Monday, August 27, 2012

Bernard Blastorah: My Trip to Vienna, Austria and to Venice, Italy

Last week I returned from my trip to Vienna and Venice where I had hoped to explore some archives, libraries and the home of Bernard Blastorah. The following will be a lengthy description of the results of my trip, some new ideas, and an attempt to contextualize Bernard in his own time and place.

Results of the Vienna War Archives (Kriegsarchiv)
The man in charge of Naval Archives within the War Archive, Bernhard Wenning, was on holiday and would be for another three weeks. I had written an email to him about a week before I arrived, with some information and a link to this blog. I spoke to another man, telling him that I hadn’t received a response yet. To my surprise, he said ‘Oh, they’ve already looked into it. Let’s have a look to see what they’ve found.’ As it turned out, there was an email waiting for me, to tell me they hadn’t been able to locate anything, and that I should wait 3 weeks until Doctor Wenning returns from his vacation to have a chat with him. I said, “Couldn’t I just have a look through the relevant time period documents?”

“No no no, it doesn’t work like that,” the man told me. First I have to request a specific document, then it will be pulled for me (within 3 weeks) and then I can come and look at it. That doesn’t work so well if you don’t have a specific document in mind.

Anyways, I intend to follow up with Doctor Wenning when he returns and I hope I can clarify some things with him. Maybe he will be helpful in a further search. I’m happy to return to Vienna, since I had such a great time there. If I ever get another day off work!
Luckily, the archive library was open for another hour so I was able to sift through some interesting old books.

Results of Navy Museum 
At the Naval Museum I met with Giovanni, the Naval Museum Librarian. I was able to ask him some general questions and he pulled me out several books that related to the time period between 1840-1870. One of the books was about uniforms and another was about the battle of 1848-49 between Venice and Austria. Another described the general duties and upkeep of naval ships during this period. Unfortunately there was nothing about the role of the cook mentioned.
Sailor Uniform 1859-1870 k.k.














From reading and talking to Giovanni, I understand that in those days there was usually one cook on the ship and one or two apprentices who would help the cook and learn how to do this job. Nowadays there are many cooks for different groups on a ship.

Giovanni said that the cook was a sailor but not an officer. He sort of laughed when I said he was the cook, and he said it would be very difficult to find anything about the cook. 


One of my main concerns was learning about everyday life of naval crews during the relevant time period. According to the sources I looked at in the museum library, ships would spend time docked in various places, and the behaviour of the crew during these stops was heavily regulated, indicating regular lewd and drunken visits to local pubs.
Model of 2 Deck Vessel Early 19th Cent.

Ships would also come upon other ships and other navies where altercations based on cultural and religious prejudices was ‘to be avoided’. I’m still unclear about what the role of the cook was on a Navy ship at that time. I wonder if that person was also a respected member of the Navy? Or did they remain somewhat outside of ranking officers? I have found very little on this subject, and will take a serious look at the material available on that subject.

Giovanni surmised that it was probably quite common for orphans to join the navy, where the men did not have many career options, little money, and no permanent home. He didn’t have much to say about illiteracy among the men, and kept referring me to check in Trieste for records on crew members. He said that ‘Italian Navy’ records were all moved to Rome, the Austrian records were moved to Trieste in the 1860s, after which they were moved to Vienna. Where any existing records relating to Bernard Blastorah could be remains a mystery. His time in the Navy fell within a turbulent time politically and militarily. If there are any records of his service in the Royal Navy, they could be in any or all of the three cities mentioned.

Vacation Time
 
The whole city of Venice was on vacation at the same time as I was. The libraries were closed, the archives were closed, and even the museum curators were on holiday. I have thankfully been in touch with a kind lady who works in the archives of San Marco and she is inquiring for me with the city of Venice archives to see if there is anything of interest to me there. In the meantime, I hadn’t yet realized what a great source Italian libraries might be in my research. I’ll brush up on my Italian and start a visitor account at Munich University so I can order Italian material. 
Everyone who I have spoken to or contacted has been really kind and excited to help me which has been really inspiring to keep going forward with my search for everything and anything.

It’s a Rich Man’s World
Erzherzog Ferdinand Maximillian Marinekommandan
I remember in my first year of studying history, the thing that stuck out in my mind was that the poor and the ‘unimportant’ did not have a voice. History was written by rich men and royalty (well, it was written about them anyways). This was never so clear to me than during my research in Vienna and Venice. All the records I’ve seen exist only to glorify those in power, describe major battles, and document which flag, crest, or lighting system signified the importance of those on board a ship. I saw hundreds of ship models, beautifully decorated uniforms, and learned about civil pride in the Venetian Royal Navy. What I did not find was any sort of description about everyday life on ships, who was allowed to join, what were the illiteracy rates, and what were the hardships suffered. This is something which must be left to the imagination.
Photograph mounted at Naval Museum Venice
       

Putting things into Context
Without a lot of options and with little documentation, it’s difficult to learn anything new about Bernard Blastorah. What we can do is to take what we do know, and surround it within political, social, and national context. I have to piece together the story of him leaving the navy (considering what was happening during that time militarily and politically in Venice) and his move to Canada. It would be interesting to know at what age he joined the navy. He was born in the Kingdom of Lombardy and Venetia under Austrian control where the colonized Venice was used and taken advantage of, and where citizens were prevented from building up new business for their own benefit. Ruled by an Emperor who had severe physical and psychological illnesses due to inbreeding, Venetians were unhappy. Frustration led to revolution which took place in 1848-49, during which Venice was taken over by disgruntled elites with the support of the army and navy. For a short time, Venice became a republic once again.
Was the young Bernard Blastorah a supporter of the rebels or did he remain loyal to the Austrian Empire? Was he in Venice during the brief revolution or was he out at sea, learning of developments from his superiors? 

In 1849 Austria had gathered its forces and swiftly brought Venice back under Austrian rule. The ‘feeble minded’ Emperor Ferdinand I handed over the Empire to his nephew, Franz Joseph, who would rule the restored Kingdom of Lombardy until the end of its existence. The Austrians determined to move the seat of the Navy to Trieste. This did not come into play until the 1860s when Venice became a part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Saved with Bernard Blastorah IIs documents (pre WWI)

Franz Joseph














The Turbulent 1860s: War, Nationalism, and Allegiance
As a member of the Venetian Navy, Bernard Blastorah had served under the Austrian Empire during his entire career. Under the Hapsburgs, with all the symbolism and pomp which accompanied a military career, it must have been difficult not to become entranced with all of it. Presumably without any family ties at home, did Bernard develop a sense of belonging to Austria or more allegiance to his home city of Venice?

When Italy began a series of revolts during the 1860s, he would have had an important choice to make. Did his loyalty lie with his Austrian superiors, with his Venetian brethren, or did he share in imagining an Italian unity between all Italian speaking regions? Whatever his thoughts were, clearly he wanted to escape from the whole mess. It is still unclear exactly when or why he left the Navy and made his way to Canada.

The earliest mention I know of him can be found in Village Settlements of Hamilton Township, written by Catherine Milne. There, William Blastorah II is quoted saying that Bernard Blastorah purchased a house in 1869 from Robert Drope. Oddly enough, the mortgage on that property was first signed in 1885. It was suggested by Barney Blastorah III that perhaps the house was rented prior to the signing of the mortgage. In any case, it seems that Bernard came over sometime during the 1860s and opened up a restaurant on that property.

Bernard grew up in a Venice which was controlled and repressed by the Austrian Empire. That meant there was little support available for enterprise amongst Venetian citizens. In the age of growing industry, Venice was left lagging behind other cities as it was used mainly as a colonial supplier to Vienna. This left citizens feeling used, hopeless, and pathetic (hence the revolt of 1848/49 and the revolution during the 1860s). It is likely that Bernard, though an illiterate orphan, also felt unfulfilled longings to do something more with his life and talents. Like many other immigrants to North America at the time, he was afforded there a new start.

Harwood Ontario: New Opportunities
In the small village of Harwood he used his talents as a cook and found a niche in an area with two lumber mills full of hungry men. Having left the upheavals and uncertainties of life on the sea behind him, he found a new home in Harwood and settled down to start a family of his own. We will never know what difficulties he encountered upon his arrival. We know he had a companion in the mysterious Dickson character he supposedly arrived with. Dickson, being a British citizen, would have likely helped with language issues. Although, the fact that the two men were able to communicate at all tells me that Bernard already had some knowledge of spoken English...which is not so unlikely considering his naval career. He likely had frequent encounters in the navy where English would have been a necessary language of communication.

Where did he get the money to buy or rent a property and purchase supplies for a cookhouse? Perhaps he worked in the lumber industry for a while and saved some money first? Perhaps he brought some savings with him? The uncertainly about years of arrival and service leave many questions which may never be answered.

Blastorah: A New Theory - Balestra
While I was in Vienna, I had the chance to flip through some old books in the Archival Library. One of those books was a naval dictionary from the mid 19th century. Glancing through the Bs, I came across two words that made me think: Balestra and Balestrare. The words themselves describe the mechanism of the sail and the tension which creates the force needed to move. But Balestra has another meaning as well: crossbow. As this blog post (translation) suggests, crossbow competition has had quite a history in the Republic of Venice:

“Campo San Polo, for its size, not only hosted on several occasions the bull hunt, but from the earliest times was the site of the market, the first on Wednesday and then on Saturday, and there was also a target for shooting the crossbow. Venice, in fact, obliged all young people between the ages of fourteen and thirty-five years in practice at the crossbow at least once a week.
This weapon was very much loved by Venetians because you could maneuver quickly, and its use on ships of the Republic persisted even after the introduction of firearms, proving crucial in some famous sea battles.”


Another form of the surname is Balestrieri. “Derived from strain ‘Crossbow’, in this form Balestrieri is common only in western Sicily. The origin of this surname is a nickname originally formed by a trade name on those who make "spring" or "crossbow," crossbow shooters. Its specific name, ‘Crossbow,’ may also come from the Old French "balestriers": in fact, many archers were part of the Angevin army.”

After investigating these surnames and their origins, I checked to see if there was a history of Venetian citizens with the surname Balestra, and there was. In fact, there are still several people listed in the city with the last name, not to mention in the rest of Italy as well.

Of course, this is all completely my own theory and could be completely and utterly false. But, it is one possibility that could shed light on the origins of the Blastorah name, and something worth looking into further I think.

Conclusion
Although I didn’t find anything specific during my travels, I opened a few doors for possible further research. I also was afforded the time to read, to contemplate and to consider the circumstances surrounding Bernard Blastorah’s life. I still have hope that somewhere in church or naval records there may be some mention of this man. Maybe one day and with the help of the contacts I’ve made, I might even find those records. If not (and this is the more likely outcome), then I’ll have to be satisfied with a contextualized version of the oral history passed down through the family.

References
Copy of 1885 Mortgage

De Rienzo, Giorgio (lecturer and linguist). Corriere della Sera (Evening Courier Newspaper). Scioglilingua Forum.
http://www.corriere.it/Rubriche/Scioglilingua/scioglilingua081102.shtml
Accessed: Aug. 13, 12.

Dienstreglement für die k.u.k. Kriegsmarine. Dritter Teil, Dienst zur See. Aus der k.k. Hof und Staatsdruckerei, Wien: 1906.

Fano, Walter. San Polo e la balestra. L’altra Venezia.
http://laltravenezia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/san-polo-e-la-balestra.html?spref=fb
Accessed: Aug. 13, 12.

Jung, Peter. Die Fahrten der k.(u.)k. Kriegsmarine und der k.k. Handelsmarine zur Insel Zypern zwischen 1814 und 1918.

Kriegsarchiv (War Archive) of the Austrian State Archives in Vienna
http://oesta.gv.at/site/6154/default.aspx Accessed: Aug. 13, 12.

Kriegsbilder der Österr.-Ungar. Armee aus dem 19. Jahrhunderte. E. Beyer.

Milne, Catherine. Village Settlements of Hamilton Township. Clay Publishing Co. Ltd., Bewdley, ON: 1991.

Museo Storico Navale di Venezia (Historical Naval Museum of Venice)
http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacultura/ufficiostorico/musei/museostoricove/Pagine/default.aspx Accessed: Aug. 13, 12.

Pique, Francesco. Dizionario die Marina. Natale Battezatti Editore, Milano: 1879.

Steinbock, Baumgartner. Die Uniformen der K.K. Österr. Und K.U.K. Österr.-Ungar. Kriegsmarine 1797-1918. H. Weishaupt Verlag, Graz: 1984.

Von Boinik, Jerolim Freiherrn Benko. Geschichte K.K. Kriegs-Marine Während der Jahre 1848 und 1849. Verlag des K Und K Reichs-Kriegs-Ministeriums, Marine-Sektion: Wien: 1884.

Von Lehnert, Josef Ritter. Geschichte Österreichisch-Venetianischen Kriegs-Marine Während der Jahre 1797 bis 1802. Verlag des K Und K Reichs-Kriegs-Ministeriums, Marine-Sektion, Wien: 1891.

Winkler, Dieter. Habsburg Maritim Album.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Interesting Article - Orphans in Venice

Orphans and Musicians in Venice

This is an interesting article I found which was recently published. As we know, Bernard Blastorah was an orphan in Venice during the 1820s-30s. This was a little later than the subject material of the article posted here. Nevertheless, perhaps this information hints at the general atmosphere within Venice and particularly the complex relationship between rich and poor.

Jen

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Bernard Blastorah (circa 1824-1905)

Summary: Bernard Blastorah

Name Variations: Bernard, Bernardo, Barnard, Barnardo
Surname Variations: Blastorah, Blastore, Blastero, Blasterah, Bellestra, Blastaurin, Blausaura
Estimated Birth: April 26, 1824
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Occupation: Cook
Industry: Military (Navy), Lumber (Manufacturing)
Family Status: Married with 6 Children
Education: None (naval)
Native Tongue: Italian
Parents: Unknown
Affiliations: Royal Navy (of Venice/Austria), Royal British Navy
Early years as a cook - From Newspaper I believe


A mysterious character, Bernard Blastorah has been described by stories passed down through the generations. There is very little documentation regarding his life, mainly stemming from the fact that he could not read or write. Records relating to birth, immigration, military service, or census are difficult to track down because the spelling is  different each time. Also, we are told that Bernard ‘jumped ship’ from the Royal Navy, and his arrival to Canada may have been kept a secret for some time. Therefore, I am not hopeful of finding him within ship records.

1885 Mortgage Document
The following information comes from a mix of documentation gathered from various sources, and based on family narratives passed down to us from different people. We will attempt to create a picture of Bernard Blastorah based on this information, and perhaps we can even go further to find out more.

Birth and Childhood



Bernard was born in Venice, Italy in April of 1824. The only record we have of his birth comes from a listing from the Church of Latter-day Saints. My attempts to contact them to inquire about their source of information has so far been unfruitful. It has been said that Bernard’s parents died when he was a small child. Having some money in their possession, the parents donated all they had to Saint Mark's Basilica and in return their son would be raised within the church.

As a youth, Bernard joined the Royal Venetian Navy (serving as part of the Austrian Empire). Legend has it that he was chosen to mentor one of the Royal Hapsburg-Lorraine Family, who ruled the Empire at the time. Being close in age, Bernard was instructed to ‘show him the ropes.’ ( I would offer Maximilian I [Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph] as a good possibility - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_of_Mexico . It has also been said that Bernard was a cook for the Royal Navy, and that he served to provide nourishment to the soldiers.

Coming to Canada

Rumour has it that Bernard decided to ‘jump ship’ and escaped from the Royal Navy in secret. Exact dates are unknown at this time. It has been said that he somehow transferred over to a British Navy vessel and never returned to his ship. It was during this transfer that he met a man by the name of Dickson (Dixon?), who had a rich uncle in Canada who owned a log mill where there might be jobs available. The two men left together for Ontario, Canada in search of Dickson’s uncle. It is unclear to me if they arrived on a naval ship or on an immigrant ship. They must have departed from somewhere in Great Britain and they arrived in either Quebec or in Nova Scotia. I have heard both from various people.

Regarding the rich uncle, if this story is true, then it is likely the uncle in question was Samuel Dickson, a lumber manufacturer in the Peterborough area at the time. My research on the Dicksons and their relationship to Bernard Blastorah is still in its early stages.

Settling Down in Harwood, Ontario

Having arrived in Harwood, Bernard Blastorah set out to continue working as a cook as he had done in the Royal Navy. There were two mills operating in the Harwood area at the time: The McDougall and Ludgate Mill, on lot 5 and the Campbell and Hughson Mill on lot 3.

Harwood, circa 1875


In 1869, Bernard Blastorah bought a property from Robert Drope on lot 3 fronting on King Street (may be Queen Street today) where he opened up a restaurant to serve the mill workers. This is the first record we have of Bernard in Canada (so far) as he first appears in the census in 1881.

The next property he purchased was a house which he bought with his wife, Catharine O’Sullivan Whaley, in 1885. This house was located on what was called Gore’s Landing Rd and was previously owned by Peter Hart. It seems the street names have changed and I am unsure of the exact location of this house. The location is described as being: “...in the township of Hamilton in Northumber and Province of Ontario... Commencing on the North side of the Road known as Gores Landing and H…. Road on Lot number Three in the North Concession of the new Township of Hamilton.”


In any case, Bernard Blastorah later owned a property located at what is known today as Rice Lake Scenic Drive and Young Street, on the North side of the street. That house is no longer standing though the property is still owned by various members of the Blastorah family. Legend has it that Bernard Blastorah’s second son, Bernard, purchased the house across the street on the South side of Rice Lake Scenic Drive, which is still standing today. While the original property was no longer fit to serve as a home, Bernard’s son persuaded him to move across the street and to reluctantly abandon his house.

Bernard II with his father Bernard I (I believe)


Conclusion

Bernard Blastorah and Catherine O’Sullivan Whaley raised six children in Harwood, Ontario. Bernard was 25 years older than his wife, he was illiterate, and with English as a second language, he likely depended on his wife for many everyday transactions. It appears that his children did not learn the Italian language at home, though many of them received Italian names which were gradually anglicized. (Margueretta became Margaret [Geta], Katarina became Catherine [Katie] etc.) The tales passed down to us were remembered and interpreted by his children, who carried them on down to the current generation. It is unclear how much of what we know to be true actually happened. I hope to locate any other documents in existence about this man, as the first in a long line of Blastorahs.

Sources
Catherine Milne. Village Settlements of Hamilton Township. Bewdley, ON: Clay Publishing Co. Ltd., 1991.

Maximilian I of Mexico. Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_of_Mexico

"Pedigree Resource File." database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/SYVJ-VDQ : accessed 4 August 2012), entry for Bernard /Blastorah/.

Peter Gillis. Dickson, Samuel. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: 1861-1870 (Volume IX).
http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=4394&&PHPSESSID=ychzfqkvzape

Census Records

Copy of 1885 Mortgage



Researching Bernard Blastorah I

In the following post, I will interrupt my description of the six siblings in order to describe their father - Bernard Blastorah. I’m doing this because I have been in touch with a Saint Mark’s Cathedral archivist in Venice, and I want to give her a full picture of what we know about Bernard. That way, if there is anything at all in the church records, we’ll know. I’ll provide her with the link to that post and she can search her records based on that information.

I’ll also be traveling during the next weeks, to Vienna and to Venice in order to do some research there myself. In Vienna I hope to go through the military archives of the Austro Hungarian era, as they would have records from the time that Bernard was in the Royal Navy. In Venice, it will be a surprise. I asked around last time I was there, and the name was totally unknown. I’ll see what the archivist tells me at Saint Mark’s and then focus my efforts on orphans and church records during that period.

Full time work at the kindergarten here in Munich has prevented me from doing the amount of posts I’d like to, but now that I’ll have some time off I can get more done.
The post regarding Bernard will be viewable in the next couple of hours. Please let me know if you have any tips or advice for me in my research in Austria and Italy, or especially if you have any information which might help the archivist at Saint Mark’s.

Thanks,
Jen

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Question about the Blastorah Name

A question about the name Blastorah and my answer, so that everyone can see it. To make a long story short, I don't know what the origin of the name is but I will try to find out! It's interesting to see how the name evolved in the census, in which the recorders were known to make mistakes and write down names as they heard them. I will be heading to Vienna and Venice in August to search through the military and church records and see what I can find.  

Hi Jennifer,  What do you know of the origin of the name Blastorah.  I would like to think I have the story correct.  I noticed the spelling in some of your records as Blastore.  I had always heard that it was at one time Blaustora, a German spelling.

A.K.

Answer: The name Blausaura I've seen before...my dad had it written down on one of his many papers. It's actually an old German name for prussic acid or hydrogen cyanide I think. There are so many stories I've heard about the origin of the name, and the disappearance and reappearance of the h. I think the family members that went to the States during WWI took off the h in order to stay hidden from the conscription authorities (as you see in the Salt Water Taffy shop photo). But the h appeared already in the 1901 census, so I have a feeling it was around for quite a long time. Each census the name was spelled differently, but all the family members signed the name as we spell it today, dating all the way back to the 1910s. Here is the information I have right now on hand about the spelling of the name in the censuses:

1881: Blastore
1891: Blastero
1901: Blasterah
1911: Blastorah
1911 Census - First time recorded spelling 'Blastorah' listing Catharine, Margaret (Geta), and Will


(this info will be helpful for anyone wishing to search through the census data themselves...without the exact spelling, you don't get any hits! So it takes a lot of guesses before you find it!)
Canadian Census Archives

I can't find any ship records with the name Bernard or Blastorah (or anything similar) on it around the time he would have immigrated. He probably came over in secret, since I heard he jumped ship and then the name wouldn't have been recorded. What I will do is have a look for this guy named Dickson. Apparently, the original Blastorah came over with a Brit with the last name Dickson whose uncle ran all the Mills around Harwood at the time.
(My guess is that this man, Samuel Dickson, was his uncle)

If I can find out who Dickson was, which I think I'm on the trail, then I can try to figure out which ship they came over in and go from there.

Jen
ps: If anyone else has any tips or hints, I would love to hear them. Even the smallest detail might help in the search for old records.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Frederick Leo Blastorah (1874-1930)

Frederick Blastorah died on September 12th, 1930. It’s usual to describe a person beginning with the start of their life, but I’d like to begin at the end. Fred’s little brother Bernard was deeply affected by the passing of his brother, as the inscription on the cover of this book attests.
 In the year he died, Fred was listed in the U.S. Census as living in Atlantic City, New Jersey with his wife (Julia) Annie (Corkery) Blastorah (1868-1947) and with his two daughters (Mary) Anastasia (1906-1983) and (Bridget) Corrinne (1909-1996). My dad tells me that Fred died of cancer, but I’m not sure of what kind. The girls were in their twenties when their father died.

 Fred had immigrated to the United States in March of 1917. It seems that several of the siblings left Harwood around that time (Will and Katie as well). I have been told that one reason for this was to escape mandatory military service during WWI. Fred travelled with his wife and two daughters via ship first to Rochester, New York and then continued on to St. Albans, Vermont. He registered himself as being of Irish origin at the time of his border crossing, probably to avoid suspicion.
(For information about the ferry crossing, see this website: http://www.cobourghistory.ca/ferry.htm  )

Fred was born around 1874 in Harwood, Ontario. His name first appears in the 1881 census where he is listed as being 7 years old.

He and his family had spent some time in Ste. Anne de Monts in Quebec during the first decade of the 20th century. There exists a picture of his eldest daughter Anastasia in her first carriage in that town.
 

Anastasia, it has been said, suffered from Schizophrenia and lived most of her life in an institution in the state of New York. Her illness likely caused great grief to her family, particularly during an era where stigmas surrounding psychological disorders remained strong. As far as I know, neither of Fred’s daughters had any children of their own.

Fred was the eldest son of the first generation of Canadian Blastorahs. His father, Bernard Blastorah, an Italian immigrant, would have been around 50 years old at the time of his son’s birth. His mother, Catherine O’Sullivan Whaley, was born in the U.S. to Irish parents, and was raised in the Northumberland, Ontario area. She would have been around 25 when Fred was born.
Fred, Katie, Fred Triplican, Will, Captain (the dog)
Fred lived a short life, having died in his fifties. For this reason there is relatively little documentation about him. While most of his siblings returned to Harwood at some point in their lives, Fred was never afforded the chance. Nevertheless, from the existing information, it seems Fred was close to his siblings and enjoyed spending time with them, hunting and spending time outdoors during his youth. Any further information about Frederick Leo Blastorah (not to be confused with his nephew Leo Frederick Blastorah) would be appreciated. Feel free to contact me by email, or make additions in the comments section here underneath my post.

J.B.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sources

Canada Censuses. Library and Archives Canada.
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/census/index-e.html (accessed 08/07/12)

Family Photographs

Family Oral History

https://www.familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3ABlastorah~ (accessed 08/07/12)

http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/person/9056024/corinne-blastorah-profile-and-genealogy (accessed 08/07/12)

http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/person/19339828/anastasia-blastorah-profile-and-genealogy (accessed 08/07/12)

*As I'm unsure about the spelling of Frederick (due to various spellings documented) I decided to use 'Frederick' until I'm told otherwise. 


Tierney House- Update

As a quick addition to my post on the Tierney House in Fort Francis, I have a document to add. I had forgotten that in one of Bernard Blastorah's (II) old ledgers he had a hand drawn map of the house plan. I will upload the pics below.

Jen

Bottom end of drawing

Top end of drawing
***Second Update
I came across a couple of other records in B. Blastorah's personal book that document this property on 250 Church St. as well:
1920 Vehicle Permit

1922 Renting of Basement

1925 Sale of House


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Six Siblings

Katie and William Blastorah
Over the next weeks I will be introducing the six siblings of the second generation of Blastorahs. Born in Harwood, Ontario to Bernard Blastorah and Catherine O'Sullivan Whaley, three sons and three daughters were born. The girls were Katie, Margareta, and Mary and the boys were Bernard, William, and Fred. For some of the siblings I have a lot of interesting information to share. For others, like Fred and Mary, I don't know very much at all. If you have any further information about these people, please let me know! I appreciate it.

Bernard Blastorah II
Mary Blastorah
Geta Blastorah
Fred Blastorah

Monday, May 28, 2012

Fort Frances Family Home - The Tierney House

Bernard Blastorah (II) lived in Fort Frances with his family starting around 1911 until 1924 when his wife died. During some of that time I believe they may have lived in the Tierney House at 250 Church Street. Today, that address belongs to the Royal Canadian Legion. This is a comparison between an old photo, which I think may be the old house, and the property as it looks today:
This is only a guess. I'm making this guess based on two other documents I have. One is an old school book which belonged to Iva Tierney. This book is dated January 20th, 1913 at the address 250 Church Street, Fort Frances, ON. It seems the book was then used further by Catherine Blastorah, daughter of Bernard Blastorah (II) who wrote from Harwood ON in March of 1926:
In several letters dated from the year 1921, Bernard Blastorah made moves to purchase the Tierney residence from the Conmee estate:
It is my belief that Bernard Blastorah bought the house where the family lived until moving back to Harwood. Catherine found or was given the schoolbook of Iva Tierney which she then brought back to Harwood. I'm thinking that the property in the black and white picture is the same property which now belongs to the Legion. These are all inferences on my part, and if anyone has any further information, photos, or documents, please let me know! Or feel free to discuss them below.

Jen

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Sealo the Seal Boy


This personalized postcard was found in Bernard Blastorah's things. I believe the card was addressed to his son, Leo Fredrick Blastorah. Can anyone tell me who Dorothy is?

Read about Sealo here:
Sealo the Seal Boy


Saturday, May 5, 2012

This is the Beginning

Dear Family, friends, and any other interested people. This blog will be used by me to post information about an ongoing project I'm working on which deals with Blastorah family history. For the purposes of this blog and my research I want to document all that I come across, and I ask that if you have any stories, pictures, or documents to share, PLEASE do so! It's my hope that this collection will be used to do an even bigger project later on, but first I need to know that I have all the information that is still available to me.

I'm mostly interested in the period between circa 1824 (birth of the first known Blastorah) and the post-WWII period when the fourth generation began. So if you have anything you would like to share, particularly that which pertains to this period, everyone may be able to benefit from it (especially me! :)
So keep in touch and have a look at the blog once in a while.
Thanks so much,
Jen Blastorah.