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/

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