By Jared L. Olar
September 2009-January 2015
During the period from 1909 to 1911, my grandfather Alex Olar and his older brothers Michael were living in Canada, specifically Montreal, where my Uncle John was born in Dec. 1910 and where Michael is known to have been living in Jan. 1911. Another brother, Jacob, also was living in Montreal during those years (in the Ville Saint-Pierre district, the location of a Romanian immigrant community), having arrived in 1910. Jacob is also mentioned in the 15 May 1912 ship passenger list of the S.S. Oceania, which had arrived at New York City on that date. Many of the Oceania's passengers disembarked in New York, while others continued on to Canada. Jacob Olar is the Iakob Olar who is named in one of the copies of the Oceania's passenger list as a "cousin" of FILIP OLAR. Shown immediately above Filip on the list is ILIE OLAR -- that was in fact the second time Ilie had visited Canada. The relationship of Ilie and Filip is not mentioned in the passenger list, but the parish records of Tereblecea show that they were brothers. Ilie was born 28 Oct. 1883 in Tereblecea, the son of "Ioan a Gavril Olari" and "Domnica nascuta Bodor," and Filip was born 8 Oct. 1892 in Tereblecea, the son of "Ioan a lui Gavriil Olariu" and "Domnica nascuta Bodor." Their grandfather Gavril was a brother of my great-grandfather Ioan Olar, which would make them first cousins once removed of my grandfather Alex Olar.
Ilie Olar first came to Canada on 26 April 1908. The passenger manifest of the S.S. Monfort on that date, page 26, shows "Olar. Ilie.," age 25 (sic -- 24) as one of the passengers. The Monfort had sailed from Antwerp, Belgium, and landed at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. The passenger list says Ilie was born in Austria, that he carried on $5 on his person, and that he planned to travel to Montreal via the Canadian Pacific Railway. Ilie did not remain in Canada permanently, however, because he got married in Tereblecea, Bucovina, in Nov. 1909, when he was 26 years old. Following is an image and abstract of page 26 the S.S. Montfort's information about Ilie, who is shown on line 31:
S.S. Monfort Line: Canadian-Pacific Line
Sailed from Antwerp on April 1908 Arrived at St. John on April 26 1908
No. of S.S. Contract Ticket: 42910
Amount of Cash in $: $5
Name in Full: OLAR. ILIE.
Age of Adults -- Male: 25
Are you able to read: yes
Are you able to write: yes
Married, Single, or Widowed: s
Profession, Occupation or Calling of Passengers: Labr.
Nation or Country of Birth: Austria
CPR
Place or ultimate destination of passengers: Montreal
After returning to Bucovina and getting married, Ilie and his wife ZENOVIA DANILIUC had a son named TEODOR OLARIU, born in Tereblecea on 30 Jan. 1912. About three-and-a-half months after Teodor's birth, when Ilie was 28 years old, he decided to go to Canada again. As noted above, Ilie's younger brother Filip accompanied him on that voyage. Following are images and abstracts of the S.S. Oceania's information about Ilie and Filip, who are shown on lines 3 and 4 of the relevant pages of S.S. Oceania's passenger list copies. First will be shown the image and information from the ship's manifest, after which will be shown the images and abstracts of the list of "alien passengers for the United States immigration officer at port of arrival." The ship's manifest includes less personal information than the list of alien passengers.
S.S. Oceania Line: Austro-American
Sailed from Trieste on April 27 1912 Arrived at New York on May 15 1912
No. on S.S. Contract Ticket: 3 Amount of Cash in $: $25 Name in Full: OLAR ILIE Age of Adults -- Male: 28 Married, Single, or Widowed: m Have you ever been in Canada before: no Do you intend to permanently reside in Canada: yes Are you able to read: yes Are you able to write: yes Country of Birth: Austria Race of People: Rumanian Destination (Post Office, Province): Wille, Can. What was your occupation: farm lab What is your intended occupation: farm lab Have you ever worked as farmer, farm labourer: Yes If so, which, how long, when: farm lab, always Religious Denomination: R. Cath
No. on S.S. Contract Ticket: 4 Amount of Cash in $: $26 Name in Full: OLAR FILIP Age of Adults -- Male: 17 Married, Single, or Widowed: s Have you ever been in Canada before: no Do you intend to permanently reside in Canada: yes Are you able to read: yes Are you able to write: yes Country of Birth: Austria Race of People: Rumanian Destination (Post Office, Province): Wille, Can. What was your occupation: farm lab What is your intended occupation: farm lab Have you ever worked as farmer, farm labourer: Yes If so, which, how long, when: farm lab, always Religious Denomination: R. Cath
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LIST OR MANIFEST OF ALIEN PASSENGERS FOR THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION OFFICER AT PORT OF ARRIVAL
S.S. Oceania sailing from Trieste 27 Apr 1912
3. Name in Full (Family Name, Given Name): OLAR, ILIE Age (Yrs., Mos.): 28 Sex: Male Married or Single: Married Calling or Occupation: Farm laborer Able to read: Yes Able to write: Yes Nationality (country of which citizen Austria or subject): Race or People: Ruman Last Permanent Residence (country, city Austria, Tereblostin or town): The name and complete address of nearest wife, ZINOFIA OLAR, relative or friend in country from whence Tereblostin - Austria alien came: Final destination (state, city or town): Can., Wille Whether having a ticket to such final Yes destination: By whom was passage paid: Self Whether in possession of $50, and if $25 less how much: Whether ever before in the United States: No Whether going to join a relative or friend, Friend, ONUFRY ROTAR, Wille, Can. and if so, name of relative or friend and St. Pire No. 70 his complete address: Condition of health, mental and physical: good Deformed or Crippled: No Height: 5 ft. 7 in. Complexion: Fair Color of hair: Brown Color of eyes: Brown Marks of Identification: none Place of Birth (country, city or town): Austria, Tereblestin
4. Name in Full (Family Name, Given Name): OLAR, FILIP Age (Yrs., Mos.): 17 Sex: Male Married or Single: Single Calling or Occupation: Farm laborer Able to read: Yes Able to write: Yes Nationality (country of which citizen Austria or subject): Race or People: Ruman Last Permanent Residence (country, city Austria, Tereblostin or town): The name and complete address of nearest father, OLAR IUAN, (or Olar Iuon) relative or friend in country from whence Tereblostin - Austria alien came: Final destination (state, city or town): Can., Montreal Whether having a ticket to such final Yes destination: By whom was passage paid: Self Whether in possession of $50, and if $30 less how much: Whether ever before in the United States: No Whether going to join a relative or friend, Cousin, IAKOB OLAR and if so, name of relative or friend and Charles Brouet, Montreal 70 his complete address: Condition of health, mental and physical: good Deformed or Crippled: No Height: 5 ft. 2 in. Complexion: Fair Color of hair: Brown Color of eyes: Brown Marks of Identification: none Place of Birth (country, city or town): Austria, Tereblestin
Both Ilie and Filip (and many other people on that ship) were natives and residents of Tereblecea, like my grandfather Alex. The Oceania passenger lists say Ilie, age 28 (which agrees with his known date of birth, 28 Oct. 1883), and Filip, age 17 (which is incorrect, since he was born in 1892, not 1895) were farm laborers, which also was my grandfather's occupation in Bucovina. Even if we did not know Ilie and Filip were brothers, simply judging from their ages and from the fact that they were traveling together would suggest it. Very significantly, Filip was heading for Montreal so he could visit a "cousin" named Iakob Olar, who was none other than my grandfather Alex's older brother Jacob. Another important detail is that Filip was the son of OLAR IUAN (or "Iuon"), who was then living in Tereblecea. "Olar Iuan" is IOAN OLARI, resident of house no. 489, and "Iuan" and "Iuon" are Romanian forms of the names "Ivan" and "John."
It is interesting, and somewhat surprising, that Ilie and Filip are said to have been Roman Catholics. The baptisms of Ilie and Filip, and Ilie's marriage to Zenovia Daniliuc, are recorded in the Romanian Orthodox parish registers of Tereblecea, but it is possible that they had changed religions. Far more likely, however, the immigration official made a mistake. Ilie and Filip appear on the very first page of the ship's manifest, and most of the people on that page were from Tereblecea. It may be significant that everyone on that page is identified as a Roman Catholic, even though most of the names are Romanian or Ukrainian and thus would be expected to be Eastern Orthodox or Greek Catholic, not Roman Catholic. Further on in the manifest, however, individuals are identified as Greek Catholics or "Oriental" Orthodox, so the immigration official evidently was aware of the difference between Catholic and Orthodox Christians.
Apart from these May 1912 ship passenger lists and a Romanian passport (see below), I have found no further trace of Filip Olar anywhere in Canada or the U.S. It is unknown at this time whether or not Filip remained in the New World, or rather decided to go back to Bucovina. His older brother Ilie, however, once more returned to Tereblecea in Bucovina, where he and his wife Zenovia had another son, DIMITRIE OLARIU on 6 Sept. 1914. At some point after Dimitrie's birth, Ilie again decided to go to North America. We know that by Sept. 1918 Ilie had come to the United States, because at that time he was sharing the same address as my grandfather in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Those facts are confirmed by my grandfather's World War I draft card:
Here is an abstract of the information on my grandfather's draft card:
Serial Number: 2661
First name: ALEXA
Middle name:
Last name: OLAR
Permanent Home Address: 3247 2nd st No., Henn, Min
Age in Years: 36
Date of Birth: March 17, 1883
Race: White
Alien: Non-declarant
If not a citizen of the U.S., of what
nation are you a citizen or a subject? Austria
Present Occupation: Labor
Employer's Name: The Creamettes Co.
Place of Employment or Business: 428 1st No., Henn, Min
Nearest Relative -- Name: ILICA OLAR
-- Address: 3247 2nd St No.
I affirm that I have verified above
answers that that they are true: Alexa Olar
Description of Registrant -- Height: Medium
-- Build: Medium
-- Color of Eyes: Blue
-- Color of Hair: Brown
Signature of Registrar: John J Marlings
Date of Registration: Sept. 12, 1918
Draft Board: Local Board for Division No. 10,
City of Minneapolis,
State of Minnesota
"Ilica" is a diminutive form of "Ilie," which is the Romanian spelling of "Elijah" or "Eli." By the time of the U.S. Census in Jan. 1920, Ilie was no longer living with my grandparents. The 1920 U.S. Census lists my grandparents as "Alexie Olru" and "Rose Olru" ("Olru" is a mistake for "Olaru" or "Olariu"), with a son "John," and two daughters "Merriam" and "Florence" (which is a hilarious mistake of the census-taker: those "daughters" were actually my uncles Marion and Lawrence!). At that time, they were living at 5007 Newton Ave. North, Minneapolis, but Ilie/Ilica is not listed as a member of their household, nor does he appear anywhere in Minnesota in the 1920 census. By 1920, Ilie presumably was back in Bucovina or perhaps in Canada.
The next record that mentions our cousins Ilie and Filip is a a list of Romanian passports from 1919-20. The list shows that an "ILIE GLAR" (no. 62, certainly an error for "Ilie Olar") from Tereblecea applied for a Romanian passport on 15 Nov. 1919, and a "PHILIP OLAR" (no. 65) from Tereblecea applied for a Romanian passport on 15 Dec. 1919. After the end of World War I in 1918, Bucovina became a part of Romania and the people of Bucovina living overseas would need to obtain Romanian passports. Perhaps Ilie and Philip applied for Romanian passports because they were then in North America and intended to travel back to Bucovina, or they were in Romania and were thinking of going to North America again.
In any case, when he was 39 years old, in August 1923, Ilie once again decided to go to Canada. The German language passenger list of the S.S. Empress of Scotland, which sailed out of Hamburg, Germany, on 20 Aug. 1923, shows "Olari Illie," age 40 (sic), a Romanian "Landmann" (peasant farmer) from Tereblecea, traveling to Welland, Ontario, Canada. Ilie apparently changed ships in Liverpool, England, however, because the "Declaration of Passenger to Canada" which Ilie signed in Montreal 10 days later, on 30 Aug. 1923, shows him arriving in Canada on the S.S. Melita, destination Stevensville, Ontario. The declaration identifies him as "OLARI Illie," age 40, a Greek Orthodox Romanian citizen from Tereblecea, and says he carried only $10 on his person. Notably, Ilie signed his name on this document as "Ilie Olari." The declaration identifies his closest living relative in his home country as "Meine frau Zenofia Olari," and says that he had never been to Canada before and that he intended to stay permanently. The reason Ilie lied about his previous two visits to Canada was probably that Canada may have been less likely to grant him entry if they knew he was a transitory immigrant who traveled back and forth in order to earn money to send back home to his family in the Old Country, rather than an immigrant who came to stay. Following are the August 1923 passenger list and passenger declaration:
S.S. Empress of Scotland Line: Canadian-Pacific Line
Sailed from Hamburg on 20 Aug. 1923
Surname: OLARI Christian name: ILLIE Number of Adults -- Males: 1 Age: 40 Born in: Rumanien Nationality: Rumane Occupation: Landmann Coming from: Tereblecea Destination: Welland, Ont.
*********
S.S. Melita ("Empress of Scotland" crossed out) Date of sailing: 1923 30 AUG
DECLARATION OF PASSENGER TO CANADA
Name: OLARI ILLIE
Age: 40
Sex: mannlich (male)
Married, single, widowed, or divorced: verh. (for "verheiratet," married)
Present occupation: Arbeiter
Intended occupation: Same
Birthplace: Tereblecea
Race or people: Rumane
Citizenship: rumanische
Religion: Gr. Ort.
Object in going to Canada: Als lander. Arbeiter (as farm worker)
Do you intend to remain permanently in Canada: Ja
Have you ever lived in Canada: No
Money in possession belonging to passenger: $10
Can you read? Ja
What language? rumanische
By whom was your passage paid? Von mir selbst (by myself)
Ever refused entry to or deported from Canada? No
Destined to: Brother-in-law John Lauer
Stevensville, Ont.
Full address
Nearest relative in country from which you came: Meine frau
Zenofia Olari in
Tereblecea veche, Bucov.
It's interesting that not only did Ilie change of ships from the S.S. Empress of Scotland to the S.S. Melita, but he also changed his destination from Welland to Stevensville. At this time we know nothing more about Ilie's "brother-in-law" John Lauer in Stevensville. There were German families in Tereblecea with the surname of Lauer, and John Lauer, presumably belonging to one of those families, possibly had married a sister of Ilie's wife Zenovia Daniliuc.
Whether or not he ever went to Welland or Stevensville, Ilie certainly ended up settling permanently in Montreal, Canada, where he was a member of St. Mary of the Annunciation Romanian Orthodox Church. The June 1949 roll of registered voters of Ville Saint-Pierre, Montreal, lists "Olari, Elie, journalier," along with "Constantinesco, D." and "Shekenski, M., journalier," as residents of 165 Rue Camille, Ville St.-Pierre. ("Journalier" means "day laborer" in French.) Ilie died 18 Aug. 1960 in Canada and was buried in Bukowinian St. John Orthodox Cemetery in Lachine on Montreal Island, near Ville Saint-Pierre. His name is spelled "Elie Olare" on his gravestone, which says he was "Born 1883 in Tereblecea, Bucovina" and "Died Aug. 18, 1960 Age 77 years" (in fact he was a few months shy of 77). Buried next to him is another Romanian immigrant from Tereblecea named ION SAUCIUC (spelled "Jon Sauciuk" on his gravestone), one of Zaharie Panciuc's friends whom Zaharie had helped get to Canada. Ilie's wife Zenovia is not buried with him, however. Since she is almost certainly the Zenovia Olar who was deported to Siberia one month after her son Dimitru Olar, it is quite probable that Ilie's wife and son died in a Communist slave labor camp. Zenovia probably was never able to join her husband in Canada, and Ilie apparently lived the rest of his life cut off from his loved ones and kin who were trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
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