Doukhobors in Saskatchewan

Doukhobors have lived in Saskatchewan for 120 years, first arriving in 1899. They came to Canada with the hope of practicing their religion freely. The WDM has partnered with the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project to tell the story of the Doukhobors of Saskatchewan.
Below are stories of two Doukhobor families and the clothing they brought with them. The suit and dress will be on display at the WDM Saskatoon for the duration of the display of the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project from June 30 to October 20, 2019.
Author Leo Tolstoy had heard about the plight of the Doukhobors in Russia and with the help of other sympathizers, sponsored their immigration to Canada. In 1899, 7,500 followers of the Doukhobor faith emigrated from Russia for land and for religious freedom. The Canadian government promised exemption from military service and allowed Doukhobors to establish communal farming villages similar to those in Russia.
In 1907, the Canadian government, cancelled the agreement, requiring Doukhobors to abandon their villages for separate farmsteads. Some chose to comply with these requirements and stayed in Saskatchewan on their individual homesteads, while those who refused had their homesteads cancelled and subsequently resettled on purchased land in British Columbia, Alberta and elsewhere in Saskatchewan where they were able to continue their communal lifestyle.
Onya Kabaroff’s Wedding Dress
In 1899, Onya and Fedyor Perehudoff travelled with thousands of others of Doukhobor faith to land set aside for them in Western Canada. It was the single largest mass migration in Western Canada history.
When Onya Kabaroff wore this wedding ensemble for her marriage to Fedyor Perehudoff, there was no way of knowing that a new home in Canada was in their future. Likely made for her by her mother, the wool and linen of this garment were homespun, while the cotton and other fabrics were purchased on an annual trip to a larger town.
Onya and Fedyor, whose anglicized names became Anna and Fred, settled in the small Doukhobor village of Ospennia, near present day Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan. Most Doukhobors adopted a Canadian style of clothing not long after coming to Canada. Onya, like most Doukhobor women, continued to wear her traditional outfit throughout her life for Sundays and special occasions.
Alex Nemanishen’s Linen Suit
In 1899, 11-year-old Alex Nemanishen travelled to Canada with his family and thousands of others of the Doukhobor faith. The Nemanishen family settled in the small Doukhobor village of Kirilowka (Kirilowvla), near present day Langham, Saskatchewan. Alex married Anastia Bludoff, a Doukhobor woman from the Veregin, Saskatchewan area around 1908.
Alex left Saskatchewan for work at a lumber mill in Brilliant, B.C. He hurt his leg while on the job, forcing him to use a cane for the rest of his life. After the accident he returned to Saskatchewan, using his carpentry skills to earn money to buy land. In 1926, at 38 years of age, Alex purchased land near Langham, close to where Kirilowka village had been.
By the time Alex died in 1971, traditions in Doukhobor communities had changed enough that he was not buried in the suit you see above. This traditional Doukhobor men’s suit was made for him by his wife Anastia and his mother-in-law in the early 20th century. Alex’s mother-in-law took flax grown in their new fields in Canada and spun and wove it into linen. Anastia used her sewing machine to turn the cloth into a matching traditional shirt and trousers.
The Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project
The Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project tells the story of how the Doukhobors in Saskatchewan practice their faith with a Doukhobor ‘Moleniye’ (prayer service) as practiced by Saskatchewan’s Independent Doukhobors. It captures the oral history of Doukhobor elders and explores how the community has evolved since first immigrating to Saskatchewan 120 years ago. The project consists of three components: a documentary film, an immersive soundscape created by Spirit Wrestler Productions, and an exhibit produced by the WDM.
Learn more about the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project.
– Portions of this article were written by the WDM for the
Narrative Threads: Crafting the Canadian Quilt project with the Virtual Museum of Canada.
I am looking for any information on my Grandfather Peter Hromick (Gromick) who I believe was a Doukhobor in Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan. Please advise if you know of any way to obtain information on him. Many thanks. Kim
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your inquiry. We are looking into this for you and will let you know what we find out.
-Tanya Callaway
Communications & Media Relations
Thank you for your inquiry to the WDM. We have looked through our material on Doukhobors, especially in Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, and have been unable to find any mention of Peter Hromick (Gromick). We do not currently offer genealogy research services. We hope you might find some of the following resources helpful in your search for more information about Peter Hromick (Gromick).
• Your local public library – public libraries in Saskatchewan, and many throughout Canada, contain wonderful resources like local history books, obituary scrapbooks, and free access to Ancestry.ca. https://www.sasklibraries.ca/members.html
• Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan – PAS is an excellent resource for researching your family history in Saskatchewan. They have many online resources, as well as staff trained to help family historians find the resources and records they need in the archives.
http://saskarchives.com/using-archives/family-history-research
• List of City, Church, and Organization’s Archives in Saskatchewan – http://www.scaa.sk.ca/members-section/member-list/
• The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society – The SGS focuses on “…the study, research, and preservation of genealogy and family history.” This includes hosting 1 day introductory workshops on genealogical research, an annual conference, a large number of resources on their website, and offering research services. http://www.saskgenealogy.com/
• Library & Archives Canada online census database (1921 and earlier) http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx , http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/family-history/index-e.html, http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng and http://www.archivescanada.ca
• Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax at https://pier21.ca/home
• http://www.ourroots.ca/
We are sorry that we cannot be of any further assistance to your inquiry but hope that the above resources will be helpful. Thank you for thinking of the WDM. We wish you all the best with your research.
-Tanya Callaway
Communications & Media Relations
try ISKRA magazine .it’s based out of B.C. and thru that I found family. it lists alot of links and people related both in sask & Bc
Peter Hromick lived in the Riverhill (Spasovka) district east of Marcelin SK (northeast of Blaine Lake). He may actually be buried in the Riverhill Cemetery. He was well-known in the community and lived on a lovely piece of property that had a creek on it, known as “Peter Hromick’s Creek.” The land was sold to become a First Nations Healing Centre that was started but not continued. Check Marcelin-area history records for possible further information.
So sorry to not have seen this earlier. If you are still around, I’d love to chat with you through email. You can reach me at kmalakowsky@gmail.com
another good place to find ancestors is posting in the BC dukhabor magazine . Google it and it comes up. I found my relatives thru that.
hi the magazine is called ISKRA doukahobor magazine. I believe it is out of BC grand forks and castlegar area. they often are helpful to find families of BC and sask relatives.
Hi, my name is Leif Reiter, I am the Grandson of two of the singers that made up the Doukhobor choir. My parents failed to record full audio clips of the voices of my grandparents, by any chance is there a place I can find these audio recordings from, otherwise, would you be able to send them to me? Thanks, Leif
Good Morning Leif,
Thank you for your inquiry about the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project.
There is a DVD available for purchase that includes a documentary film titled “We’ve Concluded Our Assembly: The Saskatchewan Doukhobors”. It also includes an audio CD of the singing. It is available for purchase at the WDM Saskatoon Gift Shop for $25 plus tax. The WDM Saskatoon is located at 2610 Lorne Avenue.
-Tanya Callaway
Communications and Media Relations
Western Development Museum
Hi there, I am looking for my my ancestors and have reason to believe that my great grandfather Peter Prescesky (sp?), came to the North Battleford/Lake Blaine area of Saskatchewan in the early 1900s.He would have been a young teen at the time, I believe he was born in 1890. Do you have any information on him, or any Presceskys? They may have changed their names when they moved here… Any info you have would be of great help to me.
Thanks,
Nicola
Hi Nicola,
Thanks for the inquiry. I am not sure what we will be able to provide you with, but let me find someone who might be able to help you further. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
-Tanya Callaway
Communications and Media Relations
Hi Nicola,
I spoke with our curator and she suggested contacting the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan. Their contact information can be found at https://www.saskarchives.com/. Further to that you could try the Doukhobor National Heritage Village http://ndhv.ca.
Good luck!
-Tanya Callaway
Communications and Media Relations
I am a descendant of a Peter Prescesky who immigrated to Canada from Russia and settled in Montreal with a second home in NS. He was the exception as his family members settled in the west. Let me know if you want more information.
I find this quite interesting. I was born in 1941 and raised in Blaine Lake. We loved in the Ospennia community.
Our land was kiddie corner to the Doukhobor Dugout House, which is on Popoff’s Land. Also, I was part of the “We have concluded our Assembly”. So much to write, so much history, so many, many memoirs.
Thank you for your comments! And thank you for being a part of the prayer service.
I spoke with my mom a bit ago. Her grandmother Nadia (Tina) Stupnikof was a Popoff before she was married to Sam. She also had a brother who lived in the area to which you refer. If you are available my mom would love to speak or email with you.
Hello, I am trying to locate information of Alex and Polly Gretchen ( Gretchin, Gretchin, Gritchin) they resided at Pelly, Saskatchwan. I believe they were both born in Russia and came to Pelly, Saskatchewan in 1899. Alex Gretchen died at Pelly in April 1939. In 1937 there was a young boy residing with this couple his name was Gabrial A , he was 4 years old. it is believed this couple adopted a boy that was born 1933, his name was Harry Sandford Gretchen, trying to figure out if this could be the same boy and the Gretchen’s changes his name. I know that Polly remained at Pelly after her husbands death , Harry went to school at Pelly until 1950. We don’t have enough information to look into an adoption.
Any suggestions?
Thank you so much for your time.
Thanks for your inquiry. Have you contacted the Village of Pelly office? They can be reached at (306) 595-2124. You could also try the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan via their website: https://www.saskarchives.com/
-Tanya Callaway
Communications and Media Relations