Have you ever wondered where your people came from, and why they chose to settle in a place like Barrie?
More recently arrived citizens will know their own story well, but for the descendants of earlier settlers, the details may prove more elusive.
I have just returned from a visit to my birthplace — Scotland — so I feel especially motivated to explore the reasons why people of the past would leave everyone and everything they have ever known, step onto a ship and sail away to a land that they never laid eyes upon before.
As for myself, I am very fortunate. My father, a natural family historian, lived until the age of 90, and repeated the stories of our ancestors all of his days.
My family could perhaps be classed as economic refugees. The lack of employment opportunities, limited housing, and often poor access to local schools led us to immigrate from the beauty of the Scottish Highlands in 1967.
Many of the 19th-century Scots, whose descendants can still be found all over Simcoe County, came here for nearly the same reasons. Others were leaving behind disease, famine or the whims of a landlord during the infamous Highland Clearances.
In addition to the Scots, our region was largely populated by English, Irish, French, and Indigenous people in the earliest days of our town and county. That demographic continued until fairly recent times.
I am fascinated by the newcomers from more unusual backgrounds. They arrived in Barrie with little English, a few pennies and a willingness to work hard, and to somehow fit into the community. That could not have been easy.
After centuries of upheaval, Greece entered a period of calm and prosperity. By 1900, the living conditions were so good that the population exploded, forcing many Greeks to immigrate in search of work and land. Twenty-four-year-old George Bakogeorge was among them.
After seeking his fortune in Baltimore, Md., and Hamilton, Ont., George settled in Barrie. He operated the Olympia Candy Works on Dunlop Street for nearly 50 years.
Frank Cancilla was just a boy of 13 years of age when he accompanied his father to America. The pair left the family orchard in Palermo, Italy in 1896 and went in search of the perfect place to set up a fruit vending business.
After exploring New York City and Indianapolis, they settled in New Orleans. Young Frank returned to Italy to complete his mandatory military service about 1901. Soon afterwards, Frank’s sister, Gaetana, married John Saso and the pair immigrated to Canada.
After setting up shop in Barrie, the Sasos invited Frank to come and work with them at their fruit shop. Since that time, the Saso and Cancilla names have held a prominent place in our community.
Non-European immigrants must have experienced an extra layer of difficulty while trying to find acceptance in this conservative and less than ethnically diverse town.
Amoi Chun was quite likely the first person of Chinese ancestry to live in Barrie. The fact that she was married to Shearman Bird, an English military officer and gifted architect, must have smoothed her path to acceptance somewhat.
Later Chinese arrivals were not so fortunate. These were working class people with different appearances, language and customs. Even the Canadian government worked to exclude them, yet they remained and they thrived.
The fabric of Barrie is a colourful one, created by the courageous people who stepped far beyond their comfort zone and chose our town to build that better life that they had been seeking.
Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday
