A Brief History of Grandpa Jacob & Grandma Elizabeth Hitcherick

Written September, 2009 by Anita (Frohlick) Rieger

Great Grandma Anna Marie (Metz) (1853-1932) was born in Ogdenburg, Russia.  Great Grandpa, Frank Hitcherick was born in Speier, Russia.  They married and had two children Jacob (July 25, 1882-July, 1952), our grandpa, and Elizabeth.  Anna Maria Hitcherick was widowed at age 33 and raised these two children on her own.  Elizabeth married John Koch.  John & Elizabeth immigrated to Compar, Alberta, and later to Altario, Alberta.

Great Grandpa Simon Billman (Grandma Dad) was married 3 times.  Simon’s parents were Egidis Billman and Elizabeth Wingerter.  Elizabeth was born in Wenzenback, Elsass, Germany.  From his first wife , Simon had two children Frances & Catherine.  From his second wife, Theresa (Schmidt), he had seven children, Katherine (Ebberts), Margaret (Resch), Mike, Jacob (born July 17, 1875 in Odessa Russia, married Marianna Bast, whose parents were Jacob Bast and Christina Boehm), John, Nick and grandma, Elizabeth (March 25^th, 1887 – Nov. 5, 1982), born in Ogdenburg, Russia.  Grandma’s mother died when she was seven or eight.  She then went to live with her eldest sister Katherine and husband Rocus Ebberts in Rostadt, Russia, and lost touch with her other siblings.  Simon’s third wife was a widow with several children.

Here at Rostadt, our grandparents met and married in 1907.  Grandpa apprenticed as a carpenter.  They moved to Odessa, Russia, where we believe, Rocus, Ida and Georgina was born.  The third child Catherine died in Russia.  In 1913 they left Odessa by train for Hamburg, Germany.  They also had with them Anna Maria (Grandpa’s Mother).  They sailed for Canada in June aboard the Wittenburg, and arrived at the port of entry, Halifax, where they were quarantined due to smallpox or measles until July 30^th.  On August 3^rd, they were allowed to continue by train for Saskatchewan.  On arrival at Holdfast, they stayed at the POE Farm, until the present home (still standing at this time) was purchased in Holdfast.  The fifth child Frank or Frances also died in infancy at Holdfast.  Grandpa made his living as a carpenter, a plasterer, and other jobs that were available.  Grandma took in washing and cleaned other people’s homes, while great grandma looked after the family.  He built many of the huge barns, one of which was moved to our farm in the late 40’s and he was also the coffin maker.  They had 2 cows, chickens and 2 or 3 pigs....right in Holdfast.  They had 11 children, Frank and Catherine died in infancy.  Information of remaining nine follows below.  Rocus, Ida (telephone operator in Holdfast), and Georgina worked for others.  George, Simon, Annie & Tom joined the forces but only Simon went overseas.  Grandma Anna Marie died in 1932 and is buried in Holdfast cemetery

One of Grandma’s siblings, Jacob Billman & Marianna (Bast) see above moved to North Dakota.  Jacob knew he had a baby sister but not until reading it in a German newspaper did he know where she was.  They travelled to Holdfast and arrived on Grandma & Grandpa’s doorstep, as a complete surprise because....remember she left at age 7 or 8 to be raised by her sister.  Some of us kept in contact with these families for many years and I still keep in touch with one of the 2^nd cousins, Leona Kuntz and her mother Beatrice (Billman) Kuntz.  Jacob & Marianna Billman had 14 children – 9 of which grew up as adults. 

Children of

Jacob ^{(July 25, 1882 – July 1952)} & Elizabeth (^{March 25, 1887 – Nov. 5, 1982)} (Billman) Hitcherick

1.   Rocus^{(July 22, 1908 -    1989)} & Christina (Miller) ^{(Feb. 1, 1913-         )} Hitcherick

Married: April 24, 1939

They were married in Holdfast and were in business for thirty-three years.  During these years, they had the dray, a dairy, and the Holdfast Cafe.  Twins were not known in either family ..........

2.  Ida ^{(Nov. 1, 1909 – March 4, 1978)} & Joe Frohlick ^{(March 29, 1907-July 13, 1971)}

Married:  Married Nov. 22, 1933

(Dictated by Ida)  On Saturday, Nov. 22, 1933 at 10:00 Joe Frohlick & Ida Hitcherick and Georgina Hitcherick & Adolph Dayton were united in marriage in a double wedding.  Rocus Hitcherick played the wedding march from home to church and back on accordion.  Mr. & Mrs. Mike Ebberts, John Stephan, and Annie Hitcherick were attendants.  We lived with both parents for the winter.  In the spring, we moved to our honeymoon shack where the present farm stands, 4.5 miles S.W. of Holdfast.  In 1934, we accumulated four chickes, 2 pigs, 2 calves, 2 cows, and one horse and moved to a brick house 2.5 miles east of Holdfast.  There were no other buildings, so animals managed for 3 days in the same living quarters—pigs in basement, chicken upstairs, cows & horse on fence post.  A granary was moved  in and became the barn.  We lived here until spring of 1935, then back to the little shack. During the “dirty 30’s” people would stop for gas as they would run out, or rest their horses.  Because I raised chickens, many would stop to for chickens as well.  In 1939 we were blessed with Anita and Joe in 1941.  We repaired and repaired and finally bought and moved the Livery Stable (owed by the Myrah Bros) to its present site.  Then in 1947 we moved into a new four-bedroom home which Joe built.  Dick was born in this home in 1948 and Jim was born in 1953, the first of our children to be born in a hospital (Imperial).  In October, 1957, we rented the farm and moved to Rocanville where we bought a Hotel & Cafe.  We operated this for fourteen months, then sold it in December and moved to Holdfast with the boys while Joe established himself in Real Estate and to find a home in Regina which is at 3033 Robinson Street.  In 1969 Joe became ill and after nearly two years of failing health, the Lord took him on July 13, 1971.  At the time of this brief history, I am in hospital (Feb, 1978).  We have worked hard all our lives but had so many good times.

3.  Georgina ^{(June    1912 – March 29, 2002 )} & Adolph Dayton ^{(              )}

Married:  Nov. 22, 1933

(Written by Georgina June 27, 1978)  Ida & Joe Frohlick, Adolph Dayton and I were married in 1933 during the dirty thirties.  We had a small wedding, couldn’t afford a wedding cake.  Bridesmaids were Annie Frohlick & Mary Hitcherick.  Best Men were Mike Frohlick and Rocus Hitcherick.   The reception was held at mother’s house for immediate family but a big dance was in the hall for everyone.  Things got tough during the thirties, Adolph and I worked out for 5 years.  We then managed to get ½ section of land to farm.  Adolph also worked in the garage as a mechanic to make ends meet.  I milked cows, raised a few chickens and 2 or 3 pigs for meat.  Ida & Joe kept a couple of heifers for us which Dad & Mother gave us for a wedding gift.  Times were hard, feed was hard to get, some farmers managed to gather some Russian thistles to mix with straw for feed, a lot of cattle and horses died.  Some had to be helped up with slings. Sometimes we would only get enough wheat or oats out of the crop for seed.  Butter was $.15 a pound, eggs $.05 a dozen.  We would make our own jam, canned meat-- beef & pork, chicken, sausage and fish.  We were able to get saskatoons for fruit, also chokecherries for jelly.  We made porridge out of whole wheat ground up.  Also grapenuts for cereal and bread.  Flour sacks were used for sheets, pillow cases, and tea towels.  We could get coloured pink & blue check flour bags.  They made nice comforter tops, also aprons and blouses and kitchen curtains. We made our own ice cream which was better than you buy now.  We didn’t lack for entertainment.  We had school picnics and church picnics.  Some Sunday, we would go to the beach, take our lunch and have a good time.  We had no electricity for a good many years.  My mother and grandmother would go out to the pastures and pick up a gunny sack of dried cow chips and burn them in the stove for wood.

4.  Mary ^{(Dec. 6, 1915)} & Alexander Schmaltz ^{(Aug. 3, 1917-April 19, 1980)}

Married:  July 14, 1940

5.  Annie ^{(Feb. 15, 1918 to Feb. 9, 2001)} & Gabe Krassman ^{(       1910 – July 31,1995)}

Married: 

Annie served in the Canadian Army in World War II, worked as a hairdresser, and operated the cafe at Holdfast for a few years.  She married Gabe Krassman of Holdfast.  They moved to Regina where Gabe worked as a carpenter until his retirement. 

6.  George (June 9^th 1920 – Dec. 9, 1983)

George never married and always lived at Holdfast.  He had a varied career.   He was cafe owner, backhoe owner and operator, farmer, shoe repair man, saw filing business and part time farm equipment operator.

7.  Simon (Sept. 7, 1921)

Simon is single.  He served in WWII with the RCAF as a wireless mechanic from May 26, 1942 to Oct. 19, 1945.  He then entered the U of S.  Upon obtaining his surveyor certificate, he was employed with the PFRA in the engineering department as surveyor and inspector.  He helped build many dams including one at Lethbridge and Tabor, AB and Diefenbaker/Gardiner dams in Saskatchewan.  He also helped build the Holdfast church as well as the ones at Lethbridge and Tabor.  He retired at age 55 and moved to Grandma’s house in Holdfast joining Uncle George.  He moved in Sept. 2003 to Regina with Ed & Anita Rieger and in January 2004 moved to his present home in the DVA ward at Wascana Hospital.  All his life he helped people and continues to help many of his fellow patients by portering and feeding.  He has hooked many, many rugs which have been sold by the Red Cross. 

8.  Tom ^{(June 19, 1923-       1999)} & Agnes Anderson ^{(April 23,        )}

Married: 

Tom married Agnes Anderson of Dilke, SK.  He served in World War II.  He managed a lumber yard and hardware store in Regina and St. Paul.  He then worked in the supply division of the Department of Highways at St. Paul.  All of their children were born at St. Paul except Gail & Barry who were born in Regina.

9.  Katherine ^{(April 30th, 1928 – Oct. 31, 1973)} & Henry Crotteau ^{(Jan. 5, 1928 – Oct. 9, 1975)}

Married: 

(Written by Elizabeth Ann July, 1978)  When I was smaller Elmer and myself use to fight like cats and dogs.  We would tear are clothes apart, hit each other and then our mom and dad would step in.  I use to bug Elmer so much that he would chase me in his wheelchair or run over my toes.  Then I would go tell on him and he would get in trouble instead of me.  When Elmer was born, my mom, dad and brother lived in a different house then I did and another thing Elmer was almost born in Pine Lake until our mom said, “:Henry turn around, I think I’m going to have the baby”  So our dad turned the car around and went back to Calgary.  There was another baby between Elmer and me, but he died at birth, his name was Edward Larry.   I was born next, I was almost born in Saskatchewan.  Our dad and mom paid for a house to be built for us right by an old shop and we got the shop too.  Our house was right next door to our gramma Crotteau and our Uncle Ed who still lived with his mother to help her out with everything.  Whenever we had a moment we went to visit gramma Crotteau and Uncle Ed.  If we ever had a birthday party, it was a good one.  We would have treats, games and friends.

As I reached the age of 10 and Elmer 12, our mother died after a battle with cancer.  It was Halloween night.  We felt useless without our mother but we had a father.  He wasn’t much of a father though because he was an alcoholic.  It got to the point that he couldn’t look after us, so we went to live with our cousin.  She kept us for awhile, but then she was going to move.  She is married and has two children.  Elmer went to the Children’s Hospital and I went to live with my principal until school was out.  Some friends of Carol adopted Elmer and me.  We went to live in Edmonton.  Our dad came to see us at Christmas and he always wrote and I wrote back.  Elmer and I were going down in our grades in school because we were homesick.  So we were going back to Calgary.  Elmer stayed in the Children’s Hospital and I went to live with my dad’s sister Auntie Ida for a little while.  Then, I went to live with my Auntie Ann.

By this time Elmer was 14 and I was 12.  I then went to live with my father.  Our house was a block away from the zoo.  It came one night that he got drunk and fell down the stairs.  The landlady came and woke me up and we picked my dad up and carried him into the kitchen.  I went back to bed.  Next morning I got ready for school and when I came out of the bedroom my dad looked as white as a ghost.  I phoned the landlady and told her to come over because I thought my dad was dead.  She came over and took me upstairs, she phoned the police, and they came over.  They asked me a few questions and then they asked me if I had anybody who I could stay with.  I called my Auntie Ann and she came over.  I went to her place and we called Auntie Ida to come over.  We then went to the Children’s Hospital to tell Elmer.  He came from school full of smiles.  Auntie Ann said, “We have some bad news to tell you.”  Elmer said “What?”  Auntie Ida said.  “It’s about your daddy,” I said, “Daddy is dead”.  You never seen a boy cry like he did.  He then said “I’ll look after you Liz because we are the only two left in our family.”  I said, “No Elmer I’m going to look after you because you’re crippled and you need help.”  Auntie Ida replied, “Why don’t you both look after each other.”  I said, “That’s a good idea.

We left Elmer then and we went back to Auntie Ann’s.  I stayed there for awhile and then I went to stay with Auntie Ida.  Carol came to visit one day and she said she would take me, I then went with her.  I learned how to take the bus to see Elmer.  We moved, but I still would take the bus to see Elmer.  Elmer moved into a hospital apartment building and I would take the bus to see him and he would take a handy bus to see me.  Elmer has also had many operations in his life time but he is doing well.  I am staying with my cousin Carol.  She has had another baby.

Other Stories 

Pioneer Life in Our Community

The beginning of this community (Holdfast) should always be remembered and dedicated to the early pioneers.  The geography of Holdfast is very brief.  Holdfast covers approximately an area of about 25 miles long and 30 miles wide lying in Rural Municipality of Sarnia and West of Last Mountian Lake.  It was opened for homesteads in 1903.  The early inhabitants were most horse and cattle ranchers and some Indiaans on a small scale who came around 1882, before the railroad was completed in 1885.

It was not until the 1900’s when the settlers began to come to this part.  The majority came from Rostov, Manheim, Oddesa and other places in Russia and Germany.  Some also came from Argentina, Austria, and Sweden, but they were mostly Russian Germans, who cam from their native country in big ships which crossed the Atlantic very slowly.  The settlers had to wait patiently for two months before they got their pass.  They crossed in mixed ships which were big and clumsy.  Because they were mixed ships many diseases broke out.  On account of this it took approximately two months to cross the broad wide Atlantic ocean.  At each harbour they stopped and all the people especially the children had to be vaccinated.  On one ship the measles broke out and delayed the people for three weeks.  If anyone got seriously sick they would have to be shut-off in a room by themselves.

It each harbour inspectors were waiting to inspect the luggage, if it was locked they would take the hinges off and look through it.  If they found anything valuable, it would be taken.  The people tried as much as possible to keep whatever they could on them.  On these ships, there were horses, cattle and other animals.  The meals were very poor and meat was chiefly horse meat which might have been the cause of so many diseases.

The ships went as far as Halifax, from there they came to the prairies by immigrant trains on the CNR.  The people who came to this part went as far as Chamberlain then came here by wagons and horses.  It was a great problem to cross the valley.  They had to chain the back wheels together and try to cross is that way.  It took them longer to cross the valley than it took to come the rest of the way here.

Not all the settlers came here at first, some went to the United States, Belgonie, Kronau and other places.  Those who went to Kronau came to Holdfast in three days by wagon and horses.  They camped beside the trail and slept under the wagon.  From Regina, they came here by the Saskatoon trail, which was 5 or more miles from Stony Beach past Kettleston to here.  If one trail was to deep they started another one.

The buildings they needed first as a shelter for themselves and one for their animals, if they had any.  The house they built with sod, usually consisted of two rooms.  They built it by taking sod and mud, stone and also wood.  You might think where did they get the lumber from.  At that time Long Lake was not as big as it is now.  Mr. Edwards from Findlater said that when his father came, Long Lake was just a stream and a valley just as Chamberlain’s valley is today, but of course that was sometime in the late 1800’s.  So they could cross the lake and get firewood and lumber for building they got from Chamberlain.  When using sod, they piled it one on top of the other, this was for the wall.  The roof was first made from poplar poles then also from sod.  It had no floor and for windows, they hung a blanket or waxed paper over it.  After some years they built new homes from lumber bought from surrounding towns.  Lumber was mostly purchased “on time” and for bachelors it was very hard to obtain it, because dealers thought that he might easily move away and leave his debt unpaid for with a married man he could not very easily move away.  The sod hut of course was not very warm and was heated by a coal & wood stove in which they burnt scrapes of wood, dried grass straw and manure.  They electricity was a coal oil lamp or little kerosene lamps.  Their other buildings such as the barn, and chicken coups were all built of sod for the present.

The pioneers got their homestead for $10.00, and if in three years, they made improvements they would get their title.  Other land was available for $3.00 per acre, but most people never had the money to buy it. They ploughed their fields with a breaking plough with a wooden beam, and pulled by oxen or horses.  Most people had enough food, because the rabbits and prairie chicken were plentiful, and could be caught three at a time in a trap made from an apple box.  Wheat was the bait used.  They usually got their supply of meat as they needed it, but if they had any extra they could salt and cure it then store it in their dark cold cellar which was just often times a hole in the ground.  Some also caught fish up to four lbs. They usually dried and salted them.  The potatoes were planted under the broken sod and then the ground was scratched a little and by a charm they would grow.  The other supplies they got from Chamberlain, and other towns, but once or twice a year a pedlar from Regina came on foot carrying a sack which was strapped on this back, and in it he had sewing needles, ear rings, thimbles, rings and other thing which were easy to carry.  The people when they first came thought these were bullshivics or communists as they are called now, so they put pillows up to their windows and barred their doors, so the peddlers couldn’t get in, but they soon got over this silly nonsense when some of the earlier people told them differently.

Before the railway was built, they hauled the wheat to Chamberlain.  The first car load of wheat that was shipped from Holdfast was in about 1911. 

I will continue this another time...as I found a few more stories.