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issue 5 | 2023

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2023 the descendants AUSTRALIA

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FINLAND

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Inside This Issue 2023 Finland Heritage Tour...4 Unexpected Surprise in Esse...6 Meeting Americans in Finland...7 A Journey 100 years in the Making...8 Number 5 November, 2023 Editor Cassie Chronic

Finding Carl & the Karps...12 Emigrants’ Descendants Search for Roots on Trip to Ostrobothnia...18 Munsala in April...21

Editorial Staff Hannah Kourujärvi Toni Nelson Nancy Nygård Maggie Patterson

Cover Illustration The Descendants Kimberly Jacobs Layout & Design Kimberly Jacobs

The Lundgren Heritage Tour Experience...22 Society Pages...25 Thoughts on My Visit to Bromarv...26 The Erickson Family Travels to Finland Together in 2023...28 Publisher Swedish Finn Historical Society 1920 Dexter Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 info@swedishfinnhistoricalsociety.org

Photo courtesy of Cassie Chronic

From the Editor | Issue 5

Photos courtesy of Cassie Chronic

by Cassie Chronic

During this season of Thanksgiv- incredible journey and found ouring, we share with you the blessselves becoming deeply connectings of the many cousin reunions ed to the culture, customs, and that happened in Finland this land of our emigrant ancestors. summer. This was my second Friendships were forged and visit to the land of our family’s acquaintances made over tasty beginning, the first occurring in traditional meals; those collab2019. The 2023 SFHS Heritage orations are the actualization of Tour provided me a wonderful the mission of the Swedish Finn opportunity to acquaint one of Historical Society. my own sons, his wife, and one of my granddaughters with the Not all whose photos and stories maternal side of our family tree. are included in this issue were We became part of a group of part of the Heritage Tour, but twenty-one from different parts most travelers received some asof the US and Australia touring sistance from SFHS to find the Finland together by bus and boat. people and places they visited inWith the skillful commentary of dependently. Many are now writour tour guide, Kjell Herbert, the ing their discoveries about their competent driving of Harry Eklöf emigrant ancestors to ensure the of Åbergin Linja Ltd., we had an stories live on. SFHS

is the perfect repository for keeping our unique culture alive and documenting every emigrant. Besides enjoying this issue, I ask if you would do three things: 1. Please renew your membership for 2024 before the end of the year. 2. Invite two family members to join SFHS to ensure the continuity of our organization. 3. Consider a donation in honor of one of your emigrant ancestors. We’ll be back with another issue in February, Cassie Chronic

FINLAND HERITAGE TOUR 2023 Day One Meet in Helsingfors. Day Two Borgå is a city in the Nyland region of Finland, situated on the southern coast. It was one of the six medieval towns of Finland, along with Åbo, Ulvsby, Raumo, Nådendal, and Vyborg. Borgå old town is a popular tourist destination, known for its well-preserved 18th and 19th century buildings, and the 15th century Borgå Cathedral. In 2021, 64.1% of the population spoke Finnish as their native language, 28.3% were Swedish speakers, and 7.6% are speak other languages. Hvitträsk was the home of one of Finland’s most important architects. It was designed to be a studio and home for the members of the Finnish architecture firm Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen. It was later the residence of Eliel Saarinen. It currently operates as a museum. Johan Ludvig Runeberg is the national poet of Finland. His works, which express the patriotic spirit of his countrymen, were written in Swedish and exercised great influence on Sweden’s literature as well. JAKOBSTAD

VASA NÄRPES

TAMMERFORS TAVASTEHUS

RAUMO NÅDENDAL

ÅBO

BORGÅ HELSINGFORS

HANGÖ

SUOMENLINNA

Day Three Sveaborg is a sea fortress composed of eight islands southeast of Helsingfors. It was renamed in Finnish to Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918. Sweden began construction of the fortress in 1748 to protect against Russian expansionism. The general responsibility for the fortification work was given to Augustin Ehrensvärd. The original plan of the bastion fortress was influenced by Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the time, and the principles of the star fort style of fortification, albeit adapted to a group of rocky islands. Famous for these bastion fortifications, Suomenlinna became a UNESCO World World Heritage site. Day Four Free day in Helsingfors. Day Five Travel to Tavastehus by inland waterways. The boat tour to Tammerfors includes lunch. Day Six Travel to Vasa by bus. Family style dinner in Vasa. Day Seven Stundars openair museum was founded in 1938 when the elementary-school teacher, Gunnar Rosenholm, founded a museum society in Solf. The museum consists of sixty buildings that were all relocated from the villages in Korsholm and the Vasa region. The buildings have been restored to show life at the turn of the 20th century. Berny’s restaurant is on the water near the Replot bridge—stunning views of the Kvarken archipelago. Walking tour of Vasa guided by Kjell Herberts. Swedish Klubben is the site for a dinner and program hosted by Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet.

Days Eight, Nine, & Ten Family visits or free days. Day Eleven Närpes Church Villa Talbo in Raumo for lunch. Raumo is a city known for its lace making and its wooden architecture. Tour the city by foot and bus. Travel to Åbo. Day Twelve Åbo is a city on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. Åbo is the oldest city in Finland. During the Russian period, Åbo was made the capital. However, Åbo lost its status as capital after only three years, when Tsar Alexander I of Russia moved the capital to Helsingfors. This is a guided tour. Day Thirteen Nådendal is a resort town and one of the oldest towns in Finland. The tour will travel by boat to Nådendal and tour the sites. Day Fourteen Hangö is a port town on the south coast of Finland. It was the port of choice for many emigrants leaving Finland for North America. In the late 19th century, while Finland was still a Grand Duchy under Russia, Hangö was a popular spa resort for the Russian nobility.

Unexpected...Surprise in Esse by Kassie Haan

ALASKA

ESSE

COLORADO

During the summer, I participated in the SFHS Heritage Tour along with my grandma, Cassie Chronic, and my uncle and aunt, Scott, and Billie Haan. I was excited to have the opportunity, not only to grow deeper connections to my Finnish heritage, but also to spend time with my family before I moved. I was accepted to graduate school only two months before the trip and would move to Colorado at summer’s end to work towards my Ed.S in school psychology.

A special part of our trip was meeting and staying with a distant cousin, Paula Maans Ahlvik and her husband Jan-Ole, in Maansfolk, Esse. On our last night visiting with relatives, most much older than me, I was prepping my bags to travel when grandma and aunt Billie said that I had to meet someone. I went out onto the back deck and there stood someone actually my age! Not only was she my age, but she was wearing a University of Denver sweatshirt. I did a double-take and asked about it. It turns out Hannah (Ray) is attending DU as a senior. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to reconnect once she returned to the US, and I had moved from Alaska to Colorado. Now, a few weeks into the start of the quarter, Hannah and I have met up for coffee. We plan to continue to do this regularly. We even talked about me visiting her when she returns home to Finland. I never expected SFHS to provide me with such a unique and amazing opportunity to learn and see Finland and gain a family member with whom I will grow closer while attending graduate school. Photos courtesy of Cassie Chronic & Kassie Haan

Meeting Americans in Finland by Hannah Ray

Meeting Kassie and her family in Finland was a fun surprise. I had heard from my family members when I was younger that I have some distant relatives in the United States, but I never heard any more information on where they were living and how we were related. A few years back, my uncle Sixten Häggman, visited several states in the U.S. When he returned to Finland, he talked about how he met some of our relatives, descendants of those who had emigrated to the country. I never really knew where the relatives were from. This summer was my last summer break back home in Finland before my final year at university. I have been studying at the University of Denver for three years working on my undergraduate degree while having a spot on the DU Nordic Ski Team, the reason I chose to travel abroad to the U.S. in 2019. Uncle Sixten called me one evening in July and told me I needed to bike over to the Ahlviks’ house in my little hometown of Esse. He told me some Americans were in Finland to meet their distant Swedish speaking relatives. He said, “you have to come and meet them because you are the only one in my family than can speak good enough English to be a translator for me.” My parents and I went over to the house on an otherwise bland Finnish evening, and when we got there began small talk. The Americans started saying that Kassie should come outside and say hello to us. When Kassie met me and saw my hoodie, she explained that she was starting her master’s degree in psychology this fall at DU. What a fun coincidence! Also, another fun surprise was that I have been to Alaska for ski competitions for the past two years. My sophomore year we were in Fairbanks, and last winter we were in Anchorage, where we lived right next to the UAA campus. I didn’t know this at the time, but Kassie did her undergraduate degree at UAA. Our whole situation has been full of fun coincidences and potential chance meetings where often we have been close in proximity to one another and yet, we had no idea!

ONTARIO, CANADA

LAPPTRÄSK, FINLAND

A Journey 100 Years in the Making

by Maggie Patterson

When I first started my genealogy journey, I focussed on my British Isles maternal side because I had a dearth of information and a cousin who was also interested in learning about our shared heritage. However, I wasn’t very far down the family history path when I felt the need to learn more about my dad’s family. Dad died when I was five, was predeceased by his parents and only had one unmarried sister who would never talk about their life in Finland. All I had to go on was a box of documents and photos that I found in my aunt’s effects. Through the documents, online research and the help of numerous people on The Swedish Finn Historical Society’s Facebook page, I was able to flesh out my paternal grandfather’s family tree. This led to my joining the SFHS and having both my grandfather’s and his mother’s stories published on the Society’s website.

I had always planned to visit Finland and, after serendipitously connecting with cousins in March of 2022, I knew I had to make the plan a reality. So this past August, as part of an eighteen day tour of Scandinavia and Finland, I returned to the village where my grandfather was born. My Swedish-Finn research really started with just one photo—my great grandmother Sofia, age seventy-five, sitting in the doorway of her home in Lindkoski, Lappträsk, Finland. As an amateur artist, I had always been fascinated with its composition and the play of light and shadows and had tried many times—unsuccessfully—to recreate it using both graphite and charcoals. Imagine my surprise when, in correspondence with my new-found cousin, I learned that not only was the house where my great grand-

mother lived still standing but that it was owned by a family member! My goal now was to visit the house and, if possible, recreate the photo. After ten pretty intense days of touring Denmark, Norway and Sweden, our tour finally arrived in Finland. I had added an extra four nights to my trip so that I could connect with family and family did not disappoint! My cousin Gitta, who lives in Esbo, a short tram/metro/bus ride from our hotel in Helsingfors, invited my travel companion and myself to her home on our first free day. I had shared with her that I had made a traditional Finnish sausage soup at Christmas and she surprised me by serving me her version. It was delicious and better than mine because it was made with sausages marketed specifically for Siskonmakkarakeitto (my sister’s sausage soup). With two days to tour Helsingfors on our own before meeting up with cousins again, I really tried to embrace the culinary culture sampling everything from Karelian pasties to reindeer meatballs. In a previous issue of Kusiner, I wrote about the foods of Midsummer and noted that I was not a fan of

herring. Well, I decided to give it another try while in Finland since it was readily available in a variety of styles on every breakfast and dinner buffet. Nope, still not a fan. In another article about foraging, I wrote about the mushrooms and berries that so many Finns pick during the summer months. It was a pleasant surprise to find bins and baskets of both at the market by the harbor where I snagged some fresh cloudberries to take back to the hotel for my late night snack. But the breads were by far the best! A thin slice of ruisleipä layered with smoked salmon was my go-to lunch. Early on a Sunday morning, Gitta and cousin Pentti and his wife, met us at the hotel and we headed out of the city towards Porvoo/Borgå on our way to Lappjärvi/ Lappträsk. While doing my research, I was always confused by place names—one document would use the Swedish name of a village while another would use the Finnish version. With all road signs in both Finnish and Swedish, it was easy to keep locations straight in my head. Along the way, we stopped at the gravesite of one cousin, the shuttered house of another, and ex-

Photos courtesy of Maggie Patterson

plored Borgå and the church where my cousin Gitta was ordained in 1988 as one of the first women ministers in the Lutheran denomination. Just before lunchtime, we arrived at cousin Diana’s home in Lappträsk and headed out to a restaurant for a meal together. A short drive through the countryside after lunch finally brought us to my great grandmother’s house. We parked the cars and walked down the overgrown lane. Words fail me, for a change, when I try to describe the emotional impact of that short walk. One hundred years—to the day— that my grandfather left Finland for the final time, I was walking towards his childhood home. I was the first of my emigrant family, and the only one left, to make the journey back. It was overwhelming. The house itself is basically a four room shanty with no modern conveniences—no electricity, running water or central heating. The padlocks on the door and window were unlocked and opened so that light could get in and I went in to explore. My cousin Leo, who died in 2015, had turned the building into his own private museum and all four rooms of the house are filled with his collection. A central hearth for cooking takes up most of one room and backs onto a fireplace in the room behind. Hanging from the rafters are a couple of baskets that my step-great grandfather made utilising the skills that he had been taught while in prison. It was overwhelming and a bit claustrophobic. I sat down in the doorway and Pentti snapped a picture…as close as I got to recreating the 1937 photo of Sofia. After spending almost an hour at my great grandmother’s house, we returned to Diana’s where we looked at old family photos including one of Sofia and several family members taken outside the house the same day as my original photo. There were even several photos of my brother and me, with my dad’s handwriting on the back, that were sent after my grandfather died. I had no idea that

dad had kept in touch with his family in Finland. I was also told a story about my grandfather that was new to me. Born out of wedlock in 1882, his father was apparently a man named Eklund from Labby but a young farmhand was made to take the “blame” and had to pay for my grandfather’s upkeep. As a teenager, Grandpa got a good paying job in Helsingfors and not only sent money back to his mother in Lappträsk but also repaid that farmhand for all the money he had paid over the years. So far, it is only a family story—more research is obviously needed! In Swedish speaking households, there is a tradition of “fika” where you take time to sit with friends and enjoy a hot drink and a snack. Well my cousins certainly embrace that tradition and we sat around the kitchen table for over three hours eating sweets, drinking copious amounts of coffee and chatting in three languages. My friend and I stuck with English. Diana was raised speaking Swedish but her husband only speaks Finnish. Pentti and his wife only speak Finnish. And Gitta, who did her masters in the U.S.A., speaks all three so she acted as interpreter. It certainly made for an interesting afternoon. Unfortunately, our time with my cousins soon came to an end and we drove back to Helsingfors with fond memories and full stomachs. Since returning to Canada, I have had time to reflect on my journey and have discovered a few things about myself. I always thought I took after my mom’s side of the family but I am pretty sure that I am more Finnish in both personality and outlook. And, after walking almost five miles on cobblestone roads and paths one morning while on the tour, I definitely have sisu! I am not sure that I will ever be able to make the trip again but it certainly was an experience for which I am exceedingly grateful. ↗↗↗

KORSHOLM, FINLAND NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Finding Carl

& the Karps

Photos courtesy of Tanya Carlyle

by Tanya Carlyle, great, great granddaughter of Carl Andersson Karp The first time I heard about my family’s Finnish heritage was in 2001, just after I had been selected to travel to Finland as part of a month-long Rotary Group Study Exchange tour. I had never even met anyone from Finland. As a child and then a young woman, I was like many, not really interested in listening to old family stories from grandparents, but I was a bit intrigued. I visited my paternal grandmother, Claire, before traveling to Finland. She headed off to a bedroom, returning with an old letter, written in a foreign language. She asked that I try to get the letter translated while I was in Finland. She also gave me a photo of her grandfather, Charles Anderson, which hangs in the Wingham Museum. During my first trip to Finland, I pulled out the letter and asked the first Finnish family I was billeted with to translate our letter. They could not because they told me the letter was written in Swedish. Swedish? I thought my ancestor was Finnish. My hosts explained that in Finland some people, especially those in western Finland, speak Swedish. As part of the exchange program, I had to do a number of speeches to Rotary clubs. During my presentations I talked about my Finnish heritage and spoke of my ancestor. After each Rotary meeting I was mobbed by attendees who asked me questions about my Finnish heritage. Unfortunately, I could tell them very little. Finally, one of my hosts; a lady who lived in Åland and spoke Swedish, was able to translate the letter. It was written in about 1910, by a sister who spoke of tough times, poverty, and a lack of food in Finland. Unfortunately, the letter was missing the author’s name and address; I thought this was the end of the story. We did not know any more about Charles or his family in Finland. Shortly after the death of my paternal grandparents, Claire and Alan Carlyle, I began my own research of my family’s history and the story of Charles Anderson resurfaced. My grandmother had tried to find her Finnish family. She even travelled to Vasa, Finland, in 1989 but she was unsuc-

cessful in finding any more information about her Finnish grandfather. There were few clues to Charles Anderson’s identity and his origins. His year of birth varied on different records. He was recorded as coming from Vasa, a regional centre surrounded by many towns and villages—which village? Then I found one major clue the name of his mother, Catherine Karp, listed on his marriage certificate. Armed with this information, I began my research anew. It was arduous and slow-going because I now suspected his actual first name was Carl, not Charles. In Australia he went by the last name of Anderson, but I was not positive this was his real last name. I became disheartened when I learned about the Finnish tradition of using patronymic names meaning the last name changed with each generation. I thought it was a lost cause; I would never find Carl. The one good thing that came to me after finding out about patronymic naming tradition was that I now knew Carl’s father’s first name–Anders, not Andrew, as it appeared on his marriage certificate. To have the last name of Anderson, Anders had to be Carl’s father. Many months after going nowhere with my research I discovered the Swedish Finn Historical Society. I posted the information that I had about Carl on their Facebook page but thought that little would come of it. Boy was I wrong! Within minutes I saw numerous comments and some people had even tracked down the correct records for me. I learned that his real name was Carl Andersson Karp. People shared links to his baptism records, communion records and records for his parents, Anders Ericsson Beijar and Katarina Fredriksdotter Karp and the name of his village, Karperö! My next step was to see if I could find any living relatives in Finland. Again, I posted on the SFHS Facebook page and again, within minutes, I had around twenty replies with suggestions of where to look. I also received a Facebook Messenger message from a lady in Finland, who gave me an email of a lady, Marlene, who was formerly from

Karperö. I contacted Marlene and was delighted when she replied saying that she knew a great deal about my family and its history. She was part of the group that wrote a comprehensive history of the village—five volumes of Karperö, the Village by the Bay. She also told me about a letter from Carl and his brother Erik written in Australia in 1876 to folks back home in Finland; she very kindly translated it for me. This letter confirmed the information that I had in our family records. I knew then that I had the right person and the right family. I was ecstatic! Marlene also put me in contact with a number of cousins living in Finland. One day an email arrived in my inbox announcing that the SFHS was hosting a heritage tour to Finland for two weeks in July 2023. An idea suddenly popped into my head—why not go to Finland and actually meet my relatives, see the place where Carl Andersson Karp was from? The dates aligned perfectly with my July school holidays. The tour would give participants the chance to see some sights in Finland, and free time for participants to catch up with relatives—I signed up!

The highlight of my visit to Finland this past July was a garden party at my cousin, Maria Karp’s house. Maria lives in the house that Carl’s brother Fredrik built. Here I met a number of relatives, including ninety-five year-old Gösta Pada, who is my grandmother’s second cousin. It was a fantastic day connected with my Finnish family! Another special moment for me was my visit to Korsholm Church. Here we were treated to a performance by an incredibly talented musician on the spectacular church organ. As I sat in the pew, listening to the beautiful organ music, it was surreal to think that my ancestor had also sat under this very roof, attending church services here every Sunday. This church was my family’s church, a hub of all family activities–baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals. I felt a deep sense of connection to Carl and my Finnish family. Going on this year’s SFHS Heritage Tour to Finland connected me to my Finnish heritage and to my family. My Finnish relatives had always believed Carl was missing, but his story is no longer lost. We now know the story of Carl Andersson Karp, and his struggle to make a better life for himself and his family in a new land, Australia, many thousands of miles from his home in Finland. Those in Finland now know that his Australian story lives on through me, our connection will continue.

The life of Carl Andersson Karp Carl Andersson Karp was born on December 15, 1850. in the village of Karperö, near Vasa in western Finland. Carl was born to parents, Anders Ericsson Beijar and Katarina Fredriksdotter Karp. Together Katarina and Anders had ten children, including Carl. The family, who were farmers, lived on the Karp homestead in Karperö. The family took on the name Karp, which is the farm name, rather than Beijar as Carl’s mother Katarina inherited the farm from her father. Life was quite hard for the Karp family. The family had to work every day to feed themselves. The land they had to farm was quite small – about five to ten acres in size. Crops grown by the Karp family included rye, barley, and oats. The family also supplemented their diet of bread, porridge and potatoes with fish caught in the nearby lake and sea and with berries and mushrooms foraged in the forest. They had a vegetable patch with cabbages, peas, and other root vegetables. The family owned a cow (or two) and made their own butter from the milk from the cow and fil, a fermented

milk product. They may have also owned a small number of sheep for wool for spinning. In 1867, when Carl was seventeen, there was a major upheaval for the Karp family. Times became much harder for the family due to the advent of the Great Finnish Famine, which is comparable in its effects to the Great Irish Potato Famine. The famine, caused by crop failure, due to a particularly harsh and lengthy winter, resulted in the death of around ten to twelve percent of the population or around 200,000 people. As most Finnish farmers only had small allotments of land, there was little ability to produce surplus food beyond the household’s own consumption, meaning there was little food stored by the population, exacerbating the famine. Carl’s mother, Katarina, sold the family farm in 1867, presumably because of the Finnish Famine. Husband, Anders, and the eldest son, Fredrik, left the family and travelled to St. Petersburg in Russia to seek work. As food ran out, thousands

of Finns took the road, either to try to find work in Russia or to beg for food. Carl and his brother Erik also left the family to go to sea and become sailors. After the menfolk left, Carl’s mother Katarina struggled to care for her four young children, and elderly mother Magdalena. Despite the sale of the family farm, the remaining Karp family continued to live on the farm property; the new owner had given them ‘Sytning.’ Handing over the farm ‘prematurely,’ that is, while the farmer was still alive, was seen as a pension-like benefit for the ageing generation. It is believed that the Karp family had a small cottage to live in at the back of the property.

Moree, Australia. Carl and Mabel had seven children together. The family resided in a number of towns, living in a tent home that they transported as the family moved as the railway was built. Carl worked as a ganger or leader of the gang or team supervisor of a group of workers, building the railways as they expanded across Australia. On December 9, 1901, Charles Anderson became a naturalized Australian Citizen. The family arrived in the town of Wingham in the Manning Valley in 1910, travelling by steamer ship from port of Newcastle. Carl (Charles) died on the December 21, 1912. He is buried in Wingham Cemetery. While his gravestone says he was sixty years of age, he was actually aged sixty-two at the time of his death. He left Mabel with seven children to care for, with the youngest child, being just three months old. Upon Carl’s death, Mabel was forced to apply for Poor Relief to support the children. Five years after Carl died Mabel remarried. She married Charles Burgoyne Bulley in Wingham in 1917. The couple had three children together. Mabel died on April 19. 1959. She is buried in Wingham cemetery, next to her second husband, Charles Bulley.

Carl first came to Australia in 1876 with his brother Erik, on the Swedish ship, Kron Prins Gustav, working as ‘Able Seamen.’ The ship came to Australia via Mauritius, where it picked up a cargo of sugar, which was due to be sold in Sydney. The brothers ‘jumped ship’ or deserted on 18 April 1876, when the ship arrived in Sydney. A police search for the brothers ensued in the Australian bush, but the two managed to evade detection by hiding out in the Australian bush for six weeks, even despite the large reward offered for their Many descendants of Carl Andersson Karp concapture. The brothers wrote a letter home to their tinue to live in Wingham and the Manning Valley, family in Finland in August 1876, detailing the but many have now spread out across Australia. dramatic story of their escape. The original letter remains with family in Finland, but it was printed A translation of the letter that brothers Carl in a book on the history of Karperö, Carl’s home Andersson Karp and his brother Erik, sent from village. Australia to Finland in 1876. Carl and Erik were recorded as having taken communion in Korsholm Church in Finland with the Karp family in 1880, so they must have travelled home to Finland from Australia late in 1879, or early in 1880. There is another record of Carl and Erik arriving in Australia again on 2 January 1881, on the English ship Stracathro. Erik returned to Finland at some point, but Carl remained in Australia. What Carl did for the next seventeen years is unknown.

On July 4, 1899, Carl (or Charles as he is now known) married Mabel Evelyn Goodfellow in

Sydney, August 6, 1876 Dear unforgotten parents siblings all, though it doesn’t look like that. Now we will take our pen and let you know that we are still alive are healthy and feel good. Which is the same hope for you every hour and minute. Your letter came to us here August 2nd, in which we find that you are all alive and healthy, which we are very glad to hear. Now we will tell you what happened after we wrote to you at home. We had 9 weeks of journey from Mauritius to Sydney. Quite a hard storm and rain and sometimes we had snow and very cold, so that time we got to know what a sailor can be

glad over. When we came here to Sydney in Ausgoing to stop at the coast for a while and try to tralia we escaped, it was April, 18th, and it was a earn some money. We hope to do that here if God pain for us to go through. Prins Gustaf. We went saves our health and our life time continues but 10 miles up the country and there came the Capit is all in the hands of God if we can see each tain and first mate with a lot of policemen to take other in this life. It is a long journey between us us but they could not find us where we were we but not so long that we might not see each other could see them all a whole day through he went if it is God’s will. It is now 16,000 miles between round the country, woods and fields with policeus and that quite a long way. This town where men and searched like the Devil tries to catch a we are is 3 Swedish miles long so there is a little man. We heard that he said that he should have more to see than in Wasa. But you can’t cut gold us even though it would cost him his life. But we with knifes though this is a land of gold but we were better to hide than he was to search for his hope we can earn a little money here in this land. life. So now we are free from him. He offered peo- We are now glad that we have escaped from the ple 30 pounds or 800 Finnish marks if they would Swedish Devil that always pained us with sufferreveal us but they didn’t. ing and starving. When you are gone away to try the World you have to take good and bad things, For 6 weeks after we escaped we had to be in whatever God is laying on us. It is winter here the forest, night and day. The Australians carried May, June, July, and August so now we are getting food to us like to a marriage. So we have experisummer but it isn’t so cold there is no snow but enced what it is to run away. It was quite bad for it is still called winter. We wish we had our father us to go from so much money and more. I Erik and mother and all the siblings here so they could had to get 500 marks at the Captain and I Carl live well without trouble. We have been offered had 200.50 mark and much more that we had to to marry Australian farmers’ girls, who are rich leave on board. But maybe it still is our luck for and beautiful. But we will not do that. A farmer the future we hope. Here the month money is that we worked for sold fruits for 10,000 marks a good for sailors. It wasn’t so happy here for us year. But we are saying that we rather try to earn every day when we first came ashore when we money and go to our home. understood nothing nor could say anything else than yes and no in English. But now when writing We send best regards to all our young friends… these lines we understand quite much. We are and keep well! ↗↗↗ 17

2023-09-25 10:53

Vasabladet 8 juli 2023

Image courtesy of Vasabladet

https://e-tidningen.vasabladet.ﬁ/p/vasabladet/2023-07-08/r/3/5/75/1031919

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Emigrants’ Descendants Search for Roots in Ostrobothnia by Cecilia Holmström, translated by Victoria Carp-Seppänen reprinted with permission from Vasabladet

Emigrant descendants travelling in Ostrobothnia looking for their roots. One of the descendants is from Australia and the other one from Alaska. Now they are coming together here in Ostrobothnia where they both have their roots. Twenty-one emigrant descendants are now travelling around Finland and Ostrobothnia excited to get to know the history of their ancestors and to pass this knowledge on to the next generation. In the year 1876 Carl Karp wrote a letter home to Karperö from Australia. Now Tanya Carlyle has done the same trip in order to see the original letter. She is one of the twenty-one emigrant descendants that are now travelling in Ostrobothnia on a journey following their ancestors’ footsteps. Carl was a sailor but the circumstances onboard the ship were very difficult, so he and his brother decided to jump ship outside of Sydney. There was even a big reward issued to anyone who could find and capture the brothers, but they managed to stay in hiding in the Australian bush for six weeks with the help of aborigines, says Carlyle.

Back in 1989 Tanya Carlyle’s grandmother tried to find her roots. Carlyle shows a picture of her grandmother where she stands next to the city of Vasa sign at the railway station in Vasa. “When Carl began his new life in Australia he chose to use the last name Andersson instead of Karp, my grandmother did not know this when she did her journey to Finland and thus her trip wasn’t successful in the sense that she wasn’t able to locate her relatives. Now thanks to the internet we have finally found our relatives and I am fulfilling my grandmother’s dream when I will be meeting my relatives in Karperö the upcoming weekend. It feels very emotional, and it is also really important to me to be able to pass on the stories of the family history to my eleven year-old son, so he will get a good understanding of his origins.”

The group of emigrant descendants arrived in Finland on the last day of June, the trip was arranged by The Swedish Finn Historical Society based in Seattle. Among the participants there are descendants from, for example, the following cities and villages in Ostrobothnia; Jakobstad, Terjärv, Esse, Vasa, Oravais, Malax, Carl’s brother eventually returned to Finland, but Nykarleby, Karperö, Närpes and Kronoby. For Cassie Carl remained in Australia and founded a family in Chronic, who lives in Soldotna in Alaska, this is her New South Wales. Carl always emphasized that he second trip to Ostrobothnia. Some of her ancestors was from Finland. There were many people from have their origins in Maansfolk in a village called Esse. different countries in Australia but emigrants from The first time she visited this place and her relatives Finland were really rare at the time. Carlyle says was four years ago and she had then decided that she there is still a picture of Carl at the local museum would bring along more family members for the next in her hometown Wingham. “I also have a letter his visit. On this trip there are three generations from her sister sent in 1910. He kept in contact with Finland.” family represented. Cassie Chronic herself is active in the Swedish Finn Historical Society, an association Carl came to Australia empty handed. The broththat has had an increasing number of new members ers most probably saw the opportunity for a differjoining during the last years. ent and better life when they decided to jump off by the ship. But the new life was also quite tough. Carl We want every emigrant’s story to live on. Many of built railways between different cities in Australia the letters the emigrants sent home might be lying and lived in a tent surrounded by snakes and other forgotten in drawers around Finland, most probadangerous animals. bly because not everyone understands and appreciates their value. We are now trying to digitize as much of the material as possible, says Chronic.

In her home in Alaska, there is ancient memorabilia from Finland to be seen. Chronic has Finnish ancestors from “both sides” on her mother’s side as both her grandfather’s father and mother were of Finnish origin. The grandfather’s father was a Swedish Finn and the grandfather’s mother was a Finnish speaking Finn.

Carl’s children were young when their father died and he had nothing with him when he arrived in Australia. That is the reason why hardly any of the stories from Finland have lived on in Australia. “Much of the Finnish heritage disappeared with him. Now we have the opportunity to rediscover it all. Australia as a country is rather young. We don’t have families that have lived in the same places for generations and that is also one of the reasons why visiting Karperö is so exciting for me. I suppose that I would have been living in Karperö myself if Carl hadn’t jumped off the ship outside Sydney,” says Carlyle.

“A part of our inner being still carries the Finnish heritage like the Finnish Sisu, diligence and the high work-morale. We eat fil (soured whole milk) and my brother prepares lutfisk (traditional stockfish dish eaten on Christmas). We still have a suitcase made of cardboard and a small box made of leather that our ancestors brought with them The trip to Finland will be almost two weeks long, from Finland. Last time when I visited Maansfolk Kjell Herberts is the local guide for the group. These I took a stone with me that I found under one of the oldest buildings. I cherish this stone very much. emigrant descendants are sort of the last enthusiasts even if they themselves hope that this will not be I have shown the stone to everyone back home the case. It is touching to be a part of their journey. in Alaska. That stone is part of our roots. When I stood in my ancestors’ family farm I thought of my grandfather’s father who had also stood in that very The group started their journey with a common program for all participants in the Helsingfors area, building looking out of the same window. Experiences like these give you a strong sense of who you then visiting the cities of Borgå, Tavastehus, and Tampere. In Ostrobothnia, they will all have the opreally are. I have also had the opportunity to meet portunity to individually visit their relatives during Finnish relatives that bear a resemblance to me. the upcoming weekend. Some of the stories also live on.” “Back in the days in Ostrobothnia children were only allowed to eat windfall fruit from the ground as the good apples up in the three were reserved to be sold. When my grandfather did the same after they had moved to America his mother took him by the arm and said, ‘Ted we are in America now here you are allowed to eat the fruit straight from the three.’ Life was hard in Ostrobothnia.”

For many of the participants this is the first meeting with the “cousins” as they call them. Many meetings and village festivities are planned for the upcoming week-end so the timing for the visits is perfect, says Herberts. From Ostrobothnia, the journey continues towards the south of Finland passing the cities of Närpes, Raumo, Nådendal, Åbo and Hangö. Hangö was the coastal city from where many of the emigrants started their journey towards America by ship.

For Tanya Carlyle the upcoming meeting with her relatives in Karperö will be her first. The other night the group visited the Korsholm church–a very “It is beautiful to see how the descendants want to touching experience. pass on their knowledge and the stories to their “It was here where Carl passed his first communion children and grandchildren. It is important that the history is not forgotten,” says Herberts. and the certificate from this occasion is still preserved. It felt really amazing to be there in the same Originally published in Vasabladet on July 8, 2023. church that he had once stood in,” says Carlyle. The article was translated to English in Karperö on the 16th of July, 2023. 20 ↗↗↗

MUNSALA, FINLAND SEATTLE, USA Photos courtesy of Andrea Felt Clarke

Munsala in April by Andrea Felt Clarke

My trip to Finland was an incredibly cathartic and affirming experience which helped me understand and connect to my Swedish Finn roots in a way that I never have.

mostly to explore Munsala. To our surprise, Patrick and I began to realize that we felt drawn to Finland and we spent more time there than anticipated.

I’m so grateful to Peter GullI always heard from my materback, Kim Jacobs, and the Swednal relatives that our ancestors ish Finn Historical Society for were Swedes who lived in connecting me with Jarl DahlFinland. As a result, I’ve always backa and Ulf Sundsten, who thought of myself as being graciously guided us in the area. Swedish. While getting ready for If I hadn’t had this opportunity, this journey I began to feel more this visit to Munsala would still confused than ever: Was I Swed- have been meaningful, but noish? Finnish? Both? Neither? where near as personalized. We would have visited the cemetery, When Patrick and I were the outside of the stone church planning this trip, we initially and driven around the area. thought that we would spend Instead Ulf, the former vicar the more of our time in Sweden himself, showed us the church along with a few days in Finland, and shared its history. Accord-

ing to Ulf, it’s very likely that he and I are distantly related—what an experience to meet a relative in the land of your ancestors! Jarl took us to the site of the Knuts family farm and the historic one-room schoolhouse where he had lived with his mother. Jarl also kindly invited us over to his 150 year-old farmhouse for coffee with him and his wife on the day that Finland made history and joined NATO. During the course of this trip I gained an understanding that being a Swedish Finn means I am a part of a distinct culture that, I like to think, includes the best of both Sweden and Finland. ↗↗↗

The Lundgren Heritage Tour Experience

CALLIFORNIA + OREGON

ORAVAIS + MALAX + ESBO

by Karen Lundgren & Pam Lundgren

My name is Karen Lundgren and I became interested in our family history in the early 1970s. I recall my childhood during which I knew that my paternal grandparents were from what they referred to as “the old country”. Over time, I learned that the old country was called Finland, and that my family called themselves Swedes. I knew my dad was affectionately called Swede Lundgren, and that he spoke Swedish as his first language. Decades later, when I received results from my DNA test, I realized I was not Swedish at all. I was fifty percent Finnish.

The original home was no longer there and was repurposed to construct a new dwelling in Jakobstad. Yet, the foundation stones stood firm. Nearby our great aunt’s former home was now inhabited by the youngest cousin, John Nyman and his wife Christina. Other relatives who joined us that day were Ann-Christine (Nygård) Lahtinen and her children Matias and Jenny, and sister Carola (Nygård) Erkas, and husband Johan and sons Elias and Albin. Oxkanger retained its rural, semi-agricultural character, and the Lundgren lineage persisted across centuries.

In 1997, I embarked on my first trip to Finland, driven by curiosity and a desire to uncover my family’s roots. To my surprise, my father couldn’t provide me with any names or locations of relatives in Finland. Nevertheless, I knew that my grandfather’s sister, who had spent years in the United States, had eventually returned to Finland. My research first led me to Oxkangar in Oravais parish, where I connected with this great aunt.

Pam and I were also able to pay our respects at the Malakton Cemetery in Oxkangar, where our great grandparents and other ancestors were laid to rest. That day we also met with another branch of our family tree in Larsmo, Daniel Nyman, son Peter Nyman, and Daniel’s grandchildren Frank Nyman and Jonna Vesterinrn Stromberg, as well as five greatgrandchildren. Our gracious hosts, Marlene Nyman Stenman and her husband Tom, extended their hospitality in their beautiful home. They rekindled connections that originally formed in 1977.

Fast forwarding through several subsequent trips to the year 2023. I was returning to Oxkangar on a Heritage Tour accompanied by my cousin Pam Lundgren. We were brought to the location of the Lundgren ancestral home.

In 1982, I had briefly visited Malax, the hometown of our farmor, Hilda Maria Soderlund, but

the trip had been limited. I only caught a brief glimpse of the church, with no meetings with relatives. I was finally able to meet with the family when I got to spend a day with the Soderlund relatives last summer in Åminne and Malax with Marita Lundell, her brother Rolf Soderlund, his daughter Annika, and her daughters Alexandra Nyroos and Angelika Nyroos. We also were able to visit the Kvarken Båtmuseum, where we saw equipment designed and crafted by one of our cousins. Marita Lundell, a maker of folkdräkt, helped to fulfill my long standing curiosity by providing a photo of our grandmother, Hilda Maria, which showed the colors of her Malax parish dress. A tour of the Malax church, facilitated by caretaker Kent Gulkvist, and a visit to the cemetery completed our visit to Malax. Our trip ended at Bergö, where our great grandfather, Johannes Soderlund was from. Bergö was high on my wish list of places to visit in Österbotten, and it exceeded my expectations. Despite a limited time on the island, we were able to meet so many welcoming relatives. On our arrival, a minor detour and a stop at an ice cream parlor led to an unexpected encounter with people who seemed to know their way around. Speaking in my best Swedish, I asked if they spoke English, to which they replied in English, “Are you American?” To our astonishment, they were the relatives,

Peter Liljekvist and his partner Marja-Leena Jokimäki, on their way to meet us at the museum. At the museum, we met the director of the museum, Per-Erik Berglund. In a delightful twist of fate, Per-Erik revealed he too was related to Pam and me, and the ice cream parlor was the former residence of our third great-grandparents. Per-Erik, with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Bergö, proved to be an excellent resource for all things family history. Joining us in our meeting was Ulf Öhman, accompanied by his wife Lena, and their three adult children, Julia, Lilja, and Wille. Ulf traced his lineage back to John Söderlund’s sister, Beata Sofia Ahlskog, who married a boat pilot on the Kvarken Archipelago. Ulf himself had recently retired as a fifth generation boat pilot. In another twist of fate, Julia, Ulf’s daughter, had worked at a surf hostel in San Diego, California, and frequented a beach that happened to be a favorite surfing spot of my daughter, Alison. This serendipitous connection added to the richness of the afternoon. I’m Pam Lundgren and my own genealogical journey began after the passing of my father in 2010. As I sorted through my parents’ papers, I stumbled upon notes about relatives that didn’t align with my family’s narrative. In 2012, I took a significant step by joining Ancestry and sending for a DNA test. The results unveiled a surprising revelation–I was for-

Photos courtesy of Karen & Pam Lundgren

ty-two percent Finnish and nine percent Swedish, a stark contrast to my father’s assertion that we were totally Swedish, reinforced by our family’s use of Swedish language at home. Armed with this new knowledge, I embarked on the task of constructing her family tree. The year 2015 was a pivotal year for me when I started conversing with a third cousin, Patricia Anderson whom I had matched with. Patricia and I shared great great grandparents. Patricia introduced me to another cousin, Arne Nylund, who became my trusted resource for unraveling the intricacies of my family tree. After eight years of online exchanges, Arne and I finally got to meet in person when I went on the Heritage Tour. We explored Fiskars before heading to Arne’s home in Esbo, where I got to meet Arne’s wife, Marit. Shortly before my trip, Patricia introduced me to another relative, Gunnel Olas, who resided in Sweden and belonged to the Lungren family tree, albeit a more distant relation. Prior to our travels, my cousin Karen and I spent four days in Stockholm. There we met Gunnel, who lived in Stockholm. Gunnell radiated pride for Sweden and Finland, leaving Karen and I with an even stronger desire to maintain our connection to our family history. Karen and my time with these families was a whirlwind of fast-paced, joyful experiences. We cherished the connections we forged, underscoring the truth that we are all interconnected. We are grateful to the Swedish Historical Society for facilitating the Heritage Tour, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of our identity. ↗↗↗ 24

Society Pages

Photos courtesy of Cassie Chronic

Top left: Mårten Björkgren, president of Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, Cassie Chronic, editor of Kusiner, & Ulf Wallendahl, SFHS boardmember Middle left: Guide, Kjell Herberts, president emeritus of Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet (and tour guide), & Harry Eklöf, tour coach driver

Top right: Petri Nissanen, Charter Manager of Åbergin Linja, Cassie Chronic, Kjell Herberts Bottom: Tour members enjoying their last group dinner.

BROMARV, FINLAND CORNWALL, UNITED KINGDOM

Photos courtesy of Kevin Bailey

Thoughts on My Visit to Bromarv by Kevin & Lorraine Bailey

While finding connections in Bromarv for Kevin’s upcoming trip to Bromarv, SFHS reached out to Raseborgs släkt- och bygdeforskare. Sabina Holmström replied and took on the challenge with much enthusiasm. Without our connections in Finland, we would be unable to complete our mission. Finland is beautiful and Bromarv really took my breath away. A small coastal village that was absolutely stunning, we were lucky that we had bright sunshine, a clear blue sky and it was spring. The scenery was outstanding. I can still vividly recall driving into Bromarv for the first time, seeing the sea, and the beautiful church and cemetery overlooking the harbour area. Sabina and her father took us around the area for two days, showing where my family lived and worked. This was very emotional knowing that your family members lived and worked on particular farms or left from Bromarv to fish.

You could feel how tough it would have been for them. Sabina took us to a communal farm work house where Johan Wegelius would have slept and worked, walking inside made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as the inside had changed little since he was there and you could imagine the scene all those years ago. I love blueberries and Sabina told us they grow wild all over Bromarv and the workers used to pick them for extra income, some would say a coincidence but I am not so sure! Meeting my cousins from Finland was an emotional experience. Initially I felt slightly nervous but I was immediately put at ease by all the relatives I met. They were so welcoming and interested in why I had made the journey to Bromarv. I felt a strange bond with all the cousins present at the afternoon tea, this is difficult to describe. I felt an instant liking and connection with Roger Lindstrom, a third cousin, he loved colourful shirts as I do and was very easy to talk to. He

has an engineering background which runs in our family. Roger said I did not look British, I will take that as a compliment!

Lorraine’s Thoughts I wish to say a big thank you to Sabina and her family. Without them the whole experience would have been completely different, Sabina gave up so much Meeting these family members was the highlight of her time not just researching the Lindstrom of my trip, something I will always remember, and family but showing us around and contacting LindI feel very fortunate to have done so. strom family members and organizing the family meeting. We will be eternally grateful to her. My plan is to keep in touch with some of these It is easy to sit in front of a computer and look at family members, particulary Roger, his enthusifamily names but it brings it all to life when you asm for family history was infectious. He was over go and visit places where your family and ancesthe moon that I had come over as he had complet- tors lived, even more so when you have a gened all the family history but had not been able to erous soul such as Sabina. It really brings your locate Johan Wegelius or what had happened to research alive when you can actually walk in their him. Roger informed me about our family history footsteps as we did. and printed out all his research for me. We met up two days later at his house in Bromarv to disVisiting Norway was good to do but our visit to cuss the family and it’s history in the area. I want Bromarv was much more personal and special. to return to Bromarv next year, there was much Thank you to the people of Bromarv for their welmore I wanted to see and do in the area, I felt a come and generosity. I look forward to returning sense of peace while there and a sense of belong- to Finland. ing that is very hard to describe. ↗↗↗ 27

USA

ESSE, FINLAND

The Erickson Family Travels to Finland Together in 2023 by Janelle Erickson Bogart

I met my cousin, Ann Sofi, in Finland when I was eighteen. For perspective, that was about thirty-five years ago! At that time, I really didn’t understand what it meant to have family in Finland. However, I have now taken nine trips to Finland over the years and Ann Sofi and her family have been to the

US twice, I have found meaning that is deeper than any description I can muster. We have a family farm in Rochester, Washington, that has pictures and historic items displayed around the farm going back to the time our family immigrated to the US. Until

taking the trip this summer where our entire family (sixteen of us) visited Finland, I don’t think we had truly put the pieces together. These people are related to us—we are cut from the same cloth. This is where we come from!

All sixteen Ericksons with their extended family in Finland during their 2023 visit. Photo courtesy of the Erickson family.

It was wonderful for my brothers and our children to connect with cousins and create relationships that I am confident will continue for generations. I believe this connection is as meaningful for our family in Finland, as they and their homesteads hold the stories in our roots.

My takeaway to younger generations who are deciding if they want to dabble in family history is to take a chance, learn, reach out to their families, be brave and bold. Creating bonds across the seas keeps our traditions

and history alive. We have opportunities to grow as humans and learn from others. I hope others can find their Ann Sofi in their search.

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