Sunday School in Frogmore ~ Remembering Grandma Nina

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 4 (EDUCATION)

I wrote this week's blog on Chris' grandmother's 97th birthday (last week). 

While thinking about her I remembered the photo of her as a little girl with her Sunday School class at the church in Frogmore where her father was the pastor.

I thought it was a perfect visual for the prompt EDUCATION.

1

In the middle row, on the far left (with hair that is reminiscent of our oldest son) is grandma Nina. On her left is her sister Reta.

The book, Fruit from Woods and Sands; The Story of Houghton Mission, was gifted to my husband from his grandmother. It tells the history of the church and the families that formed it. 

Even my husband had a role in fundraising for the new church - sponsored at $145 a mile!

2

This is the original newspaper article. It likely came from The Tillsonburg News, but without the header of the paper we can't be sure!

We visited the church in 2007.

Our boys in front of their X2 great grandfather's church

Chris with his great grandfather  (2nd from left)

The family tradition continues with Chris' uncle currently pastoring at this church.

It's been 20 years since Grandma Nina passed away - we will not forget her

Nina Merle Vannatter

BIRTH 18 JAN 1926 • Houghton Township, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 5 SEP 2002 • Tillsonburg, Oxford, Ontario, Canada

She was the daughter of:
Asa Alonzo (Lonnie) Vannatter, Reverend
BIRTH 23 NOV 1901 • Frogmore, Houghton Tp., Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 8 APR 1976 • London, Ontario, Canada
and
Vera Catharine Williams
BIRTH 27 SEP 1902 • Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 25 MAR 1981 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada

3

She had 4 sisters & 1 brother

Her older sister (in the photo above)

Reta Jean Vannatter
BIRTH 20 JUN 1923 • Frogmore, Houghton, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 2 OCT 1996 • Welland, Ontario, Canada

Her younger brother (right in the middle of 2 older sisters & 2 younger sisters)

Harry Clayton Vannatter
BIRTH 13 FEB 1927 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 1998 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada

her younger sisters

Lila Mildred Vannatter
BIRTH 9 NOV 1928
DEATH 9 FEB 2015 • Norfolk General Hospital, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

and

Verna Mae Vannatter
BIRTH 4 NOV 1933
DEATH 3 JAN 2016 • Woodstock, Ontario, Canada

Taking a moment to remember a wonderful grandma who left us too soon!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Somehow Related Past Blogs:

Footnotes:

1  Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Mission, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978, pg 62

2  Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Mission, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978, pg 84

3  Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Mission, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978, pg 93

Sources:

Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Mission, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978

Houghton Brethren In Christ Community Church. Retrieved January 18, 2023 from https://www.themissionchurch.ca/

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC) ~ Jacob Buchner

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 3 (OUT OF PLACE)

This is my 5th year with the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.  

When I signed up for the 2019 challenge I wasn't sure I would be able to follow through all year. 

I would love to go back, and show my doubting self that I wouldn't miss even one week in the 4 years I have registered. 

This week's prompt was OUT OF PLACE. 

In 2018 & 2019 I attended the Finding Your Roots Conference in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

The workshop sessions were interesting & informative. 

Each of the presenters were experts in their subjects. 

Each of the sessions included handouts that were available digitally. 

It was shocking that such an amazing event was free of charge. 

The quality of this event is definitely worth paying for.

My 2018 sessions were: 

• Autosomal Tests and One Name Studies
• Delve Into Twelve Unusual Sources for Your Eastern European Research
• Google and Its Genealogy Tools
• Use Advanced Techniques on FamilySearch to Discover Your Elusive Eastern European Ancestors
• Welcome to RootsMagic

I was originally registered in an Intro to DNA, but left after about 15 minutes when I realized I was already beyond what was being taught. 

I then went to the RootsMagic session which was handy since I was trying to decide which software to use after only having our Bramble Bush on the Ancestry website. As an added bonus the session offered a discount for purchasing RootsMagic. More than 4 years later I am still happy with the software - it fully meets my needs. 

My 2019 sessions were: 

• Researching Your Military Relatives, 
• Canadiana: (The Website), 
• Scottish Records - Diving Deep into the FamilySearch Catalogue
• Advanced Scotland- Sasines (Land Records)
• Ancestry DNA ThruLines

This is an amazing conference with well known professional presenters. 

The bagged lunch available for a small fee was fresh & delicious. 

I can't recommend this conference enough.

Due to COVID the event didn't take place in 2020, 2021 or 2022.  

I am hopeful 2023 will see a return to this fantastic resource.

Why exactly am I writing about his conference for out of place?

In 2018 I found these on a table in the Conference Hall. 

There were booths selling things everywhere, but these treasures were on a table marked FREEBIES.

I was surprised to see them - they were definitely out of place since they are for the province of Ontario. 

I know there were lots of folks who have ancestors from all over the world at this conference, but these felt like they had been dropped there for me!

The first one I picked up had my husband's X4 great grandfather on his father's paternal line (also his 5th great grandfather via his father's maternal line) listed on the Grand Jury. 

 Jacob Buchner, Grand Jurer
1933 Archive, Page 56 and 57

I ended up leaving a few behind because I only took the ones that listed my husband's ancestors. In the years since I have added more ancestors who may have been in those books I left behind. I try to remember there were others at that conference who found their person in those I didn't take. We didn't need them all!

It was at this conference, in 2018, I first learned about the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC). 

I spoke with the folks from the local branch & they encouraged us to join because: 

"Lord Dorchester’s Proclamation of 1789 states, in part…
“Those Loyalists who have adhered to the unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their children and their descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following capitals, affixed to their names: U.E. alluding to their great principle the unity of the Empire.” 1 

This week I finally signed up for a family membership, and am engaged in conversation with the local branch's genealogist. 

In looking at this history through my present lens  - I got to wondering how does using the U.E. designation fit with Colonialism? 

Soon Chris will have the legal right to sign his name with U.E., but will he want to?

As someone whose roots are very shallow in Canada I have always been fascinated by the Loyalists. 

Remembering world views have changed since I first began working on this Bramble Bush!!!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  About the UELAC Certificate of Loyalist Descent. The United Empire Loyalists. Retrieved January 11th 2023 from
https://www.uelac.org/Bicentennial-UEL/about-the-uelac-certificate-of-loyalist-descent

Source:

The United Empire Loyalists. Retrieved January 11th 2023 from
https://www.uelac.org/Bicentennial-UEL/about-the-uelac-certificate-of-loyalist-descent

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Learning To Dance in the Rain ~ Where This Bramble Bush Intersects

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 2 (FAVOURITE PHOTO)

My favourite photos are the ones that reflect where this Bramble Bush intersects. 

More than 30 years ago a boy & girl meet, and everything changes.

On this day we made a promise to be there for each other through the good times and the bad. 

Life  is all sunshine & rainbows - in between are the storms.

 

It really is about learning to dance in the rain.

More than 30 years & we are still best friends!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

I'd Like to Meet ~ Great Grandpa Alexander Pellack

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 1 (I'D LIKE TO MEET)

I have always identified as Canadian when faced with choosing from the dropdown menus. I thought it was the best answer because I thought I was 'Heinz 57' like all the canine family members I have been lucky to have over the years. 

"Heinz 57 is a playful term kept to refer to mixed breed dogs. So basically Heinz 57 dogs are dogs from multiple ancestries. The naming secret as Heinz 57 lies in the slogan of the company HJ. Heinz “57 varieties”."  1

When we adopted Tori the paperwork said she was a TerrierX. We have since determined she is likely Irish Terrier crossed with some sort of Shepherd. She does not have 'clean' lineage. I'm all out of relatives for testing so I might do the dog's DNA next!

Snow Dog!!!

I thought my lineage was all over the place. I didn't think I could choose just one area my family was from. I thought my family was too mixed up therefor only 'Canadian' would adequately describe my heritage. 

I had always thought my family had roots to when Canada first began. 

It was only recently while talking about my family tree that I realized how recent my immigrant ancestors were. 

• My maternal grandmother is 2nd generation on her mother's side & 5th on her father's. 
• My maternal grandfather was 2nd generation on his father's side & mother's side.
• My paternal grandmother was 1st generation, born in Scotland.
• My paternal grandfather was 2nd generation, the first born child of immigrant parents.

When I looked at my husband's side of this bramble bush I discovered he is 5th & 6th generation on both sides of his family. It seems neither of our family lines are as deep rooted as I had thought. 

After doing Ancestry and 23&Me I discovered I am fully European. 

Ancestry - 100% European

23&Me - 100% European

When my DNA tests results arrived from Ancestry I discovered that one of my great grandparents was European Jewish or they were both half. 

It wasn't until recently that I learned about using the timeline tool at 23&Me.

When I looked at the most recent ancestor timeline for my Ashkenazi Jewish heritage I discovered my previous guess appears to be accurate. 

I had initially guessed one of my great grandparents was 100% Jewish or they were both 50%. 

23&Me's timeline suggests that either Alexander OR Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack were 100% Ashkenazi Jewish. 

2 

I have decided it's likely the Pellack line where my Jewish Heritage comes from. In coming to this conclusion I used Ancestry's Ethnicity Inheritance tool for my father's DNA (still in Beta)

Ancestry's Inheritance Tool - my dad's paternal inheritance
I believe this is the Pellack heritage

Ancestry's Inheritance Tool - my dad's paternal inheritance
I believe this is the Maximiw heritage

Ancestry's Inheritance Tool - my dad's maternal inheritance
His parents were both born in Scotland
It seems maybe more research is needed to find these roots

Over 30 years ago I first heard that my Scottish grandfather, Clyde Robertson, might be a Ukrainian man named Max Pellack. 

It took me 20 years to confirm that using DNA matching. 

Over the years I have searched and searched for information about life in Ukraine before the family came to Canada in 1909. 

I have been unable to find any documentation from before they arrived on the ship, Willehad, bound for Canada. 

My grandfather was their first born on the homestead in Saskatchewan. 

In all the years I have been searching I have managed to add a few details, but only minimally. 

My Ancestor fan chart is full except that 1/4 of my father's paternal line. 

I have more questions than answers.

For this reason the person I would love to have a cup of tea with is my great grandfather, Alexander Pellack who I believe is my Jewish ancestor.

My great grandfather
Alexander Pellack

Alexander was born in 1873. His father, Mikihor, about 1850. His mother, Mary, unknown. All three are within the timeframe. 

I would love to hear more about his life, his family, and how he chose Canada for his family's new home. 

It would be an opportunity for me to thank him. 

I am Canadian because he chose to bring his family here. 

When I look at what is happening in Ukraine today I am grateful I live in Canada. 

When I look at what happened during World War II I am grateful my family was in Canada. 

I am Canadian because my great grandparents, Alexander & Mary, left behind everything they knew for what they believed was a better life.

I hope I am all they dreamed of providing their descendants!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  Heinz 57 Dog breed information. Originally published April 19th 2021. Retrieved January 2nd 2023 from 
https://www.petbutty.com/heinz-57-dog-breed-information/#:~:text=Heinz%2057%20is%20a%20playful,Heinz%20%E2%80%9C57%20varieties%E2%80%9D.

2  Our Courageous Pioneers : History of Gronlid and Surrounding Districts of Argus, Athol, Edenbridge, Freedom, Maryville, Murphy Creek, Sandhill Creek, Taelman, Taras, Teddington,." (Melfort Saskatchewan: Phillips Publishers , 1991), page 188

Sources:

Heinz 57 Dog breed information. Originally published April 19th 2021. Retrieved January 2nd 2023 from 
https://www.petbutty.com/heinz-57-dog-breed-information/#:~:text=Heinz%2057%20is%20a%20playful,Heinz%20%E2%80%9C57%20varieties%E2%80%9D.

Photos:

Ancestry Clip
23&Me clip
Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________