Searching for Pentti Haanpää's letters
Hi everybody and greetings from Finland
I have no personal contacts with the Niemi family, but I would like to help a friend of mine, Esko Viirret in Oulu, Finland. He has no access to Internet and he claims that his English isn't good enough. (I hope I'll manage with mine.) Esko Viirret is a journalist, who is writing a book about a famous Finnish writer, Pentti Haanpää. Mr. Viirret is searching for letters that Pentti Haanpää has sent to his numerous relatives in America. This is my translation of a part of Mr. Viirret's inquiry.
"Pentti Haanpää's father Mikko Haanpää, born in 1875, went to America and married there with Sanna Keckman. Pentti was born after their return to Finland in 1904. Mikko Haanpää's siblings Birger (1870 -), Aimo (1874 -), Anna (1877 -), and Hilja (1883 -) all emigrated permanently to America.
An important pen pal for Pentti was Lempi Niemi. She was Anna Haanpää's and Aukusti Konola's daughter. Lempi was married with a carpenter Esko Niemi. The correspondence started in 1935 and ended in 1955. 17 letters have been preserved, and I am searching for replies to them.
Lempi mentions in her letters the children: Richard, born in 1924 (Doctor of Science, Mechanical Engineer), Ilona, born in 1926 (fashion model) and Wendla and Valde. Lempi lived in 1936, in Bronx, New York, and Ilona Niemi lived 1958 in San Francisco. The family may still have Pentti's letters.
Lempi Niemi was later married with Anton Stykki. In 1964 they moved to Lake Worth, Florida. Anton Stykki had a son, Aaro Stykki, from his previous marriage. They may still have Lempi's inheritance.
Anna's daughter Wendla changed letters with Pentti. Pentti sent her two of his books, that didn't arrive before Wendla's death in 1946. Wendla has had a son, who or whose relatives may still have Pentti's letters. Wendla lived in 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts. ..."
...
"Those letters that Pentti wrote to his relatives in America will play an important role in the forthcoming collection. ... I appeal to everybody that this important message would be spread all over the country. I hope this message will reach those members of the Haanpää family, who still have left Pentti's letters!
If original letters would not be donated to collections of Pentti Haanpää Society in Piippola, Finland, copies of the letters are valuable too. Also some other material connected to Pentti may be found, like author's copies of his books, photographs, articles, diary notes, remembrances etc. All those will be needed in the forthcoming book."
So, this is what Mr. Esko Viirret writes. If anyone of you has something that has any connection to Pentti Haanpää, please reply on this list or directly to me. I'll then forward the information to Mr. Viirret.
With best regards
Martti Kiviharju
senior assistant, University of Oulu, Finland