Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Immigrants from Poland: Tohm and Bittner




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The Tohm family were "Germans from Russia".  Their families had moved south from Russia to settle in the province of Volhynia in North West Ukraine very near Galicia and the Polish border.   It was a long trip to Canada in 1886!
Bittner Crest





Sunday, January 29, 2017

Descendents of Gotlieb Bittner 1825-1921




Gotlieb Bittner, b. 1825 at Wloclawek, Poland, d. April 1921 at Goldap, East Prussia

Additional, unverified information on Gotlieb came from a Polish researcher.  I have untranslated copies of the documents he found. His summary follows.



"I researched the Catholic and Evangelic churchbooks. The Evangelic parish was established in 1829. Earlier the Lutherans had to register in the Catholic parish since there was no other. In the Wloclawek, Catholic churchbook I found:
1. the marriage certificate of Wilhelm Bytner (Beitner, Beytner) with Marianna Aprycell (Apeceller) #48, 1820 Wloclawek State Archive.
2. Their children: * Gottlieb *1821 #58 WSA* * Anna Christina *1823 #206 WSA* I have found none of a exact spelling "Bittner, Buettner". But as you see, even for Wilhelm I found three different spellings of his surname and there is no doubt that this is the same person. There are still some documents to research from the year 1823-1828."



Spouse: First wife of Gotlieb Bittner, b. at Poland, d. at Poland

The following information is from Hilda Bittner (Hartt).
Six children were born. Sisters Wilhemina, Caroline and Allesdina "Justina" and brother August all came to Canada. A brother, Michael, stayed in Europe and is reported to have lived in Siberia. Allesdina "Justina" is reported to have lived in the US although initially she may have landed in Canada.

Married at Poland.
Children and grandchildren:

Allesdina "Justina" Bittner, b. at Poland
Caroline Bittner, b. 25 September 1858 at Poland, m. Daniel Tohm at Poland, d. 22 December 1944 at Duncan, British Columbia; 4 grandchildren
Wilhemina Bittner, b. 8 January 1862 at Poland, m. Edward Stelter, 2 February 1882 at Rozyszeze Parish, Poland
August Bittner (2), b. 1863 at Poland, m. Eva
Michael Bittner
      Spouse: Wilhemina Schoppke, b. 1847, d. 19 April 1921

The following testimony from Carol Hartt (Winder) is based on her mother's recollections.
"They had six children - four boys and two girls. My grandfather, Adolf, was the fourth child and he was born in 1889. Grandpa and Grandma, with their four children at that time, came to Canada in 1913 to Caroline and Daniel's farm near Laird, Saskatchewan. When the Tohms moved to Edmonton later that year, my grandparents moved with them. My grandfather worked off a debt to Daniel, originating with his passage to Canada. In 1915, the Tohms moved back to Saskatchewan to a farm near Young."

Married.
Children and grandchildren:

Daniel Bittner, d. September 1963
Julia Bittner, b. at Poland, m. Joseph Klish, d. 1945
Ludwig Bittner, m. Maria Pusch, d. ca. 1919
Fred Bittner, b. 8 November 1882 at Poland, m. Hulda Knoll , d. 25 September 1929
Adolf Bittner, b. 23 May 1889 at Poland, m. Alvina Schmuland, 13 November 1907, d. 2 January 1958; 11 grandchildren
Theofile Bittner, b. 10 March 1895 at Poland, m. Gustaf Berwald, d. 6 July 1982


Saturday, January 28, 2017

Adolf Bittner (1889-1958) and his descendents




Adolf Bittner, b. 23 May 1889 at Poland, d. 2 January 1958

      Father: Gotlieb Bittner, b. 1825 at Wloclawek, Poland, d. April 1921 at Goldap, East Prussia
     Mother: Wilhemina Schoppke, b. 1847, d. 19 April 1921

The following testimony from Carol Hartt (Winder) is based on her mother's recollections.
Grandpa and Grandma, with their four children at that time, came to Canada in 1913 to Caroline and Daniel's farm near Laird, Saskatchewan. (this could have been Waldheim- they aren't far apart) When the Tohms moved to Edmonton later that year, my grandparents moved with them. My grandfather worked off a debt to Daniel, originating with his passage to Canada. In 1915, the Tohms moved back to Saskatchewan to a farm near Young."

     Spouse: Alvina Schmuland, b. 13 September 1888, d. 2 August 1979

    Married 13 November 1907.
Children and grandchildren:

Albert Bittner, b. 5 November 1908, m. Alice May Gwilliam, 23 November 1957, d. 6 October 1989
Hilda Bittner, b. 14 March 1910, m. Robert Hartt, 2 April 1930
           Spouse: Robert Hartt, b. 14 April 1902, d. 6 September 1994

          Married 2 April 1930.
          Children and grandchildren:

             Carol Joy Hartt, b. 24 December 1943, m. James Frank Winder, 3 July 1965

August Bittner, b. 18 April 1911, m. Elizabeth Montie, 26 December 1936, m. Florence Eleanor May Brears, 30 April 1941
Amanda Bittner, b. 27 August 1912, m. Jacob Lindenbach , 22 December 1931, d. 22 September 1992
Lillie Bittner, b. 12 January 1915, m. Willaim Wilfred Jonat, 8 October 1938
Edward John Bittner, b. 2 December 1916, d. 18 July 1918
Freda Bittner, b. 11 January 1918, m. Roland Schindler, 22 March 1939
Evelyn Edna Bittner, b. 30 May 1921, m. Harold George Markham, 19 June 1947
Irving Bittner, b. 14 November 1924, d. 31 October 1994
Alice Sylvia Bittner, b. 29 April 1926 at Calgary, Alberta
Lorraine Linda Bittner, b. 17 February 1930 at Missisauga, Ontario


Thursday, January 26, 2017

Daniel Tohm (1860-1943)




Daniel Tohm, b. 7 May 1860 at Zhitomir Parish, Poland, d. 16 March 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia

Father: Martin Tohm
Mother: Rohina Burke (Rohina or Rosina/ Barke or Burke; this lady was a widow, maiden name was Schwiderski )


The information about Daniel's birth was found in data from St. Petersborg stored on the website "Odessa". [http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/library/stpete/volhynia/link/vol186xb.txt] This file contains birth records from the Parishes of Volhynia, South Russia for the decade 1860. At first glance this information appears to be true but it's not conclusive.  Julia, Daniel's reported sister, does not show.  Perhaps Julia was a half-sister.

Spouse: Caroline Bittner b. 25 September 1858 at Poland, d. 22 December 1944 at Duncan, British Columbia
Married at Poland.
Children and grandchildren:

(Minnie) Wilhemena Ellen Tohm b. 5 October 1880 at Poland, m. Thomas William Smith, 1898 at St John's, Norway, East Toronto, d. 28 September 1957 at Duncan, British Columbia; 8 grandchildren
Laura (Tillie) Tohm, b. 25 September 1885 at Poland, m. Jake Dirksen; 2 grandchildren
Lena Tohm, b. 28 November 1896 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, m. Abdul Haddie Nasserden, 4 June 1918 at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, adopted by Caroline Bittner and Daniel Tohm, 1898 at Winnipeg, Manitoba; 4 grandchildren
John Tohm, b. 28 October 1893 at Minnesota or Montana, m. Lydia Rau, 1915 at North Dakota, d. 28 November 1946 at California, adopted by Caroline Bittner and Daniel Tohm, 1898 at Winnipeg, Manitoba; 2 grandchildren

Name and Signature 
Tohm has been spelled "Tom", "Thom" and "Tohm". The spelling used by Daniel was "Tohm". His signature has been confirmed on two documents: a deed of land (see below) and the wedding certificate of Lena Tohm.


Siblings

Julia Tohm, b. 10 September 1847 at Poland, m. Daniel Benke; 4 grandchildren
Gottlieb Tohm , b. 4 October 1864 at Shitomir, Poland 
Julia Tohm reportedly came to Canada about the same time as Daniel. Lena Tohm mentioned Daniel's sister "who lived nearby" in a letter to Hilda Hart. Her husband was Daniel Benke who farmed at Rabbit Hill; SE 1/4 section 24 Township 51 Range 25 west of the 4th. (W4); was also counted in the 1891 census at Medicine Hat. Their children follow:

Olvina Benke, b. 25 October 1881 at Poland
John Benke, b. 5 April 1884 at Poland
Lydia Benke, b. 29 November 1890 at Edmonton, Alberta
Frederick Benke, b. 8 September 1892 at Edmonton, Alberta, d. 1950

Land Purchase Documents

160 acres (NW1/4; 17-1-5 E. 1st M) at Emerson, Manitoba, originally a Dominion Land Grant to Peter Coutts but sold to Daniel for $160 because of default on payments, February 8, 1904 was sold December 5, 1905 for $2250 to Meketo Kriewtsky and Stephen Oosianyk.
320 acres at Waldheim, purchased Oct 29, 1909 sold Oct 27, 1913; $5750 (Prince Albert Land Titles #185)
160 acres at Waldheim, purchased Oct 9, 1913 sold 1914; (Prince Albert Land Titles #172)

Arrival in Canada
According to the 1901 census, Daniel and family arrived in 1887. The passenger list of the ship, Sarmatian, sailing from Liverpool to Quebec City September 7, 1888, shows Caroline with daughters Mina and Tillie but not Daniel. Daniel may have arrived earlier.
The first record of settlement is in Medicine Hat in 1889. The families of Daniel Tohm, Daniel Benke and John Hiller are all listed in the 1891 Federal Census of Assiniboia West and in the census for Edmonton the same year. A discussion of the Medicine Hat settlement and the subsequent move to Rabbit Hill, South Edmonton can be found in MacGregor, James A History of Alberta p165-166 The Rabbit Hill settlers were part of a small group of German-speaking immigrants who came from the Volhynia area of Poland. Liaisons among the three families and a fourth family (Edward Stelter) after the move to Rabbit Hill, resulted in the founding of the Heimtal German Baptist Church, known today as the Rabbit Hill Baptist Church. The four families are mentioned in a local history book.

Daniel helped at least two families come over from Europe. (August Bittner at Waldheim, 1914 and Michael Buller at Rabbit Hill, 1896) These men worked for Daniel to pay off the incurred debt for passage.

Canadian Census 1891 and 1901 

 Daniel also showed up living in Medicine Hat in 1891. Note: religion is "F Baptist".


 John and Lena are listed as "adopted". Daniel is listed as arriving in Canada in 1887 and becoming "Naturalized" in 1897. Wilomena has married and moved away


Ludwig Tohm is first on the same page. Hilda Hartt suggested that this may have been a relative of Daniel. Ludwig is 18 years older. He arrived in 1889, two years after Daniel.


Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Caroline Bittner (1858-1944)




Caroline Bittner, b. 25 September 1858 at Poland, d. 22 December 1944 at Duncan, British Columbia

Father: Gotlieb Bittner, b. 1825 at Wloclawek, Poland, d. April 1921 at Goldap, East Prussia
Mother: Unknown, b. at Poland, d. at Poland




The following information is gleaned from many sources.

Caroline arrived in Canada on September 16, 1888 with her two daughters Wilhemena (Minnie) and Laura (Tillie). . The passenger list did not include husband Daniel who must have arrived earlier. Her sister Wilhemena (married to Edward Stelter) and Allesdina "Justina", came also. The couple homesteaded in Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Manitoba, Waldheim, Young and Clark's Crossing. In 1898 they adopted Lena and John Ohlson in Winnipeg. About 1900, they became members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Their final move was to New Westminster, BC. After Daniel's death, Caroline lived the final 18 months of her life on the "Smith farm" in Duncan.



Spouse: Daniel Tohm, b. 7 May 1860 at Zhitomir Parish, Poland, d. 16 March 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia

Married: at Poland.

Children and grandchildren:
(Minnie) Wilhemena Ellen Tohm, b. 5 October 1880 at Poland, m. Thomas William Smith, 1898 at St John's, Norway, East Toronto, d. 28 September 1957 at Duncan, British Columbia; 8 grandchildren
Laura (Tillie) Tohm, b. 25 September 1885 at Poland, m. Jake Dirksen; 2 grandchildren
Lena Tohm, b. 28 November 1896 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, m. Abdul Haddie Nasserden, 4 June 1918 at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, adopted by Caroline Bittner and Daniel Tohm, 1898 at Winnipeg, Manitoba; 4 grandchildren
John Tohm, b. 28 October 1893 at Minnesota or Montana, m. Lydia Rau, 1915 at North Dakota, d. 28 November 1946 at California, adopted by Caroline Bittner and Daniel Tohm, 1898 at Winnipeg, Manitoba; 2 grandchildren


Saturday, January 7, 2017

Daniel Tohm and Caroline Bittner: pioneers in Alberta, Canada





Daniel Tohm and Caroline Bittner were Polish born, but emigrated when the Volhynia area was under Russian rule. The Tohm's arrived in Canada in about 1888. The passenger list for the ship "Sarmatian" sailing from Liverpool to Quebec lists Caroline with their 2 daughters, Wilhemena (7) and Tillie (3). Daniel was 27, Caroline 26.

They began life in Canada on a dry strip of land near Medicine Hat but moved to Edmonton after two unsuccessful seasons. Daniel and Caroline, along with Caroline's sister, Wilhomena Stelter are listed as founding members of the Rabbit Hill Baptist Church in South Edmonton in 1892. [They moved many times: Medicine Hat, 1889; Edmonton, 1891; Ridgeville, 1898; Waldheim, 1908; Edmonton, 1913; Young, 1915; Clark's Crossing, 1918; New Westminster, 1921.] Caroline was often sickly and may have suffered several miscarriages. In 1898, during their brief time in Ridgeville, Manitoba, they adopted John and Lena from a Winnipeg orphanage. In the same year, their eldest daughter Minnie married Thomas William Smith in Toronto. Daniel and Caroline were 40.


Daniel and Caroline would be the first of several Tohms and Bittners to immigrate. Adolf Bittner (1889) and his brother Fred are ancestors of many of today's Saskatchewan Bittners. Adolf arrived with four children in 1913 and lived on the Tohm farm in Laird, Saskatchewan. Both families moved to Edmonton that same year but the Tohms returned to Young, Saskatchewan in 1915.

Daniel was one of the earliest immigrants to settle on free prairie land. He helped bring at least two others along to Canada; August Bittner in 1908 and Adolf Bittner in 1913. He had a working knowledge of several languages and may have received a commission for helping immigrants enter Canada. His native tongue was German as was Caroline's. Religion was very important to them. They became 7th Day Adventists about 1900. Adopted son, John, was sent to an Adventist college to become a minister.

Caroline and Daniel moved to a farm in Clark's Crossing, Saskatchewan during their retirement years. Their final home was in Newton, a residential area of New Westminster.







Friday, January 6, 2017

Dumore, Alberta to Rabbit Hill circa 1889



MacGregor, James A History of Alberta p165-166

The second earliest group to turn to Alberta was a small band of Germans who in 1889 had been advised to try their luck on the dry, treeless plains at Dunmore near Medicine Hat and had been given all the land their hearts could desire- miles of it, ready to plough, and free of stick or stump. Like the Mormons, this small group, freighted with so much presage for Alberta's prosperity, were deeply religious but unlike them had no financial backing from their church. They were merely a part of a much larger group which had settled mainly in Saskatchewan and which had come fleeing financial persecution and injustices imposed on them by the government of Austria. Two or three generations earlier the Russian government had induced them to settle in the old Ukrainian province of Galicia, but after they were well established as farmers there and after that province had been taken over by Austria, their new governors made it advisable for them to move on to Canada, where they hoped to be free of persecution.

For two years at Dunmore, in a settlement they called Josefsberg after their former village in Galicia, they put in crops and gardens, but each time the drought of the area wilted everything they tried to grow. In the experience they were to be but the fore runners of untold thousands who, coming to the prairies from the more humid climates of eastern America or Europe, were to discover that all their former knowledge of farming in moister lands availed them little.

Nevertheless, in the spring of 1891, once they realized that the dry climate of Medicine Hat had wasted two of their precious years, they had courage enough to move in a body to the lands of greater rainfall around Edmonton. They chose homesteads in the dense virgin or burned over forests in the areas of rich soil at Stony Plain, Horse Hills and east of Fort Saskatchewan. There, thanks to their intense industry, they prospered.

The first of these venturesome colonists were but the forerunners of many more of their compatriots, and within three years several hundred other German settlers came in group to homestead in the general area which had begun to look good to these early pioneers. In all, except for one colony which took up land west of Lacombe, some thirteen groups of Germans, some from Galicia and others, Moravians from Volynia, came to settle within a radius of thirty miles of Edmonton. Setting up areas which they named Hoffnungen (west of Leduc), Rosenthal (near Stony Plain), Josephsburg and Bruderheim, both near Fort Saskatchewan, Bruderfeld immediately south of Edmonton, as well as others at Rabbit Hill and near Wetaskewin, Morinville, Beaver Lake and as far south as Lacombe, these valiant pioneers began hacking their way into the forest. Clearing enough land for a patch of oats, barley or vegetables, cutting slough hay on many of the natural meadows hitherto hidden in the forest, and throwing up a log shack roofed with sods, they settled in to their first experience of a bitter northern Alberta winter. Nearly everything they needed had to be produced from their lands and processed by their own hands.

And as more of their compatriots came following, the surveyors cut-lines into the timber they too laid claim to 160 acres each along the banks of Whitemuc and Blackmud creeks, west of the Peace Hills, or in the lower valley of Bearverlhill Creek. Even the scantier timber near Gull and Sylvan lakes began to fall before their axes, while from lakes, little or large, an astonishing number of waterfowl of an amazing variety added a new and pleasant variation to their diet. Choosing building sites near a creek or on a rise overlooking a lake, these pioneers chopped trails ever farther back from the railway to connect one farmstead with another.

also by J.D. MacGregor Edmonton: A History

In January 1891, however, this office (Dominion government land office) received instructions from Ottawa to reserve one hundred quarter-sections in the Horse Hills for a settlement of Germans who were abandoning their homesteads near Medicine Hat and moving north to start over again. Here indeed was good news, one hundred settlers all at once to take up land fifteen miles north-east.

In May, some fifty-three families arrived. They had come by train as far as the end of steel at Red Deer and continued from there by wagons. Some settled in the Horse Hills, but others went to Stony Plain or the Riviere Qui Barre, or out near Rabbit Hill.