In 1933 some of the children of Nick & Garafira were gathered at their parents house preparing to say goodbye to each other. They are preparing to relocate to Ontario in search of a brighter future during The Great Depression.
This group photo was taken to commemorate the gathering of family prior to the departure of some members to, we believe, Timmins, Ontario more than 1700km to the east. The vast majority of the people in the photo are part of the Nick & Garafira clan. Because of the note handwritten on the back of the photo (see quote below) we might be able to assume that all of Nick & Garafira’s children are in the photo with the exception of John and Wesley.
- What: This is a black & white photo of a posed group of twenty-four people outside of a house.
- Where: Outside the home of Nick & Garafira Cojocar, NE-19-09-23-W2 (49°45’16.7″N 105°06’34.8″W), Key West No. 70, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- When: During 1933 is our guess.
- Why: It was very common for this family to take a group photo to commemorate times when people would come together or before they would travel perhaps to never return. Thanks to a handwritten message on the back of this photo we can learn more:
“All the people were over cause Dad make a party of us like at least we had a good time but the next day it was bad. You may know that Bro John and Wesley and Nick Neamtu aren’t in the picture I don’t know were (sic) they when (sic) that time when we snapped the picture. After we seen cause they are not in the picture. I thought they were.”
Handwritten on the back of the photo, author unknown
How many can you name?
I have labelled people with a number on their chest or above their heads from 1 to 24. If you click on the photo or here you can see a larger version.
Use these buttons to jump to information for each numbered person:
People in the photo
The names are below. How many do you recognize?
1. Nicolai “Nick” Avram was about twenty-three (23) years old in 1933. He would have already been married and so it makes sense for him to be in the photo since his wife Mary (#19) is also in the photo. Nick and Mary would eventually take up residence in Windsor, Ontario, Canada by the early 1950’s but maybe they are in this photo because they were moving too?
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Nick married Mary Avram nee Cojocari (#19) in the previous year on October 23, 1932 in Kayville.
Very Reverend Father Percy “Peter” Avram (#3) is Nick’s Uncle.
Nick’s aunt by marriage Eugenia “Jennie” Avram nee Popp (#9)
Nicolai “Nick” Avram was born near Rouleau, Saskatchewan to Nicolae & Mary Avram in 1910. I’m not certain how many siblings Nick grew up with but I know that he had two brothers for sure. Nick was raised on his family’s homestead on NW-05-10-23-W2 in the Saskatchewan municipality of Elmstorpe No. 100.
Nick married Mary N. Cojocari on October 23, 1932 when he was twenty-two (22) years old and she was seventeen (17). I believe that they were married at the Saints Peter and Paul Church when it was located north-east of Kayville (before it was moved into town in the 1940’s). Do you have a photo or information to share with me about that?
By the 1950’s Nick and Mary had taken up residence in Windsor, Ontario. One house of their’s was 2296 Alexis Street. I do not know when they made their move to eastern Canada, just that they ended up there and stayed.
Nick, like so many others, was employed in the automotive industry, giving his occupation at various points as a Labourer and also a Sander. He was listed as being a member of U.A.W. Local 444 and working for Chrysler of Canada but I don’t know enough to be able to describe that work or his career. Do you?
Nick and Mary raised two children, a son and a daughter.
Nick and Mary were married for more than forty-four years until Nick’s death in 1977 at the age of sixty-six (66). Nick lies at rest in the Windsor Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Windsor, Ontario.
2. George N. Cojocari was about twenty-three (23) years old in 1933. He was still single but would marry Mary Banda the following year on February 12, 1934 in Kayville. I do not think that George was one of the people moving to Ontario on this day although in a few years he would give it a try. To me, this doesn’t really look like him but he isn’t noted as being absent from the photo so I will assume that he was present. This really looks like his brother Peter N. Cojocar (#22) to me when Pete was much older however Peter would have been just a boy at the time of this photo. I’ll go with a family resemblance.
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George’s Mother Garafira Cojocar nee Stratinar (#11)
George’s younger sister Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari (#13)
George’s younger sister Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari (#19)
George’s younger sister Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari (#8)
George’s younger sister Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari (#12)
George’s younger sister Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari (#18)
George’s younger sister Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar (#20)
George’s younger brother Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari (#10)
George’s younger brother Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar (#4)
George’s younger brother Daniel N. Cojocari (#16)
George’s younger brother Elie N. Cojocari (#24)
George’s youngest brother Peter N. Cojocari (#22)
George’s youngest sister Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari (#23)
George’s uncle John T. Cojocari (#7)
George’s aunt by marriage Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka (#15)
George’s 1st cousin Wesley J. Cojocari (#5)
George N. Cojocari was the first-born of Nick (not in photo) & Garafira (#11) during 1910 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which is where his parents initially lived after arriving in Canada. George was the first of eighteen children, fifteen of which would survive to adulthood.
As the story of George’s birth goes, his father Nick was preparing to marry a woman who was not Garafira (#11) in Montreal, Quebec where he lived for a time. Before the wedding took place a some-months pregnant Garafira found Nick Cojocari in the area of Montreal where most Romanian immigrants lived and gave him the news that he was going to be a father. Nick’s approaching wedding was now off.
The story sounds so much more dramatic if you imagine that it took place at the church at the moment when Nick was about to marry the other woman. At the instant when the priest asks if there are any reasons why the two people should not be wed the heavy double doors of the church bang open allowing a swirl of snow to enter and the form of a very pregnant Garafira revealed in the doorway. Garafira waddles in protected from the biting winter winds by a heavy coat and clothes no better than rags and cries, “Stop the wedding!!”. With the church pews filled with guests, all faces turn in unison with surprise to regard the figure now entering the church and walking purposefully up the aisle toward the startled bride and groom. That’s probably not what happened but as a kid that’s pretty much what I imagined upon hearing the story.
Nick and Garafira were married in Montreal during the final months of 1909, we think, with their first-born, George, being born during May of the following year in Montreal.
Following George’s birth in the spring of 1910 his parents relocated to Saskatchewan where he would be raised, first on their original homestead and later on the better land which they purchased to the west where they built their grand house around 1933.
George would marry Mary Banda on February 12, 1934 in Kayville, probably at the Saints Peter and Paul church when it was still located north-east of Kayville. George was twenty-two (22) and his bride was seventeen (17), mere days away from turning eighteen.
George and Mary immediately took up residence in a house, a wooden grainary converted to the purpose, in the farmyard of his parents steps from their front door.
Nine months later George and Mary would welcome their only child, a daughter in November!
George, his wife and their two year old daughter would make a move of their own to Windsor, Ontario in 1937. George had found work in a steel foundry and his wife Mary worked in a tomato canning factory. They found the work to be very hard and decided that if they were going to work as hard as they had been that they might as well do it farming back home. After less than a year they decided to return to Saskatchewan in 1938.
Upon returning from Ontario, George borrowed money from his father to purchase the land across the road from his parents.
3. Very Reverend Father Percy “Peter” Avram was born in 1897 in Transylvania to parents Peter & Sophia. He was thirty-six (36) years old in 1933. He and Jennie (#9) had already been married for sixteen years and had seven children by 1933. Peter, known locally for being a bit of a hell-raiser in his youth, had not yet begun his training to become a priest in 1933.
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Peter’s wife Eugenia “Jennie” Avram nee Popp (#9)
Peter’s nephew Nicolai “Nick” Avram (#1)
Very Reverend Father Percy “Peter” Avram was born in 1897 in Transylvania to parents Peter & Sophia. Peter’s parents and his siblings were some of the earliest Romanian immigrants arriving in 1902, a small number of years before the larger first wave began in 1905.
4. Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar was born in 1922 to Nick & Garafira (#11) and was about 11 years old in 1933. If this is him he looks pretty tall for 11-12 years old if you ask me. Fred’s wife Greta is not in this photo. Fred would not marry his wife-to-be Greta until sixteen years later in Ohio, USA during 1949.
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Fred’s Mother Garafira Cojocar nee Stratinar (#11)
Fred’s oldest brother George N. Cojocar (#2)
Fred’s older sister Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari (#13)
Fred’s older sister Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari (#19)
Fred’s older sister Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari (#8)
Fred’s older sister Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari (#12)
Fred’s older sister Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari (#18)
Fred’s older sister Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar (#20)
Fred’s younger brother Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari (#10)
Fred’s younger brother Daniel N. Cojocari (#16)
Fred’s younger brother Elie N. Cojocari (#24)
Fred’s youngest brother Peter N. Cojocari (#22)
Fred’s youngest sister Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari (#23)
Fred’s uncle John T. Cojocari (#7)
Fred’s aunt by marriage Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka (#15)
Fred’s 1st cousin Wesley J. Cojocari (#5)
Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar was born in 1922 to Nick & Garafira (#11). Fred was on their original homestead.
Fred would not marry his wife-to-be Greta in Ohio, USA during 1949. They would live in Detroit, Michigan, USA beginning in the late 1940’s. They would celebrate twenty-six years of marriage until Fred’s passing in 1975.
5. Wesley J. Cojocari was born in 1910 to parents John (#7) & Maranda (#15) on their homestead a short distance from where this photo was taken. Wesley was about twenty-three (23) years old in 1933.
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Wesley’s wife Mary Cojocari nee Donison (#14).
Wesley’s father John T. Cojocari (#7)
Wesley’s mother Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka (#15)
Wesley’s aunt Garafira Cojocar nee Stratinar (#11)
Wesley’s 1st cousin George N. Cojocar (#2)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari (#13)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari (#19)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari (#8)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari (#12)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari (#18)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar (#20)
Wesley’s younger brother Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari (#10)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar (#4)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Daniel N. Cojocari (#16)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Elie N. Cojocari (#24)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Peter N. Cojocari (#22)
Wesley’s 1st cousin Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari (#23)
Wesley J. Cojocari was born in 1910 to parents John & Maranda on their homestead.
Wesley and Mary were married October 27, 1932 so it makes sense that this photo was taken after that date.
6. Leonora Cojocar nee Petrescue was born in 1911 to George & Gafita Petrescue on their nearby homestead. Leonora was about twenty-two (22) years old in 1933. She and John N. Cojocar (noted as being absent from the photo) were married in Kayville during the same year as this photo.
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Leonora Cojocar nee Petrescue was born in 1911 to George & Gafita Petrescue on their homestead.
Leonora married John N. Cojocar in Kayville during 1933.
7. John T. Cojocari was born during 1888 to Timofti & Elisaveta Cojocari in Romania. John was about forty-five (45) years old in 1933.
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John’s wife Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka (#15)
John’s eldest son Wesley J. Cojocari (#5)
John’s nephew George N. Cojocar (#2)
John’s niece Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari (#13)
John’s niece Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari (#19)
John’s niece Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari (#8)
John’s niece Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari (#12)
John’s niece Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari (#18)
John’s niece Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar (#20)
John’s nephew Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari (#10)
John’s nephew Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar (#4)
John’s nephew Daniel N. Cojocari (#16)
John’s nephew Elie N. Cojocari (#24)
John’s nephew Peter N. Cojocari (#22)
John’s niece Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari (#23)
8. Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari was about seventeen (17) years old in 1933. Jennie might be one of the kids who is leaving for Ontario. If we are guessing that this photo is taken after 1932, we know that Jennie would be in Ontario getting married in during November 1934.
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Jennie’s Mother Garafira Cojocar nee Stratinar (#11)
Jennie’s oldest brother George N. Cojocar (#2)
Jennie’s older sister Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari (#13)
Jennie’s older sister Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari (#19)
Jennie’s older sister Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari (#12)
Jennie’s older sister Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari (#18)
Jennie’s older sister Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar (#20)
Jennie’s younger brother Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari (#10)
George’s younger brother Filaret N. “Fred” Cojocar (#4)
Jennie’s younger brother Daniel N. Cojocari (#16)
Jennie’s younger brother Elie N. Cojocari (#24)
Jennie’s youngest brother Peter N. Cojocari (#22)
Jennie’s youngest sister Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari (#23)
Jennie’s uncle John T. Cojocari (#7)
Jennie’s aunt by marriage Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka (#15)
Jennie’s 1st cousin Wesley J. Cojocari (#5)
Yugenea N. “Jennie” Stanciu nee Cojocari was born to Nick & Garafira.
Jennie would be in Ontario getting married in Nov 11, 1934.
9. Eugenia “Jennie” Avram nee Popp was about thirty (30) years old in 1933.
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Husband Very Reverend Father Percy “Peter” Avram (#3)
10. Marion N. “Louie” Cojocari was about thirteen (13) years old in 1933.
11. Garafira Cojocar nee Stratinar was about forty-five (45) years old in 1933.
12. Elisabeta N. “Alice” Pecaric nee Cojocari was about sixteen (16) years old in 1933. Alice might be one of the people leaving for Ontario. She would meet her future husband Joe Pecaric in Ontario and they would marry in July 15, 1934 at Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
13. Verona N. “Vera” Neamtu nee Cojocari. Vera was about 19 years old in 1933.
14. Mary Cojocar nee Donison. Mary was about twenty-one years old in 1933.
15. Maranda Cojocar nee Tehulka was about fifty (50) years old in 1933.
16. Daniel N. Cojocari was about eight (8) years old in 1933.
17. Unknown
18. Annette N. “Anna” Golka nee Cojocari was about fifteen (15) years old in 1933.
19. Mary N. Avram nee Cojocari was about eighteen (18) years old in 1933. She had gotten married the previous year in 1932 and gave birth to their first child Philip in July 1933.
20. Malina N. “Mollie” Morse nee Cojocar was about thirteen (13) years old in 1933.
21. Dora Rosie Avram nee Cojocari was about four (4) years old in 1933.
22. Peter N. Cojocari was about five (5) years old in 1933.. To me this looks like the youngest boy in the photo and if it captures most of Nick and Garafira’s children Peter was their youngest…
23. Unknown
24. Elie N. Cojocari was about seven (7) years old in 1933. Elie is too young maybe for relocating with his siblings but in time he too would take up residence in Windsor, Ontario.
Evidence
Why 1933?
Using a very simple process considering weddings and pregnancy the year 1933 seems to fit so far. The year seems to support people who are appearing with their spouses because they are already married and people appearing without spouses because they are not. Also, none of the ladies in the photo seem to be obviously pregnant which can fit with 1933 as well.
I’m saying 1933 for the following reasons:
- After February 1, 1932
- It was noted that Nick Neamtu was not in the photo but was in attendance. I am assuming that since Nick & Vera were married Feb 1, 1932 this is why they would both be there and so I assume that the date of the photo is after that. Vera gave birth to their first son John at some point in 1933 and she doesn’t look pregnant in the photo and neither is there an infant in the photo but those don’t mean much to me.
- After October 23, 1932
- Both Nick & Mary Avram are in the photo and since they were married October 23, 1932 in Kayville so I assume that the photo was taken after that date.
- After October 27, 1932
- Wesley J. Cojocari and his wife Mary Donison are in the photo and they were married October 27, 1932 in Kayville so I assume that the photo was taken after that date.
- During 1933 or later
- Both John & Leonora Cojocari are at the event however only Lenora is in the photo. Because they were married in 1933 (I don’t know the exact date) in Kayville I assume that the photo was taken in 1933 or later.
- Months before July 14, 1933
- Nick & Mary Avram had their first child Phillip on July 14, 1933 and if we have identified Mary correctly in the photo she doesn’t look very pregnant. Maybe that is support for early spring 1933? …or possibly after Mary gave birth later in 1933 or later.
- Before February 12, 1934
- George Cojocari’s wife Mary Banda is not in the photo and they would get married February 12, 1934 in Kayville so I assume that the photo was taken before that date.
- Before July 15, 1934
- Alice’s husband Joe Pecaric is not in the photo and they would marry July 15, 1934 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Since Joe had never lived in Saskatchewan I assume that they met in Ontario and that it took them some time to spark their relationship. For this reason I assume that the date of this photo is well before this date.
- Before November 11, 1934
- Jennie’s husband George Stanciu wasn’t in the photo. They were married November 11, 1934 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario and so I assume that this photo is taken earlier than that date. Since George had never lived in Saskatchewan I assume that they met in Ontario and that it took them some time to kindle their relationship. For this reason I assume that the date of this photo is well before this date.
Destination unknown
I believe that the people who would travel east were largely on their way to northern Ontario, Canada. Especially to the region surrounding Timmins, Ontario where a number of successful mines were providing jobs to men. A small Romanian enclave in Timmins was already forming.
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Romanians in Timmins
The mines in the Timmins regions were rich sources of gold, silver and cobalt. Immigrants and others pressured by the terrible economy during the Great Depression were travelling from far and wide spurred by stories of steady employment.
Perhaps at the time of this photo (circa 1933) plans were already underway to build a Romanian Orthodox Church in Timmins. The name of the church would be St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church. On September 8, 1935 the church would receive the honour of being sanctified by Bishop Policarp (Pompei) Morusca during his visit as he toured all Romanian Orthodox churches in North America.
By the mid-1930’s some of the children of John & Maranda also made the move to Timmins.
Family in Detroit
Constantine, brother to Nick and John had abandoned the idea of farming in Saskatchewan more than ten years earlier and had moved with his wife and ten children to Detroit, Michigan, USA. Costan had likely been letting his brothers know what life was like in Detroit and what a career of working for the automotive industry was providing him.
As the Great Depression rolled through the 1930’s along with poor farming returns due to drought more and more children of Nick and John Cojocari would heed the call to move east.
Darren, #12 looks to be Alice (Elizabeth) Cojocar, I’ve seen that look with the glasses in another picture I have, somewhere.