Interview with Anne Myszok 1.1

Partial Transcript: What is your name?
How old are you?
When and where were you born?
When did your family come to Canada?

Segment Synopsis: Anna is 94 years old, she was born in Ukraine, Ternopil oblast, Chortkiv rayon. Her father came to Canada in 1910. He did not want to go back to Ukraine (because he disliked Poles). He was a miner in Drumheller. Anna and her mother arrived in Canada on December 24, 1921. Her father already had a house in Drumheller.

Keywords: Poles

Subjects: coal miners; emigration; oral histories; rural life

Partial Transcript: Who else lived with you when you were growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Anna's mother got pregnant and had a son ('in one year after she arrived'). Her three older children died (in Ukraine) because the family could not afford a doctor. Anna was the fourth child. Anna's younger brother was the only child in the family born in Canada. Anna lived in Drumheller for 25 years.

Keywords: mumps

Subjects: child mortality; child rearing; infant care; rural life

Partial Transcript: What was your father's occupation?

Segment Synopsis: Anna's father was a coal-miner. Anne tells about their hard life and explain what a 'domestic coal' is. Miners often went on strike. They had a house of 4 rooms, no bathroom though.

Keywords: domestic coal

Subjects: coal miners; coal mining

Partial Transcript: How old were you when you got married?

Segment Synopsis: Anna got married at 16. Her husband did not want her to be employed, instead, he wanted her to run a boarding house and cook for four miners.

Subjects: boarding houses; coal miners; house chores; work at home

Partial Transcript: Where was your spouse born?
What is his name?
How did you meet?
What was his occipation?

Segment Synopsis: Anna's husband was Dmytro Boian from Ivano-Frankivsk. They met at the organization of workers. There were concerts and celebrations. In Canada, he was a miner, he worked at the same company for 30 years.

Subjects: dating (courtship)

Partial Transcript: Describe your wedding.
What were preparations for the wedding?
Describe your wedding dress.
Desribe ceremony at the church.
Did you have a wedding tree? (no)
Was there a gathering to make a wreath? (no)
Describe the reception.
How were people invited to the wedding?
Where was it held?
Was there a photographer?
Were there musicians? What type of instruments were played?
What were the dances?
Was there singing?
What kinds of food and drinks were offered?
Was there a wedding bread? Wedding cake?
What kinds of gifts were there?

Segment Synopsis: Anna complains that she got married too young. Wedding gifts. About Catholic and Ukrainian church. She had a white dress. No wedding tree. No wreath. Ukrainian food. Cake (not a wedding bread). Had a photographer. Ukrainian music. They did not sing. They danced. Anna recalls being a bridesmaid in Ukraine.

Subjects: wedding dances; wedding dresses; wedding music; wedding receptions

Partial Transcript: Did your parents approve your marriage?

Segment Synopsis: Anna is talking about her parents' disapproval of her marriage because she was too young and her husband was 13 years older. Her husband did not have relatives in Canada.

Subjects: marriage age

Segment Synopsis: Miners went on strike every year, they demanded to raise a salary. Miners were working underground for 2 dollars a day. Later on, a union in America was launched and Canadian miners joined it. They got wage growth.

Subjects: coal miners; right to strike

Partial Transcript: Where did you live after getting married?

Segment Synopsis: Anna's husband rented a house (?). He wanted her to cook for other miners. She had a hard time and gradually learned cooking with the support of her neighbours: 'I would better go to work then hurt like this.'

Subjects: boarding houses; house chores

Partial Transcript: Did you have land in Ukraine?
Ownership of farmland and house in Canada
Problems with English at school

Segment Synopsis: Anna's Father had three pieces of the field in Ukraine.
They brought pillows and a feather bed to Canada.
Anna's brother disliked farm life and moved to live with her in a city. She tells about his complications with English at school. Anna's brother

Keywords: English; language; war

Subjects: farm life; houses; oral histories; private ownership