Overfors Family Homestead in Northern Michigan
By Grace Overfors Johnson, 1987.Submitted by June Pelo.This story was sent to June Pelo by Grace’s cousin Ken Jennings, who gave her permission to reproduce it.…
Learn about culture, traditions, and history.
Swede Finn Junction
Peasant Weddings in Jomala, Åland
Translated from Norden Newspaper, 22 July 1999, by June Pelo. Peasant weddings are a popular tourist attraction, but they require a lot of hard work which…
The Åland Islands—A Second Perspective
By June Pelo.Excerpts from “Insight Guide: Finland” and “Finland, A Cultural Encyclopedia”. The Åland Islands are a collection of granite-bound skerries spraying out to the west…
The Åland Islands
By Jeane Widman-Eriksson, Norden Newspaper, July 29, 2004. Excerpted and translated by June Pelo. Sparkling in the azure waters of the Gulf of Bothnia like sea-polished…
My Åland Ancestors
by Sylvia Stauffer I remember my grandmother as frail most of the time, but her across-the-street neighbor told me some years ago about how startled she…
Sorting Out Grandpa—A Deep Dive into Deception
By Maggie Backman PattersonRead more family history uncovered by Maggie Patterson in the article Sofia’s Story. “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.”[1] So said…
Proposed New Bylaws
The Swedish Finn Historical Society is incorporated in the State of Washington where, recently, laws concerning not-for-profit laws have been updated to reflect the changes in…
Tall Ships of the Åland Islands
2020 has made travel a distant memory but the Tall Ship Races give us hope for 2021! Located at the entrance of the Gulf of Bothnia…
Haddon Sundblom’s American Christmas
The Åland Islands Emigrant Institute is pleased to report on the success of its 2010 Christmas exhibit, Haddon Sundblom’s American Christmas (Haddon Sundblom’s Amerikanska Jul), on…
Poems by Edith Södergran
Landet som icke är Jag längtar till landet som icke är, ty allting som är, är jag trött att begära. Månen berättar mig i silverne runor…
The Hanna Asp Diary—Part Five
The following are excepts from the diary of Hannah Asp during a summer that she worked for the John Olin family near Chinook, Washington. A copy…
The Diary of Hanna Asp—Part Three
Hanna Asp was the daughter of Anders and Maria Asp (Aspnäs in Finland). Hanna immigrated to the United States in 1888 with her family from Pedersöre,…
