galicia in 1902 as his passport shows that year as does his land patent application. He was 18 years old

From the writer's collection

Jacob's passport lists his employment as "wagner" (wagon driver or wagon maker). Perhaps his opportunities were limited in the small village of Landestreu. No doubt the lure of free land beckoned.

By 1910 Jacob had met all the Land Act requirements and successfully claim his property. In reviewing his file I found that he had returned his first plot of land as it was too rocky to farm

Taken by the writer June 2018

The first land was granted to another settler; Jacob had more luck with is second grant of land which he took possession of in 1906.

Saskatchewan Archives Board, Department of the Interior

The immigration agents did not tell potential immigrants how hard it was to farm in Canada. They did not tell them how harsh the prairie winters were. But the farmers carried on. My grandparents married in 1915. A wife and family were needed to help farm as hired help were few and far between. My grandmother Bena and the older Besler children were expected to help with chores. My mother was the youngest girl and didn't have too many chores during the farm years. Here she is as a baby.

And with her Dad outside the family home.

From the writer's collection

The family resided in the log cabin that Jacob built. It was neither roomy nor well-insulated. My mother remembers lying in bed looking at the icicles that had formed on the roof of the cabin. The three girls slept together for warmth. The children walked several miles to a one room school house that was actually located over the provincial border in Manitoba.

My sister, niece and I recently visited the area with the mother - it was the first time she had returned to Saskatchewan since she was a child. 

Taken by the writer June 2018

Obviously there were changes but the isolation remains. Homes are far apart on large plot of land. As of 2006 there were only 80 people living in MacNutt. 

Taken by writer June 2018

Winters were particularly isolating. Even now the roads in the area are dirt and gravel only. There would have been no snow clearing. The family rarely went into town and did not even attend church on a regular basis. My mother remembers attending the Christmas pageant at the school. The family would pile into the sleigh with warm bricks wrapped in blankets to keep the cold out.

The 1930s were especially harsh in Saskatchewan and unfortunately Jacob was no longer able to support his family by farming. After over 30 years he abandoned the farm and moved to Winnipeg. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him. Jacob worked for the Canadian National Railway in Winnipeg. In the late 1940s Jacob and Bena moved to Toronto to join their children. My grandfather died in 1961 when I was two years old so I don't really remember him. I do like this picture of him and me though!

From the writer's collection

On Canada Day I salute Jacob Besler for leaving his home in Europe to come to Canada. He was a 20th Century pioneer and played an important role in settling our western provinces. He helped make Canada the wonderful country it is today through sacrifice and perseverance and I am thankful that he did.

Scots Behaving Badly - Kirk Session discoveries

I'm 25% Scottish. Pretty well ever ancestor in my paternal grandfather's family is Scottish except for one 2x great-grandmother who was English. So I was excited to have an opportunity to join a Scottish genealogical research tour. I chose a tour based in Glasgow as I was hoping to break through a brick wall and learn more about my 3x great grandfather David Walker who emigrated from Glasgow in 1820. I was able to get some searching tips from the helpful people at the family history centres we visited but wasn't able to pin him down. But I did have success researching my Lanarkshire ancestors.

My ancestors came from the town of Strathaven (received a lesson, pronounced Straven!) in the parish of Avondale. They resided on a farm known as the Holms of Glengavel, which still exists today.

National Library of Scotland. Lanarkshire Ordinance Survey 1858

 Like most Scots my family did not own their property - they rented the farm from the Duke of Hamilton, as noted in the 1858 Valuation Rolls

National Records of Scotland. 1858-59 Lanark County Valuation Rolls

My family were the Craigs - my 3x great grandmother Mary Craig married Andrew Fleming on November 4th 1826 

National Records of Scotland. Avendale Kirk Session Proclamation Register 1775-1854

My 2x great grandmother Mary Fleming was their their third child born on May 26th 1829.

National Records of Scotland, Old Parish Registers, Avondale 

In reviewing the Old Parish Registers on Scotland's People I was able to find her two older siblings. I was surprised to note that Mary and Andrew's first son John was born in 1823 before their marriage. John's birth entry tells the tale, he was their "natural son" (ie illegitimate):

National Records of Scotland, Old Parish Registers, Avondale

I consulted the Avondale Kirk Session records for more details. Some background information - each congregation of the Church of Scotland had a Kirk Session which was a panel of elders that dealt with local issues of everyday life such as non-attendance at church. At the time it happened our ancestors were not doubt embarrassed to be called before the Kirk Session but it's exciting for a 21st Century researcher to find the entry.

In June 1823 Mary Craig appeared before the Kirk Session. 

National Records of Scotland, Avendale Kirk Session Minutes 1779-1826

Anti-nuptial fornication was a major sin. She was "exhorted to lay her sin seriously to heart'. Andrew was called before the Kirk Session in July and admitted that the child was his, luckily for Mary. Both parties were "rebuked and absolved from the scandal". Andrew and Mary went on to marry so all turned out well. I can't help but wonder if this was the incentive for their subsequent emigration to Canada.

I couldn't find too much on the Fleming family but it appears that the Craig family were supportive of Mary. When her father John died in 1854 he left a substantial legacy for the time. 

National Records of Scotland, Glasgow Sheriff Court Wills

Her father made it clear in the will that Mary and her sisters were to receive their inheritance without their husbands' consent and that their husbands were not to seize the funds to cover their own debts. Very progressive for the time! I wonder if she ever received her money. Her £20 inheritance is worth £2,500 today. John Craig's estate in total was worth £1500 at the time or £190,000 today. Though not a landowner he was well off.

I found another interesting entry in the Kirk Session records involving John Craig's grandfather also named John (my 6x great grandfather). On 9th February 1735 he came before the Session to complain about Rachel Browning who had slandered his good name accusing him of pursuing her and offering baseness to him. Rachel was commanded to appear before the Session and respond: 

National Records of Scotland, Avendale Kirk Session Minutes, 1734-1757

Rachel returned again to provide witnesses to her various attacks but they were found to be unreliable and she was rebuked for accusing John of inappropriate behaviour. She was adamant to the end that her accusations were well founded:

National Records of Scotland, Avondale Kirk Session Minutes, 1734-1757

I wonder what the truth was? Did they automatically believe John because he was a well respected man in the area? We'll never know. It is interesting to note that John's wife Agnes Campbell was indeed in child bed at the end of 1734 - she gave birth to my 5x great grandfather Robert Craig on Christmas Day 1734. Did she really hear Rachel's cries from the barn?

My trip was productive and I'm able to trace my Craig ancestors to the late 1600s. Hopefully I will be find more interesting Kirk Session records in the future. The Presbyterian Church truly was the centre of Scottish life in 18th and 19th Centuries and beyond. Here is the Strathaven Old Parish Church from a postcard I found on Ebay:

 And to conclude, here is the Craig family crest:

The translation says it all: Live for God and You Shall Have Life.

From Loyalist to Rebel

180 years ago Upper Canada was in turmoil. Years of control by the Family Compact had left reform minded citizens frustrated and angry. Average working men were inspired by William Lyon Mackenzie and became rebels. The Upper Canada Rebellion culminated with the battle at Montgomery's Tavern on December 7th 1837. One of my spouse's ancestors was involved in the battle and this is his story.

Ludwig Widmen was born in Northampton Pennsylvania on September 21st 1781. He was the third of twelve children born to Philip Wideman and Sarah Ann Long. Ludwig's grandparents had emigrated from Baden-Wuertemberg in Germany and the family had strong German ties. He was baptized in Christ Lutheran Church:

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, ancestry.ca

The family joined William Berczy's German Company settlement in Markham. No doubt they had heard of the availability of land in Upper Canada from other German families who had made the trek from Pennsylvania to Canada. This census shows the family settled in 1801 at lot 35, 8th Concession Markham. Philip received 200 acres to settle.

Library & Archives Canada MG 23 H II 6

Ludwig was only 20 when the family moved to Canada but he soon turned his mind to acquiring his own land. In 1806 he petitioned for 200 acres of land, advising that he had sworn the oath to the Crown. The majority of settlers in Upper Canada at this time were born in the United States and it was important to affirm their loyalty to Great Britain.

Library & Archives Canada, Upper Canada Land Petitions

Not long after the War of 1812 began. Ludwig showed his loyalty to Great Britain once again by serving under Peter Robinson in the Rifle Company of the First York Militia, first as a Sergeant, then as an Ensign. As a reward for his service he was granted land in 1821. It was thrilling to be able to review Ludwig's military file in Ottawa this summer (though not sure why the signature was torn off his certificate!).

Library & Archives Canada, Land Claim Certificates of Upper Canada Militiamen

The completion of Ludwig's War of 1812 service coincided with the birth of his first daughter Christiana and the unfortunate subsequent death of her mother, Ludwig's first wife Christiana Kribs. Ludwig subsequently remarried in 1817 - he and his second wife Elizabeth Macklem had seven children together.

The Widemans were fine upstanding citizens. They continued to farm their land in Markham. In 1818 Ludwig was appointed Lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of York Militia.

Library & Archives Canada, Wideman family collection

He and his brother Philip appeared on militia lists through the 1820s. But then things changed. The election of 1836 was hotly contested.

Toronto Public Library, election broadsheets

  

According to The Story of the Upper Canada Rebellion by John Charles Dent (published in 1885) "During that election he rode to Newmarket to exercise his franchise but as he was know to be a Reformer the strongest attempts were made to prevent him from voting. Notwithstanding that he was known to have resided on his farm for more than 30 years, and that he had spent two years fighting for his country at the time of her utmost need, a demand was made that he should take the oath of allegiance. He felt all the  just indignation which such treatment might be expected to arouse, and from that time forward was prepared to adopt any and every means to destroy the domination of the Compact..." (Volume 2, page 137)

Library & Archives Canada, voters driven from the polling station

Mackenzie was a popular figure in the Markham/Whitchurch area and apparently announced his rebellion plan in Stouffville on December 2nd 1837. Ludwig was said to have hosted the meeting.

 On December 7th 1837 the Militia marched up Yonge Street towards Montgomery's Tavern. A battle ensued, and when it was over Ludwig lay dead. He was the only rebel casualty.

Toronto Public Library collection

Apparently there was some dispute over whether Ludwig had been killed during the battle. John Charles Dent wrote how Mackenzie wrote in 1847 "that 'a ball struck my worthy friend Capt. Wideman, in the head, killing him on the spot"... There are three persons in Toronto at this moment who saw him fall. He was struck by a bullet which passed through the centre of his forehead and came out at the occiput... the body was conveyed to Whitchurch by a cousin of the deceased, and was there interred by his relatives..." (Volume 2, page 136).

Here is Ludwig's grave - he is buried in Dickson Hill Cemetery. 

From the writer's collection

The rebels were defeated. Many, including Mackenzie, fled to the US. Many others, including Ludwig's brother Philip were captured and imprisoned. Philip was imprisoned from December 12th 1837 until May 10th 1838 when he was pardoned and released. If Ludwig had lived perhaps he would have shared his brother's fate.

Ludwig wrote his Last Will and Testament on the 27th day of May 1837. Perhaps he had a premonition that he would die that year. His property was left to his wife and children. His eldest daughter was left £75, a substantial amount for the time. By the time of her father's death Christiana was married with three children, living in Bruce County. I wonder how long it took for the news of her father's death to reach her and what she thought of it all. Christiana was my spouse's great-great-great-grandmother.