I promised mother that I would come home as soon as I paid my fare coming over here and saved enough money. And that I did, because I made ninety dollars a month in Boston, which was very good at that time. I saved every penny I possibly could, and I went home to visit my mother and sisters and that was really a lovely, lovely time. I came home for Christmas. There was so much snow and we went to church at night with a horse and sleigh. I forgot how beautiful it was in the wintertime.
*Although the population of the Åland Islands identifies culturally and linguistically with Sweden, the island group constitutes an official län or province within Finland.
Ina Silverberg
“I get so lonesome for Finland.”
A 1907 emigrant from rural Finland, Ina Silverberg planned only a brief visit with her brothers in southwestern Washington. Instead, she married a logger of Scandinavian descent and settled in Astoria, Oregon, where she held various service jobs and raised a daughter. Her contacts with the homeland included three return trips and regular correspondence.
I have been born in 1889 in farm country—Kaustinen, Finland. My maiden name, Aino Elisabet Huntos.
Huntos, that’s a Russian word. We used to be underneath the Russia.* In my homeplace, where I was born, was a Russian military hospital. An old man, nobody know what nationality he was, he stay years and years as kind of caretaker that place. He used to have a dog, Hunt, and if somebody come along, he say, “Ooshs, ooshs,” that means, get in. Then they started to tell [call] that place Huntos. My daddy, he had been born “Pentala.” When he buy this place, they start calling him “Huntos.”
At the farm Pentala, they got four boys and they make just living. My daddy was the youngest boy. He used to do farmwork and blacksmith. And he went to Russia. In Karelia there was good carpenters; they built so many church I can’t name it.† They went to Russia and they start building the famous church in Petersburg, they call it Isaac’s Church. My daddy work there.
I remember when we used to have farm. First thing, early the morning, my daddy built a fire; we had the open fireplace in the corner of the house. Then he went to take care the cows, give them something to eat, and take care the horses. Then he came in and then I used to be up. He cook coffee and calling to mommy to come have a coffee. They drink coffee and he take me in his lap. When he was through with the coffee, then he dress up me and fix my hair. We used to have always a working girl. [But] I have been so fussy; I didn’t let anybody touch my hair. I always holler, running after daddy, “Daddy, don’t go. You brush Aino’s hair, Aino’s hair.” And daddy had to always fix my hair. I have been really my daddy’s girl.
We make living. They talking about poor Finland, how poor. I used to say, “America is good country. I am citizen. I like. But I want to tell true, I never been hungry in Finland.” I didn’t know even others that be hungry. We have everything; we had plenty. We just had a good farm, growing always our grains, barley and rye and oats. Early in the spring, most everybody there, they start to make something from what they had, a little piece of land. They ask my daddy [for] rye. He just tell them, “How much do you need? Just help yourself.” And they did that, the poor families. And they asked him to pay, he said, “No, just come help out when we start digging up the potatoes.” He gave how much they need, if they just come help when we need the help. Same with barley and everything.
They was so glad to come help, especially young girls and boys. At my place they get really good eats; mother make good meat and many dish. My mother was really good cook. Then the evening, we was through with picking potato and cutting rye, then we have a big place, really smooth, let us play. So we play ring around the rosie sometimes, singing. Daddy just sitting in the porch, laughing. My daddy says, “You people have to have some fun. You let them to play home, then they don’t run away, they stay home. You don’t have to worry; you know where they are.”
I went to private schools. They don’t have too many, what they call here grade schools. My neighbor boy and me, we was same age; we have a private teacher. We didn’t know city life. I had been two times inside of city before I came this country.
We celebrate Christmas in Finland just almost like here, but little better. Here, people more careless, they don’t care how they dress. But we Finnish, came Christmas, it was so big honor. We fix ourself, best clothes, and we try to act really nice way. We went to church.
My mommy and daddy, they was really religious persons. When I read the Bible stories, I get the craziest ideas; and then I went asking to mommy those crazy things. Then my mother have temper. She pulling my hair. Then I start asking daddy. My daddy said, “Mommy’s not mean to you, what? She have only one girl, she try to teach you be just as good woman like she is.” He put it such nice way. He was really active at church. Every Sunday, he used to sing in the church.
Just before I left [for] this country, my cousin’s wedding and I was best girl. We used to have three days dancing and celebrating. We make outside, flowers and branches. When we have a wedding party, we have sixty-three couples. We walk hand in hand. Then they give a soda pop to us and others they was drinking wine and some mans they was drinking whiskey. Then we started dancing about two o’clock. We was through six o’clock; it last four hours before we was through. We have many violins and accordion.
I didn’t come to work here. I just came see my brothers in Naselle, Washington, just across the [Columbia] river. I have been three months old when the oldest one left home and the second one I have been already a year old. I came here I was eighteen, 1907. They wanted me to come, see. My mother and daddy, they have let me to go, and give me money.
I had been born in the farm country and I hadn’t learn to do anything but just sweep the floors and mop the floors and cook a little bit something. I used to say, like snails with horns, you have to have those horns a little bit ahead and listen and go slowly. That’s what I try to do.
I have been here now seventy-two years and I get these kind of spells, just like sickness. I get so lonesome for Finland. I tell truth, I like here and everything good; but I don’t stay here if I don’t have my daughter here and if I don’t have two grandson and four great grandchildren and I love children. I can’t go. I love Finland and everything so good there. I have good friends I like to visit there. I have first cousins and lots of second cousins. I get once in a while letter from Finland. And I have tapes, they playing to me tapes and singing.
I can talk a whole week. I have in my mind, when my daddy say good-by to me, when I left Finland. He gave a prayer. We went to Kokkola, where the train left. The steps for the train, I stand there, and he stand one step lower. Then he put his hands over my head, and he say, “Now our little girl is going to the world. I can’t give you riches or gold or silver, but take my blessing and keep it. Remember the old folks’ prayers and this will always help you.” No matter what happens, I have my father’s blessing.
*Resistance to Russian domination has been a constant part of Finland’s history; especially significant in this context was the policy of Russification begun by the tsar in the 1890s. Strident Finnish demands that their self-rule be respected had little effect, until the Russian Revolution of 1917 provided the opportunity for Finland to declare itself an independent republic.
†Karelia refers to the region along the Russo-Finnish border.
Martin Rasmussen
“When I was a child, we ate out of a common big dish.”
Martin Rasmussen was born in 1896 to Danish farmers living in what was then German territory. He went through a traditional apprenticeship and served in the German army before his path led to Denmark and on to the United States in 1923. After several years in the Midwest, Martin