Genealogy

The first memeber of my family to come to Canada was my paternal grandfater, Karsto Mladenoff. He arrived in 1905. He returned to his selo in 1907. His final crossing was in 1911.

People in the villiage of Dumbene saved enough money to send three boys to the United States. In 1909, my father, Demitri “Jim” Kondoff, was among the three boys. They were taken to Solun where they boarded a ship for New York. My father and his companions were not allowed to enter the United States. Without money to return to Europe, the ship’s captain had his own solution.

Despite the fact than Baba wasn’t born in Macedonia, culture was maintained by both both parents in several ways.

- Involvement with the Macedonian church

- Virtually all attendance at social gatherings such as picnics, weddings and name day celebration revolved around the Macedonian community

- Sending our Jimmy and Kathryn to Macedonian (Bulgarian) school

Dedo Pando Damianoff Stoyanchin emigrated from Macedonia/Turkey to Toronto in 1914, followed by Baba Gena Nikoloff Chungaroff about six years later. My father and his siblings were all born on Maria Street in Toronto.
Dedo Nauom Kyrou emigrated from Macedonia/Greece to Toronto in 1922, followed by Baba Lena Papaiouannou Kyrou and my mother in 1932. My mother was born in Zhelevo; however her two younger brothers were born in Toronto.

On September 7, 1894, in the Macedonian town of Radovish, a son was born to the poor meat-peddler Daffe Antonoff and his wife Gona. They named him Christo and as he was always called Christo Dafeff (Daffe's Christo) that became his name in after years. Christo was a sickly but talented child. At six he started school and was an exceptionally good student, but was forced to stop school because of his health ... Young Christo couldn't take his studies easily, he was too intense. At seven he started to play the flute-. His father couldn't afford a musical instrument, so Christo "borrowed" 15 Turkish coptseta from his father's meagre store and went into partnership with a neighbour's boy, who also put in 15 coptseta, to buy a mandolin. One week, Christo had it, the next his partner. One day his mother sent the boy up to the attic to fetch something. There, among things left in storage by an uncle who had gone to Canada, Christo found a violin! He tuned it. He drew the bow. And, in that dusty attic, his errand forgotten, on his first try Daffe's Christo played a popular Macedonian air. There were no two ways about it. Music was his vocation. Poor as they were, his parents determined to do what they could to help him.

Paul Bassil (Tupurkovski) was born in the village of Oshchima, Agean Macedonia, in 1908. His father Vasil was killed by the Turks at a young age and his mother, Sultana had to raise his brother, Spero, his baby brother Micho and sisters Velia, Sandra, Elena and Ilinka all alone. His mother was killed by the Germans during the second world war.

Lambo Anastasoff Tenekeff was born in 1895 in the village of Gabresh,Macedonia. He immigrated to Canada with his father Anastas Kizoff in 1907. He worked as a butcher and three years later opened his own grocery/butcher store and named it Louis Meat Market. In the established Canadian community he became known as Mr. Louis.

In 1919 he sent for his fiancee Kiratza Zolumoff. They were married in 1921 and over a period of eleven years had four children (Mary, Chris, Victoria, Tsana).

In the Macedonian community the Anastasoffs were known as the Tenekeff family. Tenekeff was a nickname Lanbo's father acquired while growing up in the village of Gabresh Macedonia. In Canada and the USA Lambo was widely regarded as a leader in the Macedonian community.

Courtesy of West Toronto Junction Historical Society