In the year 1816, a screaming little lad was born on the small scottish island of Raasay. His name was James McKenzie and he is my great-great-great-grandfather. At a young age he and his family sailed across the ocean to Prince Edward Island, Canada. He grew tall and strong and married the love of his life, Anne Martin. On March 17, 1860 a kicking firstborn son named, Norman James McKenzie was born to the happy couple. Norman lived on Prince Edward Island for 20 years, then set out for the golden streets of America. He stayed with his sister Effie, and her husband, Neil Campbell just outside the wee little town of Pingree, North Dakota. Restless and hungry for adventure, he began a journey to the west coast. He moved slowly, working
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Our problems were not unlike those of most people in that period. Social life was very limited and consisted mainly of visiting with our neighbors. It was a kind of unwritten law, that everyone visited each other twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. In the winter we usually went with horse and sled, in the summer we went with a model T or horse and buggy. Main topics of conversation were : ‘Are your chickens laying?’. ‘How are your turkeys and how many do you have?’, and ‘Do you have a garden?’... The forties brought the beginning of better crops, but World War II was upon us with rationing of food and gas. Turkeys had always been one of our most profitable enterprises and in all areas where farming was expanding, we built a large turkey barn and increased our flock to several thousand, as did many growers throughout North Dakota and Minnesota…. We had killed the goose that laid the golden egg… the bottom went out of the market from overproduction. Disease and wet weather took their toll. The effects of disaster ranged from despair to suicide throughout the turkey growing states… now we only have grain and sunflowers.” She also recalls having to drive “Old Tony” into town to sell cream and buy weekly groceries. He was a small bay trotter, never used in the fields. He knew the way to town and back and he always intended to get there and back as fast as he possibly could! Art and Gertrude had 7 …show more content…
We would talk on the phone for hours, he would tell me stories about growing up with 8 siblings, fishing in North Dakota, eating kimchi in Korea during his deployment, and books he had read. He was a first-generation American citizen. My great-great-grandfather, Jacob Artamenko, sailed to New York City searching for a better life when three of his family members died of diphtheria. He worked for several years hauling ice and coal, saving money all the while to save enough money to buy tickets for the rest of his family. He sent for his wife and their two children, one of whom was Michael William Artamenko. They were smuggled out of the Ukraine in a cold damp hay cart. They were covered in hay for several days as they traversed muddy rutted roads and began their daring journey across the English channel. Once across, they boarded the Lusitania and chugged across the atlantic, without any added drama. Once everyone was safely reunited in NYC, they moved to the colder climates of North Dakota. Hard times struck and in 1918 they struck out for homesteading opportunities in Moose jaw SK,
Our problems were not unlike those of most people in that period. Social life was very limited and consisted mainly of visiting with our neighbors. It was a kind of unwritten law, that everyone visited each other twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. In the winter we usually went with horse and sled, in the summer we went with a model T or horse and buggy. Main topics of conversation were : ‘Are your chickens laying?’. ‘How are your turkeys and how many do you have?’, and ‘Do you have a garden?’... The forties brought the beginning of better crops, but World War II was upon us with rationing of food and gas. Turkeys had always been one of our most profitable enterprises and in all areas where farming was expanding, we built a large turkey barn and increased our flock to several thousand, as did many growers throughout North Dakota and Minnesota…. We had killed the goose that laid the golden egg… the bottom went out of the market from overproduction. Disease and wet weather took their toll. The effects of disaster ranged from despair to suicide throughout the turkey growing states… now we only have grain and sunflowers.” She also recalls having to drive “Old Tony” into town to sell cream and buy weekly groceries. He was a small bay trotter, never used in the fields. He knew the way to town and back and he always intended to get there and back as fast as he possibly could! Art and Gertrude had 7 …show more content…
We would talk on the phone for hours, he would tell me stories about growing up with 8 siblings, fishing in North Dakota, eating kimchi in Korea during his deployment, and books he had read. He was a first-generation American citizen. My great-great-grandfather, Jacob Artamenko, sailed to New York City searching for a better life when three of his family members died of diphtheria. He worked for several years hauling ice and coal, saving money all the while to save enough money to buy tickets for the rest of his family. He sent for his wife and their two children, one of whom was Michael William Artamenko. They were smuggled out of the Ukraine in a cold damp hay cart. They were covered in hay for several days as they traversed muddy rutted roads and began their daring journey across the English channel. Once across, they boarded the Lusitania and chugged across the atlantic, without any added drama. Once everyone was safely reunited in NYC, they moved to the colder climates of North Dakota. Hard times struck and in 1918 they struck out for homesteading opportunities in Moose jaw SK,