Pre-World War II Immigration
Pre-World War II Immigration
In the early 20th century, before World War II, Brantford’s Ukrainian population remained in the hundreds. Driven by the promise of work and community, immigration to Canada seemed appetizing for many nationalities over the years, and the Ukrainians were no exception. With a thriving Ukrainian community, Brantford witnessed members of this community submitting applications for Canadian naturalization after establishing their lives in the city.
The Ukrainian population in Brantford, has fluctuated over time, making it difficult to track. However, every few years, newspapers such as the Expositor would release estimates of the immigrant populations in Brantford. This estimate encompassed over 20 nationalities, including Ukrainians. In the 1913 estimate, there were approximately 240 Ukrainian people living in Brantford, but by the next year, the population had decreased to 120 Ukrainian people. In lieu of the decrease, by the year 1920, the population was up to 300 Ukrainians in Brantford and remained relatively consistent until the beginning of World War II.
A number of Ukrainian people living in Brantford applied for naturalization. As with the population estimates, information about the naturalization applications were occasionally released in the city's newspaper. In 1920, 8 people received full naturalization by Judge Hardy, two of whom were from Ukraine: Sendor Porutchnik and Samuel Rovinsky. In 1923, Brantford resident Walter Hnatluk applied for naturalization, as did Joseph Danyluk and Mike Peters in 1925, followed by Onufrij Sirotak in 1926.
