Clyde Robertson ~ Find A Grave

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 22 (AT THE CEMETERY)

This week I discovered my grandfather has a Find A Grave page.

My grandmother does not have a Find A Grave page.

There is no mention of her on Grandpa's page even though she is beside him.

I do not know who took the photo or who manages grandpa's page. 

At first I was a bit surprised. 

The more I thought about it I realized it's okay. 

Find A Grave is a genealogy source. 

This is a genealogical record of my grandfather.

The birthdate & location is unknown because Clyde Robertson didn't exist.

He was born Max Pellack on the homestead in Gronlid, Saskatchewan on May 10th 1910.

We can't be sure that date is accurate since his birth was never registered, but it was the day Grandpa claimed. 

Clyde Robertson claimed to be born in San Francisco.

DNA has proven that Clyde Robertson was Max Pellack.

Max Pellack was born, but is not buried anywhere.

Clyde Robertson was never born, but is buried and recorded on this Find A Grave. 

I wonder if more details should be included for grandpa, but I don't know the intent of the person who created his Find A Grave. 

At some point in the future I may reach out for more information, or to add grandma. 

For right now - it's okay that he is out there floating with only a small portion of his details.

I have yet to find the missing 10 years between leaving home & meeting grandma - maybe someone out there knows, and will add it to his Find A Grave page.

When your family member is not who they claimed to be!!! 

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***

Sources:

Find A Grave, Clyde Robertson. Retrieved May 28th 2023 from 
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170574825/clyde-robertson

Photos:

Find A Grave

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!

______________________________________________________________

Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack ~ The Brick Wall Still Stands

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 21 (BRICK WALL)

In the many years I have been searching I have discovered all of my brick walls have stayed stubbornly erect. 

The majority of the lines I have managed to get back a bit further, but none have fully broken through.

This Bramble Bush's most stubborn is my father's paternal Pellack/Maximiw line.

I have managed to find the names of my X3 great grandparents on the Maximiw line, but no other details or documentations. Their names were on a marriage registry for my X2 great grandparents with minimal more found.

On the Pellack line I only have the names for my X2 great grandparents. The only evidence I have that Mary accompanied her 2 boys to Canada is this lonely grave marker in the Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Maryville, Melfort Census Division, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Headstone translation from a family friend:    Here rests Maria Peleh  Forever remembered ('And the ‘h’ in Peleh is deep, like the deep h in Chanukah')

Family lore says their father's name was Mikihor, but I have not found any sources indicating this is true.

My great grandparents came to Canada in 1909 with their 3 children.
My grandfather was the first Canadian born child - on the homestead in 1910.

He is found in the 1911 census as Nikolas, age 1, male.
How he became Max is another mystery.
His older sister Esther/Stella is listed as a son named Steve - in error.

In preparation to write this blog I used the search function on Ancestry to see if I could find any further information for the family before arriving in Canada without success. 

I have found no records prior to their 1909 arrival in Canada via the ship Willehad.

I then searched for more for my grandfather using both his birth name and assumed name, but was not able to find anything new. 

Having grown up knowing nothing of my Pellack heritage I love seeing photos of my great grandparents.

My great grandparents 
Alexander and Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack

7 years ago I received my first genealogical DNA result. 

That first test was from Ancestry. 

Last year I did 23&Me. 

I have uploaded to GedMatch, MyHeritage, and FamilyTreeDNA.

I have found so many distant relatives, but none are close enough to help break down the brick wall.

Researching in Ukraine was hard before the Russian invasion, but now it feels impossible.

It seems the only test left, that might help, is YDNA. 

Since this is my father's paternal line we are stuck on YDNA is our last hope to break this brick wall down.

 

Hoping for a Father's Day special deal for YDNA!!! 

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***

Sources:

Pellack Family. 1911 Census of Canada for Alexander Polick, Saskatchewan, Prince Albert, Sub-District 22. Retrieved March 6th 2020 from Ancestry.ca

Ship's Manifest. Library & Archives Canada, Immigration, Passenger Lists, Page 16, Retrieved March 6th 2020 from
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/passenger-lists/passenger-lists-1865-1922/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=5121&fbclid=IwAR0bFKIO58BlaeooRHtWlgBb6yrB7Ii6RlXBMf3dzADF_YdBLfITZJzNJtw

Photos:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

10th Cousin X1 Removed - Thomas William (Tom) Selleck

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 20 (BEARDED)

Tom Selleck is my husband's 10th cousin X1 removed via his father's maternal line.

Their in common relatives are Chris' 9th great grandparents & Tom's 10th great grandparents

John Underhill, Capt
BIRTH 5 OCT 1597 • Bagington, Warwickshire, England
DEATH 21 SEP 1672 • Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, USA
and
Elizabeth Feake
BIRTH MAY 1633 • Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 4 NOV 1675 • Oyster Bay, Long Island, Queens, New York, USA

Tom's 9th great grandmother was their first born,  Deborah (who is Chris' 8th great aunt)

Deborah Underhill
BIRTH 29 NOV 1659 • Flushing, Queens, New York, USA
DEATH 30 JAN 1698 • Oyster Bay, Nassau, New York, USA

Deborah had an older sister named Deborah via her father's first wife. It is believed the 1st Deborah was deceased by 1659 when this Deborah was born. 

Chris descends through their second born, Nathaniel

Nathaniel Underhill
BIRTH 22 FEB 1663 • Killingworth, Oyster Bay, New York, USA
DEATH 10 NOV 1710 • Westchester, New York, USA

I became interested in researching this line further after reading THE WINTHROP WOMAN. 

The book is based on Chris' 10th great grandmother (and mother to Elizabeth Feake mother of Deborah & Nathaniel).

Elizabeth (Bess) Fones
BIRTH 21 JAN 1610 • Groton, Babergh District, Suffolk, England
DEATH 1 FEB 1673 • Astoria, Queens County, New York, USA

The book focuses on the life, loves, and tribulations of Elizabeth's life.

Elizabeth was married first to her cousin
Henry (Harry) Winthrop
BIRTH 10 JAN 1607 • Groton, Groton Manor, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom
DEATH 2 JUL 1630 • Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA

then Elizabeth married Chris' 10th great grandfather
Robert Feake , Lt.
BIRTH 20 SEP 1602 • London, Middlesex, England
DEATH 1 FEB 1662 • Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA

and then Elizabeth married for love
William Hallett
BIRTH 1615 • Bridport, West Dorset District, Dorset, England
DEATH 17 APR 1706 • Astoria, Queens County, New York, USA

The book is historical fiction. The details of Elizabeth's life may not be historically accurate. It does a nice job of presenting the historical events that were happening at the time. 

Looking at the events & language through today's lens is shocking. It's a good reminder of why we know better now. 

If you decide to read it keep these trigger notifications in mind.

I wrote about X10 great grandmother Elizabeth (nee Fones) Winthrop Willett in this blog 
Gazing Out Across the Horizon ~ X10 Great Grandmother Elizabeth Fones

How exactly does any of this relate to the prompt this week?

Stay with me for a bit longer so I can weave the tapestry of family connections just a bit longer.

The photo below was taken January 2019 at the TOP OF THE WORLD restaurant in Las Vegas. It was our first trip to Vegas, and we had a blast. 

Now back to this week's prompt, BEARDED ie facial hair.

After working on the Fones, Winthrop, Feake line after reading the book a few month ago I had added Tom Selleck to our Bramble Bush. 

When I saw a photo of Tom a few weeks I immediately saw the resemblance to Chris, but couldn't figure out why.  

When I looked more closely I realized it was the mustache. 

This is not the photo I had seen that made me think of Tom, but I couldn't use that one due to copyright. 

BUT you can see it if you click this link 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Selleck#/media/File:Tom_Selleck_at_PaleyFest_2014.jpg

The photo below is close. 

Look at Chris' mustache above, and Tom's below or in the new tab you opened with the link.

Can you see the similarities?

Maybe I'm wrong. 

I also noticed Tom's left eyebrow rises is a very similar way to Chris'.

But lets not talk about the hair 😆

Then again - it's been said that head hair follows the mother's paternal line & the shared line between Chris and Thomas William (Tom) Selleck is via both of their father's lines.

Finding similarities and differences in distant relatives even if they aren't there!!! 

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***

Sources:

Seton, Anya. The Winthrop woman. Houghton Mifflin, 1958.

Photos:

Tom Selleck on the red carpet at the 60th Annual Academy Awards, 4/11/88, Photo by Alan Light. Photo retrieved May 15th 2023 from 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Selleck_1988_%28cropped%29.jpg

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!

______________________________________________________________

Is This Child Really Mine ~ Not Bald As Expected

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 19 (BALD)

When we were expecting our first child we talked about many things, but we never talked about hair. 

We talked about gender.
I was fairly confident we were having a boy.
Chris had no feelings either way.
We had our first in a time & place when finding out the gender wasn't available.

We talked about names.
Cassie or Emma if we had a girl.
We decided on the boys' name complete with middle by about the 6th week of pregnancy, and never wavered. 

We talked about parenting styles along with hopes & dreams.
We never realized our imaginary children were not our real children. 

We never talked about who the baby might look like.
We never talked about features or hair colour.

I had been picturing our baby (a son in my visions) as a blonde cue ball for the entire pregnancy. 

All of the babies that I recall being born in my family have been born bald so I was shocked when they wheeled me off the elevator from the recovery room after an emergency c-section (general anesthetic) to see this baby with a head of thick black hair.

Had I been awake when he was born I would have known he was mine, but there was no time for a spinal. 

My first visual of our baby was Chris holding him while leaning against the wall in the hallway of the maternity ward. I was shocked to see a full head of dark hair. I immediately thought they gave him the wrong baby. I then noticed Chris looking down at the baby and thought 'oh no...he's already attached'. 

I couldn't quite understand how my blonde cue ball baby turned into this baby with thick dark hair. 

I would like to believe it was the result of: the anesthetic, lack of sleep, or 2 days of labour. Regardless of why - I was confident they gave us the wrong baby.

Don't get me wrong - I loved him from the first moment, and was solidly attached instantly. He was so darn cute, and such an amazing baby.

BUT I kept looking at the blonde cue ball baby in the bassinet across from the one they said was mine wondering if he was mine.

By the time we were discharged to home several days later due to my surgery and his jaundice I had forgotten that I hadn't been sure he was our baby.

It probably helped that he had a bump on his ear that matched his dad perfectly, and I had also realized our families have equal amounts of both blonde and dark hair - just a random set of genetics that results in a baby.

If only I had seen a baby photo of Chris I may have been ready for a dark haired child because as newborns both our boys looked just like their dad. 

Many years later we were at a community gathering where that blonde cue ball baby in the bassinet across from us was also in attendance. In my most judgy voice I said to Chris 'It doesn't matter - I do not want that child - this one is mine!".

By the time he was a year old he looked so much like me there was little doubt he was mine. 

By the time our second arrived I fully expected all the dark hair he was born with. When our boys were about 2 and 5 a coworker commented that I got Pete & Re-Pete.

Being a new parent is exhausting....

When your child is nothing like the imaginary child you envisioned!!! 

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 Family Photos

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!

______________________________________________________________

To All the Cats I Have Loved Before - Herbie, Morris, Mo, Einstein, Tiki, Charlie, Oliver, Frodo, Simba

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 18 (PETS)

I have frequently written about the pets in our family so wasn't sure what to write about for this week's prompt PETS.

My husband and I have agreed we are downsizing through attrition in anticipation of retirement. When a pet dies we will not get a new one. If I could have only one -- a cat or a dog -- I would choose cat. If Chris could have only one -- a dog or a cat -- he would choose dog. We have compromised by having multiples of each over the 30+ years we have been together.

Since we became a cat-free home I have realized that I am allergic to cats. My head is so much clearer. I am also allergic to dogs since my symptoms are  not fully gone. I don't know if I have always been allergic to dogs & cats since I have always lived with them so didn't know any different.

When I looked at our 23&Me results for dog and cat allergies we both have typical likelihood. BUT Chris' is in the very low area of the typical and mine is at the top. It seems our plan to head into retirement pet free is a good one for my health, but my heart is struggling with the decision. 

In considering the subject of this week's blog I decided to write about 'all the cats I have loved before'. 

Sadly I don't remember the first cat I had. I don't remember if it was a boy or girl. I don't remember it's name. I don't remember what it looked like.  BUT I know I was only a few months old when I got my first cat since my mom told me that she explained to my dad that every child should have a pet so they got me a cat. When my dad was transferred from Quebec to Alberta they found a new home for my cat. 

When we arrived to the military base in Edmonton our neighbour's cat had kittens. I wore my parents down, and they let me choose the one I wanted. To be honest I think we chose each other. He was a white short haired kitten with blue eyes. My mom wanted me to name him snowball, but I was adamant his name was Herbie. Herbie was a tough cat in the neighbourhood. He was a scrapper, and didn't like anyone except me. As soon as I got home from school he didn't leave my side. I carried him everywhere, and he slept on my pillow. 

I have no photos of Herbie because my parents divorced when I was 8. Family breakdown resulted in the loss of my father on a daily basis & on the artifacts of our life pre-divorce. When my mother left my father (who was in the military & away on maneuvers) Herbie was given away to a new home. I will never forget Herbie. I felt his loss deeply. 

Our next cat was a long haired beauty named Morris that my step-dad found while canoe racing in a neighbouring town in Ontario when I was 9. To this day I'm not sure he was actually a lost stray cat that dad found or if he was a friendly cat wandering his neighbourhood that dad decided to bring home to me after listening to my sad tales of the lost white cat I loved. Morris was a beautiful cat who refused to live outside or in the barn as my dad intended. He made it known he was a pampered house cat, and chose my room as his personal space. He chose me as his human. A few months later my 6 year old brother came downstairs yelling that Oscar was pooing mice in my drawer.  Morris became Morrisina - the proud mother of 4 beautiful kittens.Morris was given to the family who moved into the farm house when we moved back to British Columbia. I have no photos of Morris aka Morrisina.

At our new house we adopted a 1 year old purebread chocolate point siamese cat named Mo. He was part of a litter that was named Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Mo - our Mo was the 4th born in his litter. Mo had been declawed by his previous owner. At some point one of those claws grew back,, and he shredded furniture with that one claw. This was the first cat that moved with us. He moved with the family back and forth across Canada, and lived to a ripe old age of 19. Mo and I remained attached even after I moved away from home - he would sleep with me whenever I spent the night. When I first moved out of the house I moved into a basement suite that allowed me to have a cat or small dog, but I worked long hours and hadn't made the decision to get one on my own.

My younger brother was about 8 when he brought a small grey kitten (in a tiny cardboard box) home with him on the school bus telling my parents he adopted it. After about a week my mom asked if I would take the cat because Mo was being mean to the kitten. When this tiny ball of grey and white fluff was dropped off to me I was smitten. I named him Einstein because I thought he looked wise. He and I quickly became family who were inseparable. 

He loved human food - lasagna was his favourite. When the movie Roxanne was filming in Nelson Einstein & I lived next door to the firehall. If you watch the movie carefully you can seen a small adorable grey cat walk through one of the scenes. The movie folks didn't think he was that cute, and asked me to keep him in the house during filming. Sadly Einstein couldn't accommodate them. He was about 4 when he was hit by a car, and the vet couldn't save him. 

After about a year without a cat I decided to adopt one from the SPCA in Vancouver. I had never been in an SPCA, and all the cats looking for homes broke my heart. How could I choose one?  There in the middle was a tabby cat using the litterbox. After Einstein's death I had decided an indoor cat was for me. This cat clearly knew how to use a litter box so my decision was made. I filled out the paperwork to adopt Seco, but the description didn't match the cat and he had long lost the paper collar that had his details on them so they made their best guess. 

Over the years his name evolved to Tiki. On the few times he ventured outside he would dash back into the house to use the litterbox - he never did learn the outside world was a big litterbox. We never did know how old he was when I adopted him, but the vet guessed 3 making him minimally 16 years old when he died. 

While out at a park a few years later there was a black and white tuxedo cat who was limping, meowing, and immediately heading my direction. He sat down at my feet looking adoringly at me. The folks that were there said he had been limping around the neighbourhood for about a week, and no one owned him. I took him the the SPCA after my companion pointed out there might be a little girl crying for her lost cat. I told the SPCA that if he didn't get claimed I wanted to adopt him. They reassured me they would get the vet to check his leg. 10 days later the SPCA called me saying he hadn't been claimed, and asking if I wanted to adopt him. I headed off to pick up my cat who I named Charlie. When the SPCA said they hadn't had the vet look at the leg, but it seemed to be getting better, I was upset - he was still clearly in pain, and it wasn't better. Immediately to the vet we went receiving the bad news that his hip was dislocated, but due to the length of time that had passed it no longer could be re-located. He was put on $100 a bag growth kitten food to assist with healing the joint to make it functional. He also let me know Charlie was about 5 months old. Charlie's hip healed enough to minimally impact him until arthritis set in when he was older. He was 12 years old when he died of a heart attack laying in the sun on the back deck. I was Charlie's human - he slept with me every night (often on my head).

On a morning between meetings I was dropping our older son off at a summer recreational program when I noticed a box with a kitten in it that said 'free kitty last day'. A lady I knew asked if I wanted a kitten. I said we had 2 older cats so really didn't need a kitten. She said 'too bad because if he doesn't get a home today he's going in the river tomorrow'. I stood and looked at her for an awkward few minutes and then said 'give me my damn cat we're going home'. I was late for me next meeting because I had to deliver him home. When I walked in with him sitting on my shoulder our younger son was ecstatic, but my husband not so much. He was named Oliver for the boys' favourite movie - Oliver & Company. We were a 3 cat household for only a few month when Tiki died. I was Oliver's human - he slept with me every night. After Charlie died Oliver began sleeping on my head. Oliver died at 18 1/2 years old. 

We were a 1 cat household for about 3 years when we rescued sisters Simba & Frodo who were abandoned in the Christina Lake laundromat. You can read more about them here: The Rainbow Bridge ~ Saying Goodbye to Furry Family Members. Frodo's name was chosen for her furry toes, and Simba because she looked liked a baby lion. Frodo died at 14, and Simba at 19. 

Remembering the cats I have loved before reminds me that I really do love having a feline family member. I also realize our cats live very long lives, and are not a commitment to take on lightly. Added to my realization that I have allergies it does seem that heading into retirement as a cat-free home is for the best.

The tiny paw prints marking my heart.

When you never use your pets names as passwords their details can be shared with the world!!! 

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:

Heart Paw. Retrieved May 2nd 2023 from
https://freesvg.org/heart-paws

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!

______________________________________________________________