This is my beginning. It is the wedding day of my parents, James Speare and Anna Lichota on September 14, 1940
These are the flags of the countries I owe my heritage to. Each of them contribute ancestors and culture to create who I am.
During the Jewish Passover celebration, the story of the exodus from the the bondage of Egypt is repeated every year. It is told so the Jews will always remember who they are and from where they came. It should be a lesson for all of us. In the pages that follow, I will attempt to emulate this tradition of who I and many of my fellow family members are and where we came from so, we too, will come to appreciate the sacrifices of our ancestors.
I began genealogical research for a number of reasons. I always had a love of history and I always wondered about my parents and grandparents earlier life. My first discovery was obtaining a copy of my grandmother’s (Mary Pugacz) Ellis Island immigration records. For a number of years this is all I could find of my connection with my Lichota and Pugacz ancestry. I busied my time with exploration of my father’s family. His English and French-Canadian lineage was much easier to map given the expansion of the internet and the multiple Canadian and English resources. It was exciting to learn about my paternal grandmothers lineage back to arrivals in Canada as early as 1635 and being related to notables in Canadian, Michigan, and Detroit history.
In recent years, I was able to travel to England and visit the church and see the baptismal fount where my 2nd great grandfather was baptized. I visited Quebec City and the Isle d’Orleans, Montreal, River Canard, Windsor, and Southampton all in Canada where my ancestors lived. I came to appreciate the history of each area and understand why these ancestors came there and the impact they made and what they experienced.
After reviewing our ancestor’s history, I stand in awe of their lives and appreciate the chances they took to improve their lives and therefore ours. Some came from areas controlled by Russia who did everything possible to deny them their heritage. Some left for opportunity not available to them in the “old county” but all took risks to come to North America. They survived deaths of children; mastering a new language, working in coal mines, battling native tribes and surviving the depths of the Great Depression.
My Polish maternal grandparents were an integral part of my earlier life. Weekly Sunday visits to their house on Mt. Elliott was part of life’s routine. Uncle Eddie was there too. He was my godfather, as well. Around the corner lived Uncle Stan and Aunt Bernice along with cousins. On the way home on those Sunday’s was a visit to Uncle George and Aunt Julie and more cousins. It was a great way to grow up. All of these people had a positive impact on my life. There are many memories. I share a couple at the end of this document. For those of you who knew them, you should share stories about all of these people with the next generation. They should come to appreciate them as we do.
Michael Edward Speare