Chapter Two:
The Farm
Settling in Canada
Upon clearing Canada Customs and Immigration, the Mullers decided they wanted to go to synagogue – it was Erev Yom Kippur after all. They tried to ask strangers where a synagogue was, but unfortunately, they did not know how to say synagogue in English, and as such they were unable to make themselves understood to anyone.
Frustrated, they got to a telephone and contacted Sam Mitchell, who contacted Ferko who was able to translate. They all decided the Mullers would come to Welland where Mr. Mitchell and Ferko were; after all, they did not know another soul in Canada. The Mullers got on a train and took it to St. Catharines, and were thrilled when they were met at the train station by Mr. Mitchell and Ferko, who brought them to Welland. The Mitchells arranged for the Mullers to stay at the home of friends of the Mitchells, Agnes and William Kassirer, whose sons were off at university and thus had room for all eight Mullers.
In order to obtain the visas to Canada, the Mullers had to commit to becoming farmers. The process was such that whatever funds the family had was put into an account with the Canadian government before they arrived and would then be used to buy a farm. In the case of the Mullers, this was $14,000. The Mullers were to meet with the Canadian government agent for the relocation of immigrants, a Mr. McDonald, to look for a farm to buy. The problem was that none of the eight Mullers spoke any English, so Ferko and Mr. Mitchell went to the meeting with them. They looked around the area, and after seeing several farms, settled on one at a place called Black Horse Corner in Allanburg. The $14,000 was used to buy that farm. It was a large farm – 135 acres – with a barn and a house with four bedrooms – big enough for both Muller families.
Thus, in November 1939, the Mullers left the Kassirers’ house and moved to the farm. The house on the farm was old, with only one bathroom. The furnace was as old as the house, and it consumed coal at a voracious rate. If it was not completely filled with coal in the evening, it would be empty by the morning, and the house would be freezing.
The furnace also broke down often, and since it was wartime, parts were almost impossible to find.
The big wood-burning stove in the kitchen became the central point of the house. Everyone gathered around it in the evening to keep warm.
Water came from the windmill. Wind powered the water into holding tanks in the attic. When there was wind, there was water. No wind, no water. That first winter was horrible. The water tanks froze regularly, and in the morning, there was no water in the taps, just ice droplets.
There was one kitchen for the two families to share. The problem was that Magda, my grandmother, kept kosher, whereas Magda, my aunt, did not. That was not a good combination.
Even though it was November, the middle of the school year, Henry, Alice, Agnes and George started school immediately. The school was a one-room schoolhouse: all eight grades were in one room of forty students. It was located in Allanburg, about two miles from the farm. The four of them got to school not knowing one word of English, and mixed in with a group of farmers’ children who must have thought these four walked out of a previous century.
Thus the children began to learn English, much faster than their parents, for whom the new language was very tough to figure out.
The Mullers truly had no idea about farming, and it was only by the grace of neighbors that they were able to learn what to do. Within a short time, a Hungarian – Janos – came to the farm looking for work and room and board. He was gladly brought aboard, as he had farming experience.
Knowing not a thing about farming, the Mullers began raising cows, pigs and chickens. They sold the milk to the Hamilton Pure Milk Dairies, and sold beef, pork and poultry at the local farmers’ market. The customers were mainly Italian and Ukrainian immigrants, who had something in common with the Hungarian immigrants in that they did not know English either!
Years later, when Henry was interviewed, his son Jerry asked him what they did for recreation. Henry chuckled and said, “The work was our recreation.” The children were involved daily helping the adults and Janos: milking the cows, cleaning the milk pails, cleaning out the barns and the chicken coop.
After that first year, the children transferred to a real school in Thorold. Their English began to improve. This became very important. It is fair to say that for the rest of their lives, the children’s ability to speak English is really what propelled the families to be able to succeed in Canada. It was Henry, even at a young age, who was able to converse with the customers. My son Jacob told the following story at the hesped, or eulogy, he gave at Henry’s funeral:
Not only did he love working, but Zaide was the hardest worker I know. Zaide shared a story that when he was young, he used to walk to the market in the morning and sell meat for the business. While in school he learned about the light bulb and realized that if he had a light bulb at his stand he would be able to sell meat earlier than anyone else. So Zaide would show up at the market in the early morning while it was still dark, turn on his light bulb, and was able to sell all his product before any of his competitors showed up. The story represents Zaide in every way. A brilliant man who went the extra mile to succeed in everything he did.
Nandor (now Ferdinand) Muller in Canada – Note Company Name Same as in Slovakia, 1940.
Ferdinand Muller on Farm in Allanburg, Ontario, 1940.
Ferdinand Muller, Business Card, 1940.
Group Photo of the Mullers, the Weiszes and the Jeremiases, Allanburg, Ontario, 1940. Note Opi kidding around with Omama (back row, third and fourth from left).
Invoice for Milk Sold by the Mullers to The Hamilton Pure Milk Dairies, 1943.
Cheque for Donation to Jewish Federation, 1943. Opi being charitable even when they did not have “two cents to rub together.”
Henry (second from left) at Lions Club Public Speaking Contest, 1947.
Neighbors
It is hard to overstate the impact of the foreign language barrier on these immigrants. For the kids, who went to school, English came easier, but for the adults, it was a challenge that continued for the rest of their lives. Thus the family was always seeking out Hungarian speakers. And other Hungarian speaking families sought them out as well. The two most important of these were the Weiszes and the Jeremiases.
The Weiszes – Leslie and Steffie – had fled Romania and entered Canada as farmers like the Mullers did. They bought a pig farm three miles from the Mullers’ farm and started their lives over as pig farmers.
The Jeremiases – Eugene and Steffie – had also fled Romania and entered Canada as farmers, with their two sons Tibor (Martin) and Gabor (Gabriel). Their farm was adjacent to the Mullers’.
The Weiszes had friends, Paul and Joli Fleischer, who had immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, and over the years, they visited the Weiszes in Ontario for High Holidays. Thus began a tradition of the three families rotating hosting High Holiday services on their farms. When it was held at the Weiszes, which was three miles from the Mullers and the Jeremiases, the Mullers walked the three miles to the Weiszes’ farm. The services were solemn and heartfelt, as everyone was praying for their families still in Europe, from whom they were hearing less and less as time marched on.