Surprise -- I'm Ashkenazi Jewish

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 6 (Surprise)


When you are a descendant of a black sheep there are many surprises in your family tree. I descend from three (or more) black sheep which means there are way more surprises in my research than knowns. When I start searching any one person in my tree, and find records straight off I am truly surprised. Genealogy research for me is one surprise after another.

My husband's family tree is way easier to search. There are no true black sheep in his lines, but there are many surprises.  When I become frustrated or tired while researching my bramble bush I take a break by digging on his side. It's a nice feeling to create a proper tree with clear lines. His family is well researched on his father's line due to their United Empire Loyalist connections. He is related to the husband of Laura Secord. You can read more about this War of 1812 heroine here:  https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/laura-secord
pssst --  she didn't actually have anything to do with making chocolate 

I would have to say my biggest surprises was when I found out that my grandfather was not Clyde Robertson of Scottish descent. He was not born in San Francisco as he claimed. He was not an only child whose parents died before my dad was born.

At the age of 29 (pregnant with my second child) I found out that my grandfather was actually Max Pellack of Ukrainian descent. He was born in northern Saskatchewan. His parents were both alive at the time my dad was born. He had 3 older siblings, and 3 younger siblings. 

My first success in genealogy researching was when I connected with the daughter-in-law of my grandfather's youngest brother. Finally I was making progress in repairing my fractured family tree.

At the age of 49 I received my Ancestry DNA results. 

This was my second biggest surprise. I am 12% European Jewish. Finally I understood why I tan a golden colour when I am blonde and pale skinned. The Eastern European genes are strong. My dad was positive that it wasn't from his side. He was sure it was from my mom's side. He agreed to do his Ancestry DNA since my mother had passed away.   

Surprise - dad is 27% European Jewish. One of his grandparents was Jewish. His grandparents followed the Greek Catholic faith when they arrived in Canada from Ukraine. I haven't yet found church affiliations in Ukraine for my great grandparents (Austrian Empire at the time they immigrated in 1909).

We can't be sure why my grandfather changed his name and ethnicity. It could have been because of the persecution associated with both of them. I feel sad that I didn't know my own roots. All the years that I read medical study after medical study referencing the genetics of Ashkenazi Jewish people I had no idea I had any sort of connection. 

On my list of ancestors I am seeking more information about are Lena & Clara Pellack born about 1915.  There is some confusion about the twin female infants listed in the 1916 census, but no longer present for the 1921 census. Family have suggested to me that they weren't actually the children of Alexander and Mary, but maybe neighbour children there on the day census was done. They are recorded as daughters, but it is true there are mistakes in the census records.  The idea that I have two great aunts that have been totally forgotten saddens me. I will keep searching. Maybe the 1926 prairie census will have more information for me when it is released.

No one should be forgotten. 

Still researching my role in my own family story!

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 to the blog post***

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!

Treasures from the Library - Interlibrary Loans

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 5 (At the Library)


After finding out that my grandfather was not Clyde Robertson as the family had believed I set out to figure out who he was. When I discovered he was Max Pellack born in Northern Saskatchewan I set out to find out what I could about the area my family came from. 

I was told that he was born on the homestead in Gronlid, Saskatchewan the year after his parents immigrated to Canada with their three older children. They arrived by ship from Skoryky (Скорики), Ternopil's'ka, Ukraine. Using Library & Archives Canada I was able to view a copy of the ship's manifest. Armed with a few spelling variation for the names and dates I began searching for more information about the Pellack family & the community of Gronlid.

I found that there was a history book that was written in 1991 titled OUR COURAGEOUS PIONEERS, History of Gronlid and Surrounding Districts of: Argus, Athol, Edenbridge, Freedom, Maryille, Murphy Creek, Sandhill Creek, Taelman, Teras, Teddington that was not available to purchase or borrow anywhere that I could find. I emailed the Gronlid library to ask if there was any way that I could borrow their copy of the book. I explained that I didn't know anything about my Gronlid family because my grandfather had changed his name and left them behind, but I understood there was some information about my great grandparents in the book. The librarian replied that there was no way for me to borrow the book, but she transcribed the page about my grandparents that included information about my grandfather and his siblings.

This little bit of info about my probable family left me hungry for more. I sent an email to the Interlibrary loan department of my library explaining that the book seemed to not be available via any source, but maybe she could work her magic for me. 

About a month later I was notified that she had managed to find a way to borrow it for me, but there might be a fee. I was willing to pay the fee so she went ahead with the order. When it arrived there was no charge. The book was leather bound, 11 inches by 9 inches, and 2.5 inches thick. It was full of detailed listings about families and their people.  I had never been so excited to take a book home from the library before. This was one beautiful book. I opened the book right there in the library to the page about my grandparents, and discovered the librarian had scribed word for word for me what was there. What she hadn't told me was there was a photo. This was the first time I had ever seen my great grandparents. 

Mary (nee Maximiw) and Alexander Pellack

As I looked at the photo of my great grandparents I realized that my dad sort of looked like his grandmother, and that I shared some features as well. My uncle looked so much like his grandfather. I was still uncertain that Clyde Robertson really was Max Pellack even with the similarities.

I only had the book for 2 weeks because it was a library book that had to go back to the Gronlid public library.  I pored over the details making copious notes. Still uncertain these were my relatives. How could I ever be sure? I scanned a few pages feeling uncertain that I wanted to store information about people that might not even be my relatives. 

On an interesting side note I found my husband's coworker and his family listed in the book. We were both surprised to discover our people had been neighbours. They may have even been connected socially. There is so much I will never know about my family of origin.

It was a couple of years later when my Ancestry DNA results confirmed that Clyde Robertson really was Max Pellack.  And a couple of years after that I received a copy of the book OUR COURAGEOUS PIONEERS, HISTORY OF GRONLID.... as a present from my new found cousins.  

I spend a lot of time going over the details in the book now that I know for certain these were my relatives. There was much I missed when I had it for that two week loan period. 

I will be eternally grateful to the Gronlid public library for loaning it to me through my local library's interlibrary loan department. The first glimpse of my great grandparents, great aunt, great uncle, and cousins was an amazing experience for me. 

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 to the blog post***

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'm back -- news from the past two years

My last post was December 26th 2014. In the past 2 years much has changed, and yet much has stayed the same.

This past September Ancestry DNA confirmed that my grandfather Clyde Robertson really was Max Pellack. A year earlier  my Ancestry DNA results were completed, and I logged onto the site with excitement to finally find out who I really was.

I had confirmation of one person on my paternal maternal line. Since this was the only line that I actually knew anything about I was not delighted with the results. About 6 months later I convinced my dad to let me complete his DNA for my Ancestry account. Hopes dashed again when the same single relative matched. Now I had about 300 folks that I, or my dad, shared DNA with and absolutely no way to figure out how. About 6 months after that one new shared tree notification arrived for both my dad and I. He was the great grandson of my grandfather's uncle. The mystery of who Clyde Robertson was is now solved.

He was Max Pellack. DNA doesn't lie.

Those missing 10 years still exist. How he became Clyde Robertson still a mystery. I have found the family's arrival to Canada via Quebec on a ship's manifest in 1909 leaving the Port of Bremen. Where they were before that? Still searching for records that connect the Pellack/Pelyck family to the village of Skoryky, Скорики, Ternopil's'ka Oblast, Ukraine . I'm 12% European Jewish and my dad 27% according to our Ancestry DNA results. Ukrainian?  Austrian?  Jewish?

Still looking for Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack - the roots of my current Bramble Bush!!!

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!