If anyone knows anything about this family or has contact with them, please contact Alexandra.

Dear Tina,

Here is my personal story that I was writing about. Please go ahead and post it with hopes that at some point there may be a link!!

My search centres around my Father, Andreas Tesluk.

Some background history:
I was born Alexandra Tesluk in the deported persons camp #36/4 in Hannover, Germany on September 28, 1946. The official name of the camp was Lager Mockernstrasse. I have received a copy of my birth certificate confirming all of this but it gives little information on my father.

I also have a sister, Maria who was born in July of 1943. Her place of birth was either in Pologne or Lahodow.

My mother was Olga (Helka, Helena) Tesluk whose date of birth was May 11, 1907. Her place of birth could have been Jaskioci or Leskewci my spelling is probably incorrect here. My mother Olga, sister Maria and myself immigrated to Canada in 1948 on the ship Aquitania, port of entry Halifax, Nova Scotia. My father did not accompany us. I was told he remained in Hannover, Germany and then made his way to England and again returned to Germany. By this time we had departed for Canada. My mother passed away in October of 1986 in Toronto, Canada. She shared very little information about my father, Andreas.

It is only recently that I learned that he did not pass away as I was led to believe. I was told as a child he went to England and died there.

The background history on my father is limited but I will share what I know. He was (is) Andreas Tesluk. He took on my mother's surname as he was frightened and traumatized from the war. He felt he would be sent to Siberia and may very well have become a prisoner of war at some point. Somehow he ended up in England and it is believed that he may have had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. He has distinguishing features in that he has missing fingers from his left hand (he may have been tortured). I have no information on where my father was born but I do know that my parents met at the displaced persons camp in Hannover and never married. There is a possibility that Andreas had an existing family or perhaps new. There could also be children that he had before or after my birth that I am not aware of. There was a comment from a family member that after some time, he may have passed away and was buried in a paupers grave in England.

I have a few photographs of my father, Andreas and I am willing to post these or share with anyone who is interested. I have a strong need to find some history on my father. It is very important to me and my family that we have some roots. I am not here to judge my parents as I am sure circumstances and hardships that prevailed made their lives very difficult.

The following family information is on my mother's side.

My grandmother was Tekla Schneizeck and she passed away in 1965 at the age of 93 in Krakow, Poland, Szczepanski. I have a copy of her death announcement but it does not give family names or details. I do know that Tekla has 2 sons, Michel and Vladimir and 4 daughters, Stella, Josefa, Olga, and Maria.

My grandfather was Dinta Tesluk and was Ukrainian but unfortunately I have no information on him. I understand the name Dinta may be short form for Damien.

My mother had two brothers. Michel Tesluk who was born in Lahodow, Poland on September 22, 1900 and passed away in 1971. Michel Tesluk was married to Anna Wydash. They had a son Robert who was born in 1932 and is still living in Paris, France. I have contacted Robert and he has provided me with some information but only on his father's side.

Another brother, Vladimir Tesluk was born in 1911 and passed away in 1971. He, too, lived in Frances. He was married to Marie Pankow.

My mother's sisters were: Stella Tesluk who was born November 2, 1902 and passed away on July 9, 1990. She immigrated to Canada in approximately 1946 and lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She married Kozak, became widowed and then re-married to Wowk. She had 4 children, Peter, Mary, Olga and Edward.

Another sister, Josefa Tesluk lived in Poland and had a daughter. She married Kolodziejczak. Apparently she remained in Poland.

The last sister was Maria Tesluk and she married Stefan Horopeckyj. They had a daughter Helene and she married Joseph Bellato. Helene had two sons, Guy and Philippe. They lived in France. I have no further information on them.

If anyone has any information that will enable me to simplify my search or information on the above mentioned family members, please do not hesitate to contact me. I have contacted the Red Cross, written to London, England and also contacted the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen. I have photographs of my Grandmother, Mother and Father, Uncles and Aunts that I am willing to share.

I can be reached via email at agibson7497@rogers.com

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for whatever assistance, advice or direction you may offer.

Most sincerely,

Alexandra Tesluk Gibson

________________________________________________________________

NEW Information

August 1, 2007

Alexandra has written her story about her search for her father and other family members for, which will be release in a book this December 2007. Below is the news release for it.
________________________________________________________________

Media Release for The Ashes of Innocence – A memoir written by Alexandra Tesluk Gibson with Karen Hendry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Alexandra Tesluk

tesluk@rogers.com

Toronto, Canada

Life Can Come from Ashes: One Woman’s Triumph over Child Cruelty to Finally Find a Place of Her Own

Alexandra had a story to tell and a father to honour; a father she never knew. Alexandra, a Ukrainian Canadian, was born in Hannover, Germany in 1946, at Herrenhauser Kirchweg 5 and resided at Camp #36/4 Lager Mockernstrasse (later renamed Camp Lyssenko). Her mother and father were both residents of the camp and his status denigrated as “Arbeitera” on her birth certificate, a euphamism for slave labor, later known as displaced persons. Her parents (displaced from Laskivtsi and Volyn, Ukraine) were regarded as stateless in the official temporary travel documents. With the help of Karen Hendry, she writes her memoir, The Ashes of Innocence, detailing the suffering of a child and the eventual triumph of a woman.

The Ashes of Innocence is also the story of Alexandra's passion to find her father. After living with the knowledge that her father died when she was only 18 month old, she discovered in her late teens that he did not pass away and in fact, may very well be alive. A determined woman she knew she had to have some answers. Her desire grew with each reply received; from the German officials at the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, the International Refugee Organization, The Red Cross, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain and The British Army in England. She left no stone unturned going as far as writing “Letters to the Editor” of popular newspapers in Hannover, to the hospitals and cemeteries hoping, at least, to find his final resting place. She travelled to France, Poland, and Ukraine looking for elusive answers. It was through her contact with http://maxpages.com/poland and the success stories posted on that website that gave her the encouragement to continue. In 2003, she received a letter from the City Archives in Hannover confirming a registration form for the family in that community.

When Alexandra was only 2 her mother found safe harbor in Canada for her and her older half-sister; away from the war-torn horrors of Germany, leaving her father behind for reasons unknown. Raised by her mother and her new husband, Alexandra suffered terrible physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of this supposed father figure.

Feeling complete emptiness and displacement growing up, longing for her true father; Alexandra promised herself that she would search for him to reconstruct what happened. In her teens, she often imagined there might be another family, perhaps siblings she so desperately wished to meet and include in her life. She imagined completeness -- that she belonged somewhere. Her yearning for her own father grew and this love for a man she never knew was intuitive and strong.

Alexandra says, “I struggled with the thoughts of writing the book for a long time. Should I expose my soul to the world? Did I really want to share those very deep scars that were so very personal and that were kept hidden for such a long time? I decided there is so much pain in the world today from abuse in dysfunctional families, children being bullied at school, women being taken advantage of in their workplace, women and men being abused in their marriages that I feel many would benefit from my journey.”

“Writing was healing and I started feeling good about my life, regardless of what had happened to that little girl who saw and experienced so much. This opened a door for me-- I no longer felt the shame associated with the stigma of a displaced person.”

The Ashes of Innocence is available for publication and I foresee it on the bookshelves for Christmas 2007. The culmination of the book is the timeless tribute to Alexandra’s father, Andreas Tesluk. Unsure of her father’s fate, Alexandra will return to her birthplace and plan a memorial. On August 4, 2007, a red maple tree acer rubrum (symbolic of Canada and her life there) will be planted in his honour, along with a plaque to be placed next to the tree, on the grounds of what was once Camp Lyssenko in Hannover, Germany, the last place father and daughter were together!