A few years ago, I discovered that August Scheppelmann, my late wife’s grandfather, made a journey back to his hometown of Nienburg, Germany in 1922. This occurred when I was looking for his original immigrant arrival in 1897. I posted about this second voyage and you can read it at http://www.collectingancestors.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1026&action=edit One interesting fact included
Read on »Immigration
Huskonen Family Oral History by Mary Jane Dingman Huskonen 1970
This oral family history was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1969 or 1970 at the home of Wallace and Mary Jane Huskonen, 6644 Hawthorne Dr, Brecksville, Ohio. Speaking was Mary Jane Huskonen (born Dingman, known simply as Mary) with comments by her son, Walfrid. Mary made the recording for her granddaughter Karen who
Read on »August Scheppelmann: His Two Arrivals in New York
On 11 Aug 1922, August Scheppelmann, grandfather of my wife, Mary Jane Van Court Huskonen, arrived in New York on the SS George Washington. The passenger manifest provides some important details: August’s home address was simply RFD Linesville, PA. He was a U.S. citizen by naturalization, which took place in District Court [Federal] Pittsburg [sic]
Read on »More on Grandma Huskonen’s Alien Registration
As I posted yesterday, my grandmother, Ida Maria Huskonen, was required to register as an alien during WWII. As it turned out, she was one of more than 4.7 million people living in America who registered as aliens. In my grandmother’s case, I’m sure that my father, Walfrid, took Grandma to Jefferson, the Ashtabula County
Read on »Grandma Was An Alien!
The Alien Registration Act of 1940 (aka the Smith Act) was enacted by the 76th U. S. Congress on 29 Jun 1940. It required all non-citizen adult residents to register with the government (It also set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government). Registrations began on 27 Aug 1940, and the newly
Read on »Evert Huskonen – Laborer, Farm Operator, Farm Owner, Retired Farmer
When my grandfather, Evert Huuskonen, emigrated from Finland in 1902, he left his occupation as a farmer. In America, he worked as a laborer in a railroad car shop, as reported in the 1910 census. The 1908 and 1912 Ashtabula City Directories listed Evert and Ida as living at 11 Bell St. in Ashtabula, presumably
Read on »Grandpa Evert Huuskonen’s Journey to America
On Oct 6, 2011, I posted an article about how my grandmother and her four children traveled from Finland to America. It involved some records research, some detective work with maps, and some speculation about details. I also wrote an article about the details of my grandfather’s journey to America but hadn’t posted it until
Read on »Logging In To Ellis Island Database
I received a call from a fellow member of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society (http://www.cuyahogagenealogy.org/CVGS/) inquiring how to access Ellis Island records these days. A few years ago, when the Ellis Island records were first made available online, I created an account to look up ancestors who might have come to America through Ellis Island.
Read on »Big Naturalization Ceremony at WRHS on Dec 18, 2014
There’s been quite a bit of discussion about immigration in the news lately, what with President Obama extending the opportunity to stay in America at least for awhile to some 5 million immigrants who are here without proper documentation. In this context, it’s comforting to know that immigrants with proper documentation are becoming citizens on
Read on »Ready, Set, Go: Researching Nordic Roots
I am finishing up my PowerPoint presentation on “Our Nordic Families: How to Research Your Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish Families.” I will be presenting it at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland on Saturday, November 1, starting at noon. To register, go here: http://www.wrhs.org/upcoming-event/our-nordic-families/, If you have questions, feel free to contact me by
Read on »GeneaBloggers
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