A PEI Sand descendant-yay!!

 

I got home from work this afternoon to find an email waiting for me--this absolutely DELIGHTS me--from a new link in the Sand relationship. She lives on Prince Edward Island, on the east coast of Canada, and she's....wait, you can read it...lol

"I am the great grandaughter of Antonia Sand. I am now 55 but I still remember her and her husband a bit. 

Mary Sand (christened Kunegunda after some German saint* I believe) was my Antonia's daughter and my grandmother. 

Delores Lewans (_____) is Mary's eldest child and my mother. I am the eldest child of the family as well. The Sand/Lewans side of the family was very prolific. Mary had 12 children. My mother had 9 children and most of her siblings have large families as well ( as many as 10 children!) 

My mother is still alive, she is 81 and lives in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. I know that my mother and some of her siblings went to family reunion some years ago -I thought in Minnesota but I could be wrong. 

I remember that it was said my grandmother Mary grew up in Minnesota**. I had the idea that her father was a kind of travelling blacksmith, but maybe these are childhood stories made up in my head.

Great grandma Antonia unfortunately developed early onset dementia, I think in her early 60s. She went to live in a nursing home in Moose Jaw, Sask. shortly after papering her neighbour's yard in toilet paper and lived to be 97! 

I remember my great grandpa being a giant of a man even in old age who used to crack nuts with his teeth at Christmas time Amazingly his own teeth at that.

I knew I was in right family when you opened your blog with "galivanting", a word I never hear outside my Mom's clan. Another saying my mother, her mother and great gramma all said in response to practically everything was "Good Lord!" My sister say I use it way too much too.

Anyway, I live with my husband Dan, 2 dogs, 2 cats, no kids on the East coast of Canada on Prince Edward Island. I work at a veterinary school as a medical technologist for the past 25 years. If I could provide you with anymore truths or legends, drop me a line.

Sincerely, Linda _________

Isn't that COOL?  Linda brings up many things I want to add my two cents worth to--lol--for instance, it turns out Mary's namesake *Kunegunda was a Polish queen in the 1200s, and yes, Mary was born** in Minnesota and spent a lot of time there as a child:

"Antonia Elizabeth Poser was born on April 17, 1886 on her parents' farm in what was then Pierz Township. Antonia was baptized in St. Joseph's church in Pierz. 

On December 30, 1907, a marriage licence was issued between Antonia Poser and Joseph Henry Sand, the son of Michael and Louise Sand of Buckman. Antonia and Joseph were married on January 14, 1908 at St. Joseph's Church in Pierz with Rev IG Steigler officiating. Elizabeth Sand, sister of the groom, and Herman Poser, brother of the bride, served as witnesses.

Joseph owned a farm implement business in Buckman, which he sold to John Brandl in August of 1909. In November 1909, Joseph and Antonia moved to Pierz where Joseph worked for PA Hartmann.

 During the winter of 1909-10, Joseph worked in a lumber camp in northern Minnesota while Antonia and son, Michael, moved in with her parents. It was during this stay with her parents in the Buh Township that Antonia and Joe's daughter, Kunigunda (Mary) was born. The first two children were named in the tradition of naming the first son after his paternal grandfather and the first daughter after the maternal grandmother.


In the fall of 1910, Joseph took a trip to Canada and decided to take a homestead there. Joseph left for Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada with his brother, Charles, in March of 1911, leaving Antonia behind until he had a house ready on the claim. Antonia and Mrs. Charles Sand left for Canada in May.
In March of 1917, Joe rented out the farm and the family moved to Gull Lake so that Joe could manage the new Co-op store. Joe quit the store in November 1919 over the "exorbitant" prices which were being charged.


Antonia and the children again moved back to Minnesota to live with her parents for the winter while Joe went to Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan to do carpenter work.
In May of 1920, Antonia and the children left Pierz to return to Canada and the family lived in a log house in Lake Lenore. They then moved to Carmel, Saskatchewan in July, 1920 where Joe managed the Dotten and Wall Lumberyard. 
It was in Carmel that the family adopted 11 month old Erwin in February, 1921. Antonia liked Carmel and would have stayed there. After the numerous moves, Antonia told Joe they would either settle down in Canada or she and the kids were returning to Minnesota. 
The Sands returned to Gull Lake from August 1922 to March 1923 when they returned to the farm to stay. Joseph built a new home in Gull Lake in 1928, it being the first in the district to have running water and electric power".

--From the family tree Christa sent (taken  from the Lewans history book that was written for an anniversary by Fr. Sylvester) listing the descendants of Joseph Henry Sand and Antonia Elizabeth Poser.  

The narrative includes obits and lots of anecdotes. 

THANK YOU, again, CHRISTA!

Over the weekend, someone said they thought the Sand family in the US originated in Canada.  It's sorta true if you're a descendant of Joe and Antonia, but there are a whole lot MORE Sand relatives, descended from Joe's siblings, here in Minnesota and beyond.  Actually, the Sand family came from Luxemburg.  It's especially neat that Larry found this ships list online last night:

THANKS to LINDA, and ya know, welcome home!☺