Solving the Mystery Some people seem to disappear A certificate of good standing in your parish church [BETYG] worked like a passport as you moved to another farm or another parish for a new job or schooling. You were required to present it to the pastor in your new parish immediately. With the certificate in hand, you could obtain a passport to leave the country, for a fee at the Provincial Clerk’s office. The year the passport was issued is a good clue to when the person emigrated. If it was issued before 1917, when Finland was still a Grand Duchy of Russia, one of the languages in which it was written was Russian. You will also see Finnish, Swedish, and German. A few lucky families have the document in the family collection. Check with your relatives. Maybe they have some items that hold clues. Postcards, letters and photos from friends in Finland also hold clues. The query is asking us to look for: Henry Gustafson Lived in Issaquah WA Died in 2000 at age 84 Parents listed as Emil and Katrina Gustafson Lived in Duluth MN Where should I go next? To the subscripMon( Nebsite(Ancestry.com.((Census(records(may(reveal( Nhen(they(came(from(Finland,(and(even(perhaps(a record(of(naturalizaton(can(be(found(there.(( ( There is o)en%confusion%about%ancestors%1ho%spoke%S1edish% but%1ere%born%in%Finland.%%As%a%maSer%of%fact,%their%family% history%may%be%in%Finland’s%church%records%as%far%bac3%as% anything%1as%recorded.%%[A%like%to%thin3%as%far%bac3%as%pre% Biking,%but%that’s%not%yet%proCable.D%%% % E$%0hey%+(uld%"ave come in%5urin?%0he centuries o,%F.nseac League%po1er%and%be%ethnically%IalGc%German.%%Er%Romani/ Gypsy. Or were sent%,$(:%4weden%0o serve the Crown%.ny% G:#%.)er 11O0%1"en%4weden’s%$-lers%+(Q(pted%:-ch%(,%1"at% 1e%no1%call%Finland.%% % And%1hen%descendants%kne1%their%emigrant%forefathers%spoke% Swedish it was natural to assume that they came%,rom% S1edenR%%Iut%no1%you%kno1%beSer%☺% 1S20%census%takers%asked%immigrants%1hat%year%they% entered%0h#%US%.nd%&,%0hey%"ad%/een%*aturalized8%% SomeGmes having those%5.0#s can narrow the%Weld as we search%(ther databases fo$%2assenger lists and% Naturaliz.Gon data. % S6FS%pays%subscripGon%fees%to%Ancestry,%Genealogy% Iank,%MigraGon%AnsGtute,%and%so%on%out%of%donaGons%to% the%Jenealogy office8%%Bolunteer'%(,%+ourse%.$e%XET paid.%%We%do it for%love, belieCe%me.%%Hasse%Nygård, is not paid.%%Fe%1alked%up%a)er%a%lecture%about%S6FS%at% Finland’s%Genealogical%Society%in%Helsingfors%&n 2001, and% simply%asked%if%1e%needed%help%1ith%our%1ebpages.%YES% 1e%did.%%Then%he%proceeded%to%deCelop%TAL_E%and% Finlander, so people had databases and discussion forums%0o%.ccess%&,%0hey%"ad%`uesons%($%*ames%0o% research. ( % 1S20%census%from%St.%Louis%county%MN%[in%1hich%West% auluth%is%locatedD%sho1s%us%that%Anders%Emil%immigrated% in 1902.%%% % Fe%has%stopped%using%his%Wrst%name,%Anders,%1hich%is%a% common%2racce in%4candinavia. The first%*ame is given% upon the%child’s bapsm%to honor%.%relaCe, such as .% grandfather. The second%*ame is th#%(ne most commonly%-sed%0o%.ddress%. child,%'o%0hat%0here are not% too%many%people%1ith%the%same%moniker%in%the% household.%% % Emil’s%children,%born%in%America,%are%using%their%giCen%% first%*ames, the n#1%0radion. ( Emil arrived in 1902. Wife%_.0"#rine%.$rived in the%U4%&*%NSPO8%% Note%the%census%taker%carefully%recorded%land%of%origin,% Finland,%ANa%mother%tongue,%S1edish.%%Not%all%census%takers% are so careful. % The couple achieved cizenship%&n%NSNS8%%%X(te: Nephew Carl% Erickson%is%O,%liCing%1ith%them.%%carents%deaddd%%Address%is%on% Wadena%4treet,%1"ich%+.n%"elp verify%0hat we haC#%0he correct% Emil Gustafson out of the%5(Vens who are in the%:id-­‐west 1920. % Emil%is%machinist%in%match%factory.%%11%year%old%Rolf%is% “salesman%,($%.%2aper” ie%.%2aper boy8%%%%!(day%=ou can%2u0%.*% address%into%Zillo1%and%get%a%satelite%&mage o,%0"e house, i,%&t’s sGll%standing,%in%1hich%your%ancestors%liCed.%%6.ntasGcR% Perhap'%"e registered%,($%0h#%5ra)%,(r WW !. Here’s hi'%5ra)% registraon%+.rd8%%Hots%(,%&nfoR% % We have Emil’'%/irth%5ata. With%.%/irthday, we can%:(re easily%*arro1%5own%0he Gustafsons%born%in%Finland.%%% % The house address correspond'%0(%0"e census record as well. % And%noGce%that%his%1ife%is%no1%_aren,%not%_atarina%or% Katherine8%%X.:e'%.$e oen worn down with use in the ne1% language, English.% % What%.bout%0hat%#h0ra scribbl#%-nder ‘o,%1"ich%*aon%.re you%a%subjectd’%%First%eFinlandf%1as%1riSen.%%Then%eRussiaf% 1as%squashed%in%aboCe%it.%%Emil%le)%Finland%1O%years%before%it% achieved independence%.'%.%*.Gon. Tracing%_atrina’s%journey%from%her%homeland%too3%some%Gme,%but% by%seeking%a%_atrina%or%_atarina%about%21%going%to%auluth%in%the% year%1905, eCentually .%1oman Wng%those%parameters showed up 1ith%the%last%name%of%IRO.%% % %Af%A%could%haCe%located%their%marriage%license%in%MN,%A%1ould%haCe% been%sure%of%the%last%name%to%insert%in%the%AnsGtute%of%MigraGon% searc"%,orm. c.rish%M(mmunion records were opened%&n%.bout%NOOP% according%to%the%S1edish%king’s%command.%%ECery% person 1as listed, 1ith the%farm%owner%and his family first%(n%0h#%2age dedicated%0o%0hat%,.$:%-nit8%% % A married%child%1ho%liCed%on%the%farm%and%his/her% family%+.me next8%% % Then%Q%.)#$%.%'2ace -­‐ servants. Then%&nerant cra)smen.%%ECen%peddlers,%tailors,%blacksmiths.%% % Soldiers%1ere%o)en%listed%in%the%last%pages%of%the%Iook.% % %The%pastor%1as%required%to%keep%trac3%of%residents%and% report%0o%0he royal%0reasury,%'ince his record%1.s%0he basis for%the%0.h%system.% A%1ould%like%to%Wnd%Emil’s%family%in%Finland.%%cerhaps%his% descendants%1ould%traCel%ehomef%to%Finland%to%see%1here%he% 1.'%/orn%.*d grew up. Perhap'%"is reason'%,(r emigrang would%/ecome clearer. % So I’ll ehplore%HisKI%croject,%Finland’s%Genealogical%Society’s% database.%cerhaps he%1ill show%up in Christenings.%% % Stascally he is probably from%Svensk%l'0erboen8%4(%A’ll% clic3%on%secGon%1O,%then%select%ALL.% % hSpb//hiski.genealogia.W/historia/indehe.htm% % What%do%A%kno1%about%Emild%Enly%that%Emil%is%one%of%his% names, and he%1as born in Nmmn8%% % I’m%assuming%Gustafson is the%father’s name, patronymic or% 8%% So I enter%Gustaf as the father’s name. % You 1ill discover%that some%parishes have%NOT%released their%2.$ish data aer%.%+ertain date%2#rhaps to abide by priCacy%la1s%in%place%1hen%the%books%1ere%Wlmed.%% SomeGmes it’s as early as 1850, but in a fe1%+ases you can access material up to the 1920’s. % Since%1e%kno1%the%birth%year%from%the%US%ara)%Record,%1e% enter 1mmn. Eure3.R%%Larsmo%2arish%&s th#%(nly%2arish%&n%Svensk%l'0erboen%0(%"ave th.0%2arcular year, Wrst name%and father’s name%combinaon.%%The%birthdate%1hich corresponds to Emil’s%ara)%RegistraGon.%%Note%that%the%mother%has%enO-­‐o0f%in%the%column%a)er%her% names.%%That is her%age%at Emil’s birth.%It appears here%as an approximate.%%Een it’s .% single number which points us to that Birth year in her birth parish records. No other% notaon means that she’s probably Larsmo also from% .%%No1%1e%could%conGnue%bac3%for% generaons. Finnish%6.mily%Fistory%AssociaGon%is%a%Finnish%language% database, and parts have%been translated into English and Swedish. So choose your%pag. % At’s%Colunteers%spea3%mostly%Finnish,%and%are%most%interested%in% Finnish-­‐speaking%parishes,%so%there%are%some%S1edish-­‐speaking% parishes missing.% % We’re%looking%for%Larsmo8%%Iu0%&0>'%2robably%7isted%/y%&ts more recent%Finnish%name.%%Clic3%on%the%eLf%%Aha.%%At’s%called%Luoto%&n% Finnish.% % Now choose%eSyntyneetf%($%eIapsm/Births”. Choose the era which%'-rround'%"i'%/irth%=ear o,%Nmmn8%8%%% % Remember%Google%Translate%can%quickly%translate%from%Finnish% to English. hps://translate.google.com% % ( Since 1883 is somewhere%".7, way between the year the%$ecord 1as%opened,%and%the%year%it%ended,%A’m%going%for%page%qN0o.%%%%%% % And%there%he%is,%recorded%in%the%hand%of%the%pastor,%his%father’s% occupaon listed, as 1ell as the%Godparents.%%%%% % It1%A%1ent%bac3%and%opened%TAL_E,%and%found%_atrina%Iro.%%Fer% marriage dat#%1.s%*ot%7isted8%%4o%XE%(ne has%,(und%0hat%&n%.% database.%%%%%%% % Find%the%church%in%North%America%1here%they%most%likely%bapsed% their%children.%%cerhaps%in%the%castor’s%boo3%of%eNon-­‐member% Actsf.%The%marriage%may%1ell%haCe%occurred%there%as%1ell.%%% % ANa%the%County%Courthouse%archiCes%applicaGons%for% naturaliz.Gon can also be%Cery inform.GCe.%%You can pay for%.%copy of%your%relaGCe’s%paper1ork.%%Af%they%changed%their%name% substanGally,%the%original%may%be%listed%under%e1hat%9_A haCe%you% been%kno1n%by%since%you%arriCed%in%the%US9df% %% Sunnie%Empie%1rote%from%journals%kept%by%her% grandmother%and%aunt,%1ho%describe%coming%to%the%USA,% marrying%here,%moCing%bac3%to%Finland,%and%deciding%once% again%that%the%USA 1as%1here%their%children%should%be% raised. % The Sundquists%1ere%part%of%the%20r%1ho%returned%to% Finland.%%Fo1eCer%they%didn’t%stay%there,%and%thus%they% are%2.$0%(, a very small percent who emigrated, you might%'ay,%0wice. % Sunnie’s%boo3%1as%mailed%to%all%members%1hen%it%came% out,%as%a%bonus%from%S6FS.%%% % A’m%looking%for1ard%to%aic3%Erickson’s%boo3%on%Rochester% Washington%?(in?%(ut%0o members when%&t’'%2ublished.