My grandparents, Albert Miller (Müller), born 1901, and Maria Staubert, born 1905, grew up in nearby villages in Beassarabia, perhaps Leipzig and another.
They met and and married in 1925 (I believe in Leipzig). They made 2 attempts to immigrate to Canada. The first however was stopped by the Navy when they learned my grandfather was a trained blacksmith. They were taken off the boat and sent back for him to work in the Navy. Their second attempt was successful.
My grandfather, pregnant grandmother and their one daughter, Tilly, departed from the Black Sea en route to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they arrived May 13, 1927. They then took a train to Hannah, Alberta Canada where they had 7 children in total, 3 of whom are still living.
My grandmother, Maria was born to Nicolas and Katerina Staubert. Maria however, may have been known by the last name Keen. When her mother became sick and died, she was taken away from her father and her brother, and sent to live with the Keen family. It was apparently considered unsuitable for her father to raise her and shame was put upon them. I believe she may have had step siblings within the Keen family however, from my understanding, never felt truly accepted. She never actually knew her brother or that she even had one. She only assumed she had one as she remembered seeing a family photo at one point where she was a baby and there was a young boy of about 2 or 3.
My grandfather Albert had a brother Reinhold Müller.
This is all I know about their history before they arrived in Canada.
I would like to know where Leipzig would be considered now? Moldova, Romania, Ukraine?
