The Finnish American Historical Archive from a First-Timer’s Perspective by Elsa Kääriäinen
Written By:
Finlandia Foundation
You walk through a wooden door into a room in a basement. With its rows of metal shelves filled with cardboard boxes, folders and books, it looks like a maze you can get lost in for hours. Within these shelves are items that carry deep pride and history.
Maybe you are an artist, a filmmaker, or a writer hoping to find inspiration for your next project. Or a teacher wanting to find materials to teach your students, who might also use these artifacts as sources for their research. Or you are a textile worker or designer wanting to learn about traditional clothing and weavings. Or maybe you are just a curious individual who wants to discover something about the past, whether it is personal or not.
You are standing in the basement of the Finnish American Heritage Center, the home of the Historical Archive of Finnish American history, in Hancock, Michigan’s upper peninsula.
The FAHC Historical Archive has a variety of artifacts, such as publications, letters, art, photographs, videos, etc. The vastness of it all may sound overwhelming to step into. But fortunately, no researcher has to enter the world of the archive alone, thanks to the help of FAHC archivist Joanna Chopp.
Chopp has many years of experience as an archivist, having been at FAHC Historical Archive since 2012. She was a high school history teacher for a decade until she decided to go to graduate school for archival studies. Her personal connection to the Finnish American community through her mother’s side, as well as a passion for history and research, were aspects that drew Chopp to become an archivist. Chopp grew up in Toivola, Michigan, a small town in western Upper Peninsula, an area of the country that is rich in Finnish culture and ancestry.
“It is very much what I identify with the most. My grandmother used to speak Finnish with the neighbors when she didn’t want us kids to know what was being said,” Chopp shares. She also tells that although her own mother isn’t completely fluent in Finnish, her mother can carry a basic conversation in the language. Chopp herself studied Finnish when she was in high school and later on her own. Although she said she isn’t fluent in the language, Chopp had gotten the chance to visit Finland.
”I’ve been to Finland once, and got a chance to visit places where my ancestors stood. It was a very moving experience.”
You may be wondering what the every day tasks of an archivist are.
”The reality of my day-to-day work is quite mundane,” Chopp tells. Chopp works with people who have found items in a home of a late family member and are interested in donating them to the archive. She helps individuals fill out donation forms required as a step in the process. She may redirect certain donations to be sent to other institutions if they don’t meet the criteria of acceptable materials in the FAHC Historical Archive.
“The FAHC isn’t a traditional archive,” Chopp tells. Since typical archives mostly collect ephemeral materials, the FAHC Historical Archive’s collection of physical artifacts and art pieces makes it special. “So not only am I the archivist, but the de facto curator as well,” she adds.
The research in the archive can include many surprises, leading to emotional reactions.
“Some of the best experiences I’ve had working in the FAHC Archive are the times where I make people cry,” Chopp states. She explains that people have discovered their family’s original surname, who their biological parents are, or where their roots come from in Finland. Chopp even shares that there was an instance where she discovered she is distant cousins with a researcher at the archive.
Nowadays, using an easily accessible genealogy website is more widespread. But why should we use archives to learn about our ancestral past instead? Chopp says that the archive can offer certain details that online research may leave out.
“You might be able to find that someone got married on a particular day in the 1940s, but if you want to know details like who was in their bridal party or what kind of dress the bride wore,…[at the archive] you can often find that sort of detail in a newspaper notice of the marriage.”
Chopp adds that it is not only these small details that the archive can offer, but also the human knowledge of an archivist required to make those connections.
“That’s what I think the purpose of an archive is: to give people access to the knowledge of where they came from. And having a knowledgeable archivist who can make those connections to items in the archive is what still makes a physical archive with human staff necessary.”
Recently, FFN appointed a new board member, Catherine Mannick, to the team. While attending the post-FinnFest events in Hancock, she got the opportunity to visit the FAHC Historical Archive and received help from Chopp researching its materials. There turned out to be more findings than expected.
”I’ve been researching the history of Finns in South Dakota and was thrilled to discover materials about the Finnish community in the Black Hills, where my family is from,” Mannick shares. In addition to her research, Mannick discovered that her great-grandfather had been one of the founding members of the first Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Michigan. Mannick was enthusiastic to return one day and find out more about the history preserved in the archive.
“Thank you, FFN, for saving this treasure…[and] kiitoksia paljon, Joanna!” Mannick expresses her gratitude.
The archive has a clear focus: Finnish America. Although it is concerned with Finnish culture, its artifacts are shaped through the experiences of people living in America. Hence these artifacts can reveal the hardships, as well as the joys of the immigrant experience. What makes the FAHC Historical Archive even more intimate is its collection of regular people’s lives rather than well-known figures in history. As Chopp emphasizes, “This isn’t just Finnish or Finnish-American history, it’s human history and American history.”
So how have the experiences of immigration affected the history of Finnish America that one can find in the FAHC Historical Archive?
In the span of immigration, a formation of “Finnglish” has occurred, a combination of the Finnish and English language. Old records from 1st generation Finnish Americans at the FAHC show evidence of the merging of these languages.
”Often it takes them to be read aloud to hear what the ‘Finnglish’ is trying to say,” Chopp shared.
Most 3rd and 4th generation Finnish Americans don’t speak Finnish, but—like Chopp—had grandparents who spoke it, and often used it as a language for secret communication. Little fragments of the language have stuck around, such as swear words, numbers, and the famous term “sisu”.
The traditions of food are still prevalent in the Finnish American community, including nisu/pulla, pannukakku, leipäjuusto, as well as ham and prune tarts for Christmas. And one can’t forget the Finns’ common love for coffee.
Chopp went on to tell about the “…developments of the different branches of Finnish Luheranism in the US.” The Suomi College/Finlandia University was founded by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church. But besides Lutheran Finns immigrating to the US, many Laestadian Finns moved to the same regions alongside them. Hence Finns from different regions and religious backgrounds connected and merged with one another when forming a new community in the country. As a result, many Finnish-American towns have both a Lutheran and a Laestadian church.
“Many of the people who come here to visit have some kind of connection to the mines here or to Suomi College…”, Chopp tells. The Copper Country was the most common destination for the first Finnish immigrants in the US. When more jobs and opportunities were offered elsewhere, Finns began to spread across the country. Chopp says that these Finnish Americans were really living the “quintessential ‘American Dream’ story”.
Finnish American experiences haven’t been prominently special from Finns living in their native land. Chopp brings up the fact that all immigrants from all nations have made an equal contribution to making the US what it is today. And people at the FAHC “…have the privilege to preserve [immigrant] voices to tell their part of the story of US history and how it connects with the broader picture.”
The Finnish American Historical Archive at the FAHC is endless in exploration. Be a part of adding your voice to this living history and discover what you wish in person, or online. A visit here opens the door to family roots, cultural inspiration, and the timeless immigrant story.
To learn more, visit https://fahc.finlandiafoundation.org/archive/
Editor’s note: Elsa Kääriäinen is a communications intern with Finlandia Foundation National.