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
Monday, August 13, 2012
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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 |
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.
.jpg) |
| 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
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
(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.
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)
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.
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) |
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
***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:
Jen
 |
| Bottom end of drawing |
 |
| Top end of drawing |
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 |
 |
| Bernard Blastorah II |
 |
| Mary Blastorah |
 |
| Geta Blastorah |
 |
| Fred Blastorah |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)