Hutzcal, Petru and Rafira

Petre Hutzcal was born in 1863 in Boian, Bukovina. Rafira was born in 1873. They grew up in their native village and were married in 1889. Four children were born to the young couple in the old country before they emigrated to Canada in 1899. The first year they lived in a bordei in the Andrew district with the small children Vasile, Gheorghe, Andrie and Maria. With them was the family of John X. Toma. The men went to work away from home. One day when the women were out working fire broke out in the bordei and all the children suffocated. The parents were totally heartbroken by the tragedy.

In 1901 the Hutzcals moved to Boian and filed on a homestead where Petre who was a skilled carpenter put up the necessary farm buildings. Here they raised another family consisting of five boys and three girls; Elie, Tom, John, Mike, Steve, Helen, Katie and Rita.
Petre had brought a good set of carpenter tools with him so he helped with the construction of Boian church. He also built the farm buildings for his son Elie and his son Tom.
Fire seems to have plagued this family. In 1927 in late October, when the harvest was completed, fire
struck again. The barn burned to the ground, with two fine horses and all the sets of harnesses needed for farm work. A lean-to next to the barn and containing 800 bushels of wheat went up in flames.
The tragedies and the hard work tooks its toll of Petre and he passed away in 1930 at the age of sixty- seven. Rafira and son John continued to operate the family farm. The children all grew up, married and raised families of their own.
Rafira passed away in 1952 at age 80. Both she and her husband were laid to rest at Boian.