SECOND GENERATION

5. John Henry Maunu was born on 26 Jan 1891 in Estelline, SD, USA. He died on 12 Jul 1971 in Thunder Bay ON. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Thunder Bay ON. He was a in Farmer. Homesteaded SW Sect 30 Township 26 Range 6 W 3

He was married to Hilma Rose Raisanen in Loreburn SK. The following from Ernest and Terry Mannu

John and Hilma Maunu


In 1904 John Maunu traveled from the family farm near Rolla, North Dakota with neighbours Mike Mukari and John Kakko to the North West Territories to search for homestead land that he and his brothers could settle. Finding suitable land in what would later become the Strongfield and Loreburn districts of the new Canadian Province of Saskatchewan, he filed his and his brothers' intent to claim land in the area and then returned to South Dakota.

In 1906 John and his brother Charlie emigrated to Canada to join older brothers Sander and Arvid who had moved there one year earlier. John homesteaded his land located at NE 23-27-6 W3rd four miles north of his brothers', Sander and Arvid, land. Charlie homesteaded a farm four miles to the East.

A few years later John met Hilma Raisanen from the Dinsmore area on the West Side of the South Saskatchewan River and they were married in about 1915. They settled on his farm and on July 30, 1916 their first daughter, Helmi, was born. A second daughter, Selvi, was born in 1918. Vivian Silja, was born on April 18, 1919, Lillian Rose Hilma in 1924, and their last daughter, Marian Hilda Cecile, was born on February 16, 1930.

On April 1, 1930 when Marian was only six weeks old Hilma died. Since Marian was so young at her mother's death, John's brother Sander and his wife Elizabeth, now living near Dunblane, offered to raise and take care of her.

In 1932 after losing his crops to a disastrous hailstorm, John left his homestead and moved to the Dunblane area to start over. He settled one mile north of Sander's farm and worked for Sander and Arvid.

In about 1938 he left for the Dinorwic area of Ontario where he purchased a homestead. Later his brother Charlie joined him and together they cut timber on the land for use as railroad ties. In 1941 he returned to Dunblane to pick up his daughters Lillian and Vivian. They moved to the homestead and stayed with the neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Reino Niemi until they found work at the Dryden Hotel.

The next year they traveled to Port Arthur. They all worked at various jobs in cafes, hotels, and bush camps in the Dryden and Port Arthur areas. Later John lived several years with his daughter Vivian and her husband Venne Maki in Port Arthur until he passed away on July 12, 1971.

This biography is based on the "John and Hilma Maunu" biography by Vivian (Maunu) Maki and Lillian (Maunu) Mehagan as it appeared in Echoes of Coteau with additional information by Ernest Maunu and Terry Maunu.