I have written before about how my mom’s family were new immigrants to the United States, with three of her grandparents born abroad. We have to evidence that her German ancestors had any contact with their relatives back home, but her Canadian grandparents are a different story.

My mom’s paternal grandparents, William McCallum and Etta Moore, immigrated to the United States from Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada. The first Declaration of Intention I have from William lists his arrival as July 1905:

William and Etta married in Orilla, Washington on 10th October 1905.

Their two sons, Donald and William (my grandfather) were born in Seattle in 1906 and 1907, respectively.

In 1914, William and Etta enter Canada through the Port of Vancouver, B.C.:

This lists Etta’s father as still living in Ontario but also lists William’s occupation as a dredger. He went to Canada at this time to work building the seawall in Victoria, B.C.

William re-enters the United States from Canada in October 1914:

The 1920 census lists William and Etta’s immigration year as 1914, and William’s occupation as a farmer. They are both alien citizens.

I do not have any evidence of William and Etta traveling back to Ontario, but Etta did keep in touch with relatives. A few years ago a woman reached out to me and had photos Etta had sent to her cousin in Canada.

That baby is my grandpa! It was remarkable to receive copies of these photographs, and I am so thankful these photos were held onto.

And today when I was looking through our emails, I found a photo of the house in Seattle the McCallum’s lived in.

You can find the rest of my 52 Ancestors posts by clicking the tag at the top of the post.

And you can follow along on Instagram as well: @familyhistoryfood.

Until next time,

Meredith