Re: Hendrick Laakso and Malle Vastala
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In reply to:
Re: Hendrick Laakso and Malle Vastala
debbie anderson 7/23/05
Quote:
"She was born November 22, 1872 in Finland, not sure of the exact location, I do, however have reason to believe she lived in the area of Finland that was taken over by Russia because in the first census that she shows up in, 1900 Raritan Township, New Jersey she states she is from Russia."
It's not necessarily the case. You'll want to bear in mind that back in those days Finland was not an independent country, but a part of Russia, from 1809 to 1917. A great-great-aunt of mine emigrated to the USA in 1891, and on the ship manifest she is listed as a Russian, though she was most definitely Finnish, Finnish-speaking, from a Finnish parish far from the Russian borders. Two brothers of hers who also emigrated, not so long after their sister, were listed as Finnish.
Päivi T