Researching Ukrainian Canadians in Manitoba

The first Ukrainian family came to Manitoba in 1891 and settled on a farm near Gretna, where many Mennonites who spoke the Ukrainian language already lived, according to an article published in 1951 by the Manitoba Historical Society in celebration of the 60th anniversary of their arrival. In 1892, a group of Ukrainians from Halychyna settled in the Cooks Creek area of Manitoba.

The first Ukrainian rural settlements were established in August of 1896 by immigrants from Galicia and Bukovyna at Stuartburn and Lake Dauphin. They travelled to Dominion City by train and the twenty or more miles to the Stuartburn district by wagon. New settlements of Ukrainian families were also established during this period in the Pleasant Home, Lake Dauphin, Strathclair, Shoal Lake, Sifton and Ethelbert districts. Source: Early Settlers in Manitoba – The Ukrainians by Anthony Garbolinsky.
https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2379220/datastream/PDF/view

Many of the earliest immigrants didn’t actually call themselves Ukrainians, instead referring to themselves as Ruthenians.

Alex Kolebaba and family at Gardenton, 1917.
Courtesy of the Archives of Manitoba

“Manitoba, especially its capital city of Winnipeg, will always have great historical significance in the settlement of Ukrainians in Canada. This was the first stopping place (at the Immigration Hall) for groups of Ukrainian immigrants who dispersed from here to their final destinations, the homesteads. In 1891, the year of the first wave of settlement, there were 4,833,000 souls in Canada and 152,506 in Manitoba.” Source: Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Manitoba Provincial Council.

Manitoba History: Welcoming Immigrants at the Gateway to Canada’s West: Immigration Halls in Winnipeg, 1872-1975 by Robert Veneberg, Manitoba Historical Society Archives, Winnipeg, 2011 https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/65/immigrationhalls.shtml

Manitoba History: “Canadians and Ukrainians Inseparably”: Recent Writing on the History of Ukrainian Settlement in Canada by Peter Melnycky, Manitoba Historical Society Archives, 1992 https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/24/ukrainians.shtml

Ukrainian Settlements in Manitoba
Article taken from Ukrainian Catholic Churches of Winnipeg Archeparchy, History of Ukrainian Catholic Churches in Canada, Volume 4 by Anna Maria Kowcz-Baran, Saskatoon, 1991.
https://www.archeparchy.ca/wcm-docs/docs/Ukrainian_Settlements_in_Manitoba.pdf

Manitoba Vital Statistics Branch, Province of Manitoba
https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/genealogy.html

Archives of Manitoba, Province of Manitoba
https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/

The Manitoba Genealogical Society, Inc.
https://mbgenealogy.com/

Local History and Genealogy Resources Information Guide – Winnipeg Public Library
https://guides.wpl.winnipeg.ca/localhistory

East European Genealogical Society
Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba
https://eegsociety.org/

Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Manitoba Provincial Council
https://uccmanitoba.ca/

Manitoba, CanGenealogy
https://www.cangenealogy.com/manitoba.html

Manitoba, Canada Genealogy – FamilySearch
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Manitoba,_Canada_Genealogy

Manitoba GenWeb Project
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~canmb/index.htm

Manitoba Genealogy (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1636186383286595

Manitoba History: A Public Discussion Forum of the MHS (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/manitobahistory

Manitoba History (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1036509169818642/

Winnipeg and Manitoba history (public group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/971227750235526/

Manitoba’s Abandoned History (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/739382209487285/

Books:

Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography: Pioneer Settlers of Manitoba, 1891-1900, Vladimir J. Kaye, Ukrainian Canadian Research Foundation, 1975

Pioneer Profiles: Ukrainian Settlers in Manitoba, Michael Ewanchuk, Winnipeg, 1981

Hardships and Progress of Ukrainian Pioneers: Memoirs from Stuartburn Colony and Other Points, Peter Humeniuk, Winnipeg, 1977
A Guide to the Study of Manitoba Local History, Gerald Friesen and Barry Potyondi, Winnipeg, 1981

Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide, Sherry Irvine and Dave Obee, Ancestry Publishing, 2007. Chapter 18: Manitoba

Ukrainian settlers on their farm near Stuartburn, Manitoba,
early 1900’s, Courtesy of Olga Drozd on Pinterest.ca 

Researching Ukrainian Canadians in Saskatchewan

The first two Ukrainian settlers arrived in Canada in 1891 followed by tens of thousands until the start of the First World War. Most Ukrainian immigrants of this period were identified on government records as Poles, Russians, Austrians, Bukovinians, Galicians and Ruthenians, arriving from provinces in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The vast majority of these immigrants settled in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

The first wave of Ukrainian settlers to Saskatchewan arrived in the 1890’s and were mainly from the area of current Western Ukraine known as Halychyna or Galicia. Approximately 13% of Saskatchewan residents trace all or part of their ancestry to the former Galicia and Bukovina, according to the last census. Saskatchewan become a province in 1905 and prior to that it was the Saskatchewan and Assiniboia districts. This area was part of the Northwest Territories.

1917 Country Wedding, Sask. Courtesy of Archives Canada

There are a number of smaller rural communities in Western Canada with significant proportions of Ukrainians including Canora, Speers, Bradwell, Krydor, and Hafford, Saskatchewan. They settled around Rosthern and Yorkton-Canora districts of Saskatchewan. Many more of the smaller place names are listed in the “Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography: Pioneer Settlers of Saskatchewan-Assiniboia”, page vii.

There are numerous books about Ukrainians in Canada listing Ukrainian settlers and local community history books which settled in Saskatchewan. In the “Sources for Researching Ukrainian Family History” book, by John-Paul Himka and Frances, A. Swyripa, CIUS, The University of Alberta, 1984, on pages 34-35, it lists 20 local history books in Saskatchewan.

I assisted my friend, Ann V. (Thoms) Lummerding with the publishing of her "Thoms (Toms) Family History 1898 – 2002" book. Her family settled southwest of Alvena, Fish Creek and in the Bruno district, Saskatchewan. I also have some in-laws in my family branches who are from Saskatchewan and many of my immediate family members live in Lloydminster.

Hafford, Sask., Ruthenian Church,
Courtesy of Prairie Towns.com

About Ukrainians in Saskatchewan - Immigration and Settlement Patterns
https://www.ucc.sk.ca/oldsite/about.htm

About Ukrainians – Ukrainians in Saskatchewan
https://www.ucc.sk.ca/en/about/ukrainians-in-sk

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
https://saskgenealogy.com/

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society – Regina Branch – Links page
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~canrbsgs/pages/links.html

The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (PAS)
https://www.saskarchives.com/

PAS online catalogue
https://search.saskarchives.com/

Saskatchewan Vital Statistics - eHealth Saskatchewan
https://www.ehealthsask.ca/residents/genealogy

Saskatchewan Public Library – Local History
https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/collections/local-history/

Saskatchewan Newspapers
http://sabnewspapers.usask.ca/browse/city

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Maps 60 years: 1924-1984
https://saskgenweb.ca/skwheat/

Saskatchewan Online Genealogy Records - FamilySearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Saskatchewan_Online_Genealogy_Records

Sask Gen Web – The Saskatchewan Genealogy Web
https://saskgenweb.ca/cansk/Saskatchewan/

Saskatchewan – CanGenelogy
https://www.cangenealogy.com/saskatchewan.html

Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society
http://www.shfs.ca/

Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations – Government of Saskatchewan
https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/government-structure/boards-commissions-and-agencies/saskatchewan--ukraine-relations

Pioneers of Canada – Saskatchewan
https://www.geni.com/projects/Pioneers-of-Canada-Saskatchewan/17832

Ukrainian Cultural Identity Deeply Rooted in Province
https://www.saskculture.ca/impact/success-stories/ukrainian-cultural-identity-deeply-rooted-in-province

Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Saskatchewan Branch
https://umcnational.ca/

Saskatchewan – Cyndi’s List
https://www.cyndislist.com/canada/provinces/sk/

Saskatchewan Genealogy (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/107074456308967

Saskatchewan Genealogy Network (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/805637286215465/

Historical Saskatchewan (public group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/472456403800111

Old Saskatchewan (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/424339521497698

Saskatchewan: History and memories (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/growingupinsk/

Saskatchewan History (Private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/735338344738910/

Saskatchewan Memories (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1607888836109581/

Saskatchewan Adoption Search & Reunion (private group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178843212709623/

Saskatchewan Archives Week (public group, first week of February)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/44912069786

Aerial Photos of Saskatchewan Towns, Villages, Farms (public group)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/360702462918687/

Українці в Саскатчевані / Ukrainians in Saskatchewan
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1047710605310057/

Canora, Sask., Courtesy of Prairie Towns.com

Books and a Video

Tracing Your Saskatchewan Ancestors: A Guide to the Records and How to Use Them, Laura M. Hanowski, ed., Regina, Saskatchewan Genealogical Society, 2000.

How to Research Your Ukrainian Ancestry in Saskatchewan: Rodovid/Genealogy, Kathlyn Szalasznyj, Saskatoon, Ukrainian Canadian Committee, 1986

Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography of Pioneer Settlers of Saskatchewan-Assiniboia, 1892-1904, Dr. V. Kaye, East European Genealogical Society, 2018, (This book is no longer available from the distributor and they are working to find an alternative distributor).

Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide, Sherry Irvine and Dave Obee, Ancestry Publishing, 2007. Chapter 25: Saskatchewan

Ukrainian Genealogy, John D. Pihach, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 2007, (Includes information on school records (pg. 26) and church records (pg. 46-49) in Saskatchewan.)

For Harry - Harry Tkachuk traveled from the Ukraine to settle in Saskatchewan, Canada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=501FiHsZobc&t=132s

History of Ukraine

Ukrainians started coming to Canada in the 19th century. The Canadian government was promoting the immigration of farmers from Eastern Europe. The first major immigration occurred between 1891 and 1914, primarily from the Austro-Hungarian provinces of Galicia and Bukovina. This resulted in around 170,000 rural, poor immigrants settling primarily in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

The following books are meant to assist you with your understanding the history of Ukrainian lands and why your ancestors came to Canada. Many of these books are available through the Edmonton Public Library, CUIS and University of Alberta Press, on Amazon etc.

Books

History of Ukraine-Rus, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, https://www.ualberta.ca/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/centres-and-programs/jacyk-centre/hrushevsky-translation-project/index.html

A History of Ukraine, Michael Hrushevsky, 1941 (reprinted version 1970)

Encyclopedia of Ukraine, edited by Volodymyr Kubijovyc and Danylo Husar Struk, 1984 (five volumes and Map & Gazetteer) https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/default.asp

Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopaedia (two volumes), editor-in-chief was Volodymyr Kubiyovych, reprinted 1970 and 1971

A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples, Second Edition, Paul Robert Magocsi, 2010

Ukraine: A History, Orest Subtelny, Forth Edition, 2009

The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, Serhii Plokhy, Revised Edition, 2021

Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Andrew Wilson, Fourth Edition, 2015

Ukraine: Past and Present, R.P. Samoil, 1996

Outline of Ukrainian History, Clarence A Manning, Second Edition, 1964

Women in Russia and Ukraine, edited by Rosalind Marsh, 1996

Eighteenth-Century Ukraine: New Perspectives on Social, Cultural, and Intellectual History

Edited by Zenon E. Kohut, Volodymyr Sklokin, and Frank E. Sysyn with Larysa Bilous, 2023
https://www.ciuspress.com/product/eighteenth-century-ukraine/?v=3e8d115eb4b3

Galicia and Bukovina

Galicia and Bukovina: A Research Handbook About Western Ukraine, Late 19th, and 20th Centuries, John-Paul Himka, 1990 https://diasporiana.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/books/11849/file.pdf

Galician Villagers and the Ukrainian National Movement in the Nineteenth Century, John-Paul Himka, 1988 https://diasporiana.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/books/14478/file.pdf

Peasants with Promise: Ukrainians in Southeastern Galicia, 1880-1900, Stella Hryniuk, 1991
https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/860-9780920862742-peasants-with-promise

Galicia: A Historical Survey and Bibliographic Guide, Paul R. Magocsi, 1985

Videos

Timothy Snyder: The Making of Modern Ukraine (23 classes)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNewfxO7LhBoz_1Mx1MaO6sw_
https://snyder.substack.com/p/syllabus-of-my-ukraine-lecture-class

The View Here on the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria with Dr. Larry Wolff, 2 March 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81U9gCyx1CA

The Myth of Galicia, Dr. Martin Pollack, Toronto, 9 March 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yxHexRa4tQ

Bukovina, a Ukrainian Land (1939) documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbVIN2WraXQ

Discover Bucovina: The Homeland of Romanian Magic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujolOedFOkU

The Outcast Polish Ukrainian movie 1933 English subs
This rare Polish film deals with some serious misunderstandings in a Ukrainian Hucul village.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrlGSw4a8CY

Courtesy of Internet Archive, 2016,
Book Image, Public Domain

Courtesy of University of Alberta Press,
1991, Book Image, Public Domain