Version 6.01

11 February 2025

David March © 2014

JOHN SHAW and MABEL SHAW née ORTLOFF

John Shaw was born circa 1889 in Ontario to unknown parents. He first appeared in Saskatoon Henderson City Directories in 1912 and lived at various addresses in Saskatoon from 1912 to 1932; 416 Ave G N (1913), 604 Thompson Chambers (1914), 712 McPherson (1916-1919), 822 Ave I (1921), 511 12th St (1925), 214 256 3rd Ave S (1930) and 706 28th St W (1932). In all years but 1932, his occupation was compositor for the Daily Star or in later years the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. In 1932, he was a printer. It is possible that he died in 1933 or 1934 because he disappeared from directory listings after 1932. I

n 1934 Ernestine Shaw, his wife, was listed at 522 4th Ave N and was also there in a voters list in 1935 (no husband listed). Efforts to trace John's ancestry failed as there were several John Shaws born in Ontario around his birth year and nothing could be found to tie him to any of them. John married Ernestine Marie Sophia Dorothea Ortloff who was born on 22 March 1888 in Round Grove Township, McLeod, Minnesota to Carl Heinrich Andreas Ortloff (1851-1913) and Dorothea H Schuft (1855-1913). Her siblings were: Wilhelmina (1873-1929), August Christoph Andreas (b 1874), Emma Bertha (1876-1958), William (1879-1957), Anna Bertha (1880-1971), Louisa Maria (b 1882), Frederick Louis Carl (1884-1957), Emilie (1886-1887), Christena (b 1887), Martha Bertha (1890-1974), Charles (Carl) (1892-1992), Dorothy (b 1894) and Edward Henry John (Oty) (1895-1974).

In 1880, the Ortloffs were living in Penn, McLeod, Minnesota and had moved to Excel Township, Marshall, Minnesota by 1900. Carl and several of his sons obtained homestead grants in the rural municipality of Star City, Saskatchewan as follows:

Carl - NW-32-44-16-W2 on 21 March 1907,
William - SW 34-44-16-W2 on 18 October 1907,
Frederick - SE-24-44-16-W2 on 22 December 1908 and
August - SE-18-44-16-W2 on 15 March 1909.

There was also a Mrs Anna Ortloff (formerly Mrs Anna Wendlandt) on SE 20-47-15-W2 and Charlie Ortloff on NW 3-45-17-W2. Charlie's land consisted of fraction of a section granted in 1914. Anna's land was in the RM of Connaught and the grant was issued on 12 January 1912. It was likely that her land was first issued to her under the name of Wendlandt (likely after her late husband) and that she later married an Ortloff. The dates on the homestead records would suggest that the Ortloffs likely came to Canada in about 1902 as it usually took about 5 years to complete all of the conditions to gain title to homestead claims.

Census records for various members of the Ortloff family would indicate that they immigrated to Canada between 1901 and 1904. The 1906 and 1911 census records found Carl and Dorothea and some of their children living on the homestead, but Ernestine was not with them. In 1916 she was enumerated with her husband and a niece, Mabel Oretoff at 712 McPherson, Saskatoon and her name was recorded as Oretoff Shaw (Oretoff as a given name). Mabel Ortloff was born in Manitoba (1916 census) or Saskatchewan (1921 census) in 1908 and was using the name Shaw at the time of the 1921 census. Ernestine Shaw was listed at least twice in Henderson Directories - in 1925 as a printer for the Daily Star and in 1934 when she was listed at Mrs Ernestine Shaw (no entry for her husband).

Mabel or Mable Shaw was listed in 1919 as a stenonographer (only 11 years of age at that time), 1925, and 1930 and 1932 as a clerk for Hudson Bay Co. In all cases but 1932, John Shaw had a listing at the same address as his wife and/or niece/adopted daughter. An effort was made to try to determine which of Ernestine's siblings parented Mabel, but their identity could not be determined. There was no record of a Mabel Ortloff in either the Saskatchewan or Manitoba vital records indices and no 1911 census record could be found with a child Mabel in an Ortloff family.

This family tree can be found on Ancestry under the title 3rd Ave Shaw 5 Tree.

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