Food Customs
By June Pelo. Historically the western part of Finland belonged to the Roman-Catholic and Lutheran sphere of influence and via them to that of the…
Learn about culture, traditions, and history.
Swede Finn Junction
Nabba Village, Terjärv Parish
By Ole Granholm, Österbottningen, 2004. Translated by June Pelo.Jan Ole Björkbacka writes about his home village of Nabba The year is 1900. It is midsummer and…
Nyberg Family
By June Pelo. One of my major genealogy discoveries came as a result of a visit to cousins in Michigan. Because of my interest in genealogy,…
Johan Richard Nyström
By June Pelo. Several months ago I received an e-mail request from a family in Finland, for help in finding descendants of their relative Johan Richard…
Matts Johansson Svartsjö
This article is based on excerpts from “Matts Johansson Svartsjö’s 300th Anniversary”, by Roger Mannil. Translated by June Pelo in 1992. When Matts Johansson Svartsjö-Torppa, born…
The Kankkonen Brothers in Astoria, Oregon
Excerpts from “Egen lyckas smed” by K-G Olin.English translation by June Pelo. There was a gloomy mood in Astoria, Oregon in the spring of 1896. The…
Edvin Edberg Found His Roots in Ostrobothnia
Submitted by June Pelo. Based on Stig Svens article in Norden, August 31, 1995. This summer [1995] Edvin Edberg from Scottsdale, AZ found over 50 relatives…
Erik Sigurd Lärka
Written by Erik Nix for the Norden, March 5, 2009. Translated into English by June Pelo. Erik Sigurd Lärka was born in Gottböle, Närpes, Finland on…
Ethnic Puzzle (Schnyder’s Dystrophy)
Story by Patricia Anstett, medical writer for the Detroit Free Press. Submitted by June Pelo. For 14 years, Dr. Jayne Weiss has tried to find…
Erik Lindholm – On a Visit to His Homeland After 68 Years in America
This story was written by Mr. Jimson for a Swedish Finn newspaper and then translated by June Pelo. In 1902 crofter’s son Erik Lindholm from Bredvik…
Swedish Estonians
by Karen Anderson Pockets of languages survive all over the world largely due to the efforts of the native speakers and their resilience. These groups add…
Vörå Descendant Finds His Roots
By Maria Holmström, Helsingfors for Norden, 2 March 2000. Submitted by June Pelo. Most Finlanders have some relatives in the US. While some have had contact with…
