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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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
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| Erzherzog Ferdinand Maximillian | - | Marinekommandan |
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| 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.
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| Saved with Bernard Blastorah IIs documents (pre WWI) |
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| 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
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
“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.
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