Thomas Thomson ~ Letters Home From Kananaskis

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 7 (LETTERS & DIARIES)

My great grandfather Thomas Thomson was a guard at Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K) during World War 2.

These 2 letters (each have 4 pages) were sent home during that time.

In the Scottish fashion he called his wife mammy, and signed his letters daddy even when not writing to the children. 

The first letter is addressed to Thomas' wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter Mary & new husband Clyde (my grandparents).

This second letter is addressed only to Elizabeth.

It was written just 2 months before Thomas died at Kananaskis.

The author of the letters (my great grandfather)

Thomas Thomson

Birth 10 MAY 1880 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 19 NOV 1940 • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada

The recipient of the letters 
great grandma: 

Elizabeth Young Slicer

Birth 4 AUG 1882 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 24 JUN 1958 • Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
grandma:

Mary Elizabeth Thomson

Birth 20 DEC 1915 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 3 AUG 2005 • Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada
grandpa:

Clyde Robertson (AKA Max Pellack)

Birth 10 MAY 1910 • San Francisco, California, USA (Clyde claimed)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Clyde's claimed on military records)
homestead, SW, Section: 1, Township: 48, Range: 17, Meridian: W2, Gronlid, Saskatchewan, Canada (Max's actual birth place)

Death 11 JUL 1986 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Not included in the letters was Thomas' 1st born 

Marion Isabella (Maisie) Thomson

Birth 24 MAY 1914 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 14 SEP 1996 • Meadow Vista, Placer County, California, USA
married to

Wallace Mark (Wally) Reemelin

Birth 2 JUL 1918 • Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA

Death 29 DEC 2014 • Placer County, California, USA

Thomas & Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson had the 2 daughters noted above. They lost an infant (or stillborn) son in Scotland after the birth of 2nd daughter Mary who remembered the birth of her brother. There were no further children for this couple.

In reading the letters I began to wonder about Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K), and found this video

Holding onto the last words!!! 

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:

Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K). POWs in Canada. Research by Michael O'Hagan, PhD. Retrieved February 11th 2025 from
https://powsincanada.ca/pows-in-canada/internment-camps/camp-130-kananaskis/

Internment in the Canadian Rockies | Camp 130. Retrieved February 11th 2025 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ODHhRl-60

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!

______________________________________________________________

Maps ~ Finding Your Family In Their Old Neighbourhood

I remember hearing the tale about my great grandparents' house in Calgary. 

Thomas & Elizabeth (nee Slicer) Thomson were married on December 31st 1908. They immigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada from North Berwick, Scotland. 

He arrived in 1909 & she arrived in 1910 (according to records found). They purchased their home in Calgary (or so the story goes, no records have been found) and prepared to live happily ever after.

Sometime in 1913 they rented their house in Calgary out & returned to Scotland. Elizabeth wanted to be with her family for the birth of their first child. Maisie was born May 24th 1914 at her grandparents home on Clifford Road, North Berwick, Scotland. 

World War 1 broke out a month later on July 28th 1914. 

The family was trapped in Scotland for the duration of the war. 

Thomas volunteered for the British Army, signing up November 19th 1915. 

My grandmother, Mary, was born a month later on December 20th 1915. 

October 11th 1920 the family arrived back to Canada (according to the passenger lists). 

I'm not sure why the family waited a full 2 years after the war ended. It's possible that it had to do with the baby brother who was born & died that grandma told me about. I haven't been able to find any records for this lost brother. 

For almost 7 years my great grandparents resided in Scotland while their house in Calgary was rented out. 

Through the lens of today this story seemed completely impossible, and yet research indicates that is exactly what happened. 

According to the tales grandma told they arrived back in Calgary & the family who had been renting the house had cared for it the entire time, and then moved out so grandma and her family could move back in. 

In the yard of their home in Calgary after their return from Scotland

I was able to find the address of their home in Calgary from the 1921 & 1926 Prairie census. 923 5th Street, North West Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The census below is from 1926. 

Google Maps streetview - the house as it stands today.

I was left wondering - could this be the original house that my great grandparents bought sometime between 1910 & 1914?

Looking at this photo of grandma with her father and sister in front of their home - I am left believing this is not the original house. 

The house looks closer to the front of the lot in this photo than the position of the current home. 

It's also hard to say if the neighbours house is the original home or a rebuild when looking at this photo of grandma & her sister.

The 1921 census records 2 rooms - I think there is little chance the house we see today on Google Maps Streetview is the same house my grandma and her family lived in. 

BUT it is the same neighbourhood that likely has grown a lot.

This was grandma & great auntie Maise's walk to school when they were the ages in the photos above

Grandma and her sister attended Hillhurst School.

Grandma went to the 75th Anniversary celebration in 1987.

I have no idea how much my great grandparents paid for their home initially or what they sold it for, but I'm pretty sure they would be shocked at the value in 2022.

Finding your roots in the maps available online!

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:

923 5 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1R3, RedFin, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.redfin.ca/ab/calgary/923-5-St-NW-T2N-1R3/home/156786660

Public Access, Assessment,  Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://assessmentsearch.calgary.ca/Map/MapSearch.aspx?featureType=PARCEL&featureList=180168507

Maps:

Directions, Google Maps, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/923+5+St+NW,+Calgary,+AB+T2N+1R3/Hillhurst+School+%7C+Calgary+Board+of+Education,+1418+7+Ave+NW,+Calgary,+AB/@51.057463,-114.0881551,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716ff476f76cc1:0x926d2bd6fb817b8f!2m2!1d-114.0747507!2d51.0601547!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716feb5f3d0dd5:0xc9cac996ac813e79!2m2!1d-114.0931992!2d51.0591861!3e2?hl=en&authuser=0

Google Maps, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/923+5+St+NW,+Calgary,+AB+T2N+1R3/@51.0601547,-114.0769394,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53716ff476f76cc1:0x926d2bd6fb817b8f!8m2!3d51.0601547!4d-114.0747507?hl=en&authuser=0

Public Access, Assessment,  Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://assessmentsearch.calgary.ca/Map/MapSearch.aspx?featureType=PARCEL&featureList=180168507

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

Labour Day ~ Back To School

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 36 (LABOUR)

In Canada Labour Day is officially the end of summer. It's the last long weekend before school starts on Tuesday. 

In the photo below you can see my grandma Mary Elizabeth Thomson (on the left) with her father (Thomas Thomson) and sister Marion Isabella (Maisie) Thomson. 

Maybe this was a first day of school photo.

Here they are not too long later, and again it might be a first day of classes photo for elementary school in Calgary, Alberta .

Grandma went to Sunnyside School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for her elementary years.

 

Maybe this was Grandma's first day of classes during middle school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

Grandma went to Hillhurst for middle school - in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Here we find grandma enjoying the sun in Calgary, Alberta. Maybe it was the Labour Day weekend. Maybe she was enjoying the last "dog days of summer" before she had to go back to classes. 

Grandma attended Crescent Heights in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for her high school years.

When I look at the photo of grandma enjoying the sun I see a beautiful young women with her whole future in front of her. By the time I knew grandma she was just my grandma.  

When I look at the pictures of when she was young it's pretty clear that Grandma was way cooler before she became a mother and grandmother. 

Exploring the maybes to find the stories!







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***



Links:

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

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!

___________________________________________________________

Historical & Personal Context ~ Clyde Robertson (aka Max Pellack)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 41 (CONTEXT)



Context breathes life into names and dates making ancestors real people.  When trying to figure out where & how to search context is what provides direction. It's in the context and stories where genealogy researchers bring ancestors to life.

When I first found out that my grandfather was not Scottish I would say his family immigrated from THE UKRAINE to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1909. I didn't understand why dropping THE was so important. 


Context provides the historical reasons for why it's just UKRAINE. When under Soviet rule by the Russians Ukraine was referred to as THE UKRAINE. Now their own country removing THE is part of celebrating their independence.


I grew up not knowing my cultural background or hearing family stories. It seems that some cultural preferences are inborn. I remember coming home from school in about grade 1, and asking my mom for boiled cabbage with butter and vinegar for my after school snack. 

My dad grew up Scottish. My mom grew up Scottish & English. Cabbage was not a part of their growing up. I loved cabbage prepared in any form from a very young age.  My body knew my cultural heritage long before I did. 


Context is an important part of understanding your family's history.


When trying to figure out why my grandfather changed his name, nationality, and birthplace I researched the persecution of Ukrainian people in Canada. My ancestors were not interned during World War 1, but many Canadian Ukrainians were. Although not interned they would have been registered as enemy aliens. Having recently left Ukraine where they faced hardship the family must have been terrified. This was likely why my grandfather and his younger siblings appear to have never had their home births registered.  My grandfather was a young child growing up in a country where Ukrainian people were persecuted during his early formative years. Worldwide Ukrainian folks were persecuted. Historically it appears as though the Scottish people were accepted. It's not a surprise grandpa would choose to be Scottish.


My family followed the Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic faith in Canada. Ancestry DNA showed European Jewish for at least one of his parents. When I compare my DNA matches in Ancestry I believe Alexander's ancestors were Jewish, but without knowing the history of my family I have no context to be sure. I am left making guesses.  

Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack
My great grandparents

In the 1926 Canadian Prairie census I found my grandfather with his usual residence listed as Edenbridge.  Edenbrige was a Jewish community that had about 50 families in the 1920s. 

Who exactly Grandpa was living with is a mystery. 

His family also listed him as residing on the farm in nearby Gronlid (Willow Creek). I'm guessing the census taker asked who usually resided there, and his parents recorded him. Possibly he didn't reside at Edenbridge full-time?  Maybe he was visiting family?

Grandpa's mother tongue residing with his parents was recorded as Ukrainian. With Edenbridge as his usual residence English was listed as his mother tongue. 


Already beginning to distance himself from his Ukrainian heritage? To the best of my knowledge he never spoke Ukrainian after meeting grandma in 1939. My dad never knew that his father wasn't Scottish. When my Ancestry DNA came back showing I was 14% European Jewish dad was confident it wasn't from his side of the family. A few months later when his results came back with 27% European Jewish he was shocked. Dad immediately embraced his heritage. Dad never knew before receiving the results.


Grandpa left home about 1930 with one name, and met Grandma in 1939 with the other. Where he was those missing almost 10 years is a mystery. How he chose the name - a mystery. 

Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack) and
Mary Elizabeth Thomson
abt 1939

Clyde & Mary (nee Thomson) Robertson
aka Max Pellack

Grandpa never talked about his childhood. He never talked about being Jewish or Ukrainian. He claimed Scotland for his heritage. Grandpa died before any of us could hear his story.

Born Ukrainian in Gronlid Saskatchewan as Max Pellack. 

Died Scottish in Winnipeg as
Clyde Robertson.




He was my grandpa. I loved him. I will never have enough context to truly understand grandpa's story. 

Me with my dad & grandpa
Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack)
I was 3 years old

Me with my dad, grandpa and grandma
Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack)
I was 9 years old

Collect the stories & context before it's too late!




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***





Related Previous Blogs:

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

Embracing my Heritage

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2014/12/

Somehow Related Blog Spot,
I'm back -- news from the past two years

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2016/

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

First Things First - Going Back to the Beginning of My Genealogy Blog

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/01/first-things-first.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

Treasures from the Library - Interlibrary Loans

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/01/treasures-from-library-interlibrary.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

Surprise -- I'm Ashkenazi Jewish

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/02/surprise-im-ashkenazi-jewish.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

Max Pellack ~ I'm Not a Diamond Heiress with a Tiny Flluuuffy Dog in a Sparkly Flllluuufffy Handbag!
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/03/not-diamond-heiress-with-tiny-flluuuffy.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

Reposting ~ If I Were a Man, and Wore a Cowboy Hat

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/06/reposting-if-i-were-man-and-wore-cowboy.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot,

On a Virtual Walk - Visiting the Old Homestead

https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/09/on-virtual-walk-visiting-old-homestead.html

Sources:

Edenbridge Saskatchewan, Canada, JewishGen,, Retrieved October 5th 2019 from
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Edenbridge/





Links:

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

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!

_____________________________________________________________________

School Days in Calgary, Alberta, Canada ~ Mary Elizabeth Thomson

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 36 (SCHOOL DAYS)

This week I share with you my grandma's school days in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.


The inspiration for this week's blog is a tea mug that my grandmother brought home with her from the 75th Anniversary of Hillhurst School in 1987. 


Grandma loved this mug, and it is still in perfect condition after 32 years. Grandma cared for it until her death in 2005. My father cared for it until he gave it to me several months ago. Grandma was born in Scotland, and took her tea very seriously.The lack of stains suggests Grandma never used this mug.  I too take my tea seriously -- this mug will never be used because it just doesn't hold enough tea. This mug has a special place in the heart of my kitchen - as the base for our Google Home Mini beside the glass canister holding the tea bags. 

Hillhurst School is now an elementary school, but when my grandmother attended it was a middle school.


All of the schools grandma attended are still standing, and in use as schools  today.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Grandma attended Sunnyside School for her Elementary years.

Mary Elizabeth Thomson (elementary school age) with her doll and stroller

Mary Elizabeth Thomson (elementary school age) with
her older sister Marion Isabelle (known as Maisie) Thomson

Mary Elizabeth Thomson (elementary school age) with
her older sister Marion Isabelle (known as Maisie) Thomson

Mary Elizabeth Thomson (elementary school age) with
her father Thomas Thomson, and older sister Marion Isabelle (known as Maisie) Thomson

Sunnyside School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Sunnyside School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Click the link to view the CELEBRATING 100 YEARS at SUNNYSIDE
https://www.btcalgary.ca/videos/sunnyside-school-turns-100/

~

JUNIOR HIGH (AKA MIDDLE) SCHOOL

Grandma attended Hillhurst School for her Middle School years.

Mary Elizabeth Thomson, about middle school age

Grandma attended Hillhurst School for her Middle School Years. 

The present day elementary school once served as a junior highschool. 

Hillhurst School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hillhurst School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

~

HIGH SCHOOL

Grandma attended Crescent Heights High School for her High School years.

Mary Elizabeth Thomson, about high school age

Crescent Heights Highschool was built in 1928, and opened on January 7th 1929. Grandma was still in middle school when the highschool opened so wasn't one of the first students to attend.

Crescent Heights High School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The first day she attended Crescent Heights High School she would have walked under the sign labeled as the GIRLS entrance that had been carved by her father, Thomas Thomson.

1 "There were two separate entrances, one for girls and one for boys."


Thomas Thomson was a well known stonemason who traveled all over North America for work. He carved many monuments in the Calgary area. Grandma told me stories of her father carving the BOYS & GIRLS entry signage for a school she attended. Only Crescent Heights had that signage which leaves me to conclude those signs were carved by my great grandfather Thomas Thomson.*  Thomas was well known for his Gargoyle carvings. There are many carvings all over Canada and the United States that were carved by Thomas. 

Crescent Heights High School Calgary, Alberta, Canada  2

*Not to be confused with the famous Canadian Artist Thomas Thomson - who may be a relative, but whether that is true is currently unknown. 

                                    ~

Grandma enjoyed her school days. While I was growing up she told me many stories that included her sister, cousins, and school friends. Grandma told me that wished she had pursued journalism. She was a great writer, and wrote many poems. She would be pleased that I am writing the family stories.




Historical information & artifacts bringing stories to life!







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:

1 Calgary Public Library, historic, Crescent Heights High School, Retrieved September 4th 2019 from 
https://web.archive.org/web/20021221213418/http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/calgary/historic_tours/corner/chhs.htm

2 Alberta Heritage Markers, Way Marking, Crescent Heights High School Calgary, AB, Retrieved September 4th 2019 from 
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMZAP2_Crescent_Heights_High_School_Calgary_AB




Links:

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

Crescent Heights School
http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/CrescentHeights/Pages/default.aspx

Hillhurst School
http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/Hillhurst/Pages/default.aspx

Sunnyside School
http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/sunnyside/Pages/default.aspx



Somehow Related Previous Blogs:

Somehow Related Blog Spot, Remembering - Thomas & Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson, and politics,
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/02/remembering-thomas-elizabeth-young-nee.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot, 3 Bricks in the Wall ~ Thomas Thomson (Stonemason, Brick House, Genealogical Brick Wall),
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/04/3-bricks-in-wall-thomas-thomson.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot, Elizabeth & Thomas - Together Again, 
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/05/elizabeth-thomas-together-again.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot, School Autograph Books, Calgary: 1927 to 1932 ~ Marion (Maisie) Thomson, 
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/06/school-autograph-books-calgary-1927-to.html

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!

_____________________________________________________________________