G2G: Trying to start up project Finland [closed]

Question

Please see our new thread Finland Project needs volunteers, are you interested in Finnish profiles?

 

Do you live in Finland or have Finnish roots? Do you want to help with Finnish profiles and research?

Please join me as I am trying to start Project Finland.

As you can see on the space page, there is lots to do and any help is welcome.

Please answer this post if you want to be a member of the project and I will add you to the member rooster.

Comments

I have no Finnish roots and could not help, but I congratulate you for starting this. It's a great project page and the goals are well thought out.

---

I was born in Riihimäki

Granparents mothers side Ryttylä  maa talo Sulava

Fathers side  Riihimäki and Vaasa

---

My husband's grandparents were both born in Finland and emigrated to the US in 1910.  Hugo Hedman of Kemi married Maria Huhta in Finland.  We know virtually nothing about Finnish family but are willing to help however we can.  This is very exciting news btw!

---

Thank you Isabelle, always so kind and encouraging!

Paula and Rhonda, we will get back to you both with more information as soon as we have the badge ready for the project. 

---

My links to Finland/Estonia are lost in the distant past!  But everyone with my Surname (and variants) are also from the same ancestry.  This is contrary to thousands of unimaginative pseudo-genealogy sites and businesses across the internet and before then.  I am Jarvis-2158 born in England.  I grew up with the story that we were 'Vikings' yet all 'authorities' stop at the 'aristocratic' Gervaise family who arrived with William, Duke of Normandy. and they assign Jarvis as an anglicisation of that name. Yet William, and the French 'Nor(th)mans' were very recently descended from the Viking brother who sided with the French king to defend against his own invading Viking brother.  I have always followed clues from events, news and maps. Now It is clear that all 'Jarvis' people (and Gervaise descendants of us!) are descended from people who built their homes on man-made island/platform constructions 'in the lakes' of Finland and Estonia (järvessä and järves respectively).  Not 'on', 'by', 'of' or just 'lake' but specifically 'in' the lake. These type of dwellings have been extensively studied in NE England, East Anglia Fens and the Cheshire Meres. Exactly where most Viking settlement occurred in early Britain... no doubt in Ireland too.  I wonder how Gaelic modified the Jarvis surname?

There is also a misconception that the suffix 'son' in Scandinavean patronyms always means just what it says in the modern English.. 'son of', yet in most other Baltic tongues 'soen' (spellings and diacresis?) also means 'lake', whereas 'son' or 'boy' in Finnish/Estonian is 'poika', and in some other Baltic tongues is 'pojka' (Swedish) which survives in Groens (N Holland) and in Afrikaans slang as 'bojkie' -(b-oi-ki) meaning 'young boy' and 'son'.  Yet in Swedish 'lake' is 'sjön' and not 'jarvi', so for them 'in the lake' is 'i sjön'.  So the 'patronym'so- called, of  Amundson can be deconstructed to 'a mund i sjön' meaning 'a mouth in the lake' or 'ad mund i sjön' meaning 'by mouth in the lake' and '... a sjön' 'along the lake', and so on!

The point?  There are a lot more people out there with Finnish/Estonian descent than they themselves realise... perhaps you should tell them about themselves! You may find many more collaborators for this great project!  The Jawitz's might be especially interested in their ancestors' 'day job'.... as warriors of Thor!  :-))

Answer 1

Great goals on the page.

I might not be able to help a lot, but would like to join.

Comments

Thank you. I have added you to the member list and if you would like to be on the trusted list of the space page, please put in a request.

Any help you can provide is a step forward.

Answer 2

As I promised, I will join.

Comments

Thank you. I added you as manager as I had your email and you promised to help with the more advanced tasks.

---

Thanks. "More advanced" makes me smile. I see it more as a formality, The project needs a Leader to get started, and I definitely think that it's a project that should be started.

I see from the sub-projects that you have listed that those managers seem to be still active - so if they don't find this thread I think you should just go ask them to join. We will have the necessary five members in no time at all.

---

I just did. Before I saw your post. :)

---

:-)

You sounded a bit pessimistic when you first raised the idea.

---

It's always hardest to get going, but the helpfulness of WT members never cease to amaze me.

Answer 3

Count me in, will try to help when I can. Unfortunately I don't know more than three words in Finnish.

Comments

Thank you. Added you as manager as well.

Answer 4

Yes, you can count me in.  I speak and write Finnish fluently, and can be of help with old church books and other old documents as well.

Comments

Thank you, and welcome. Do you have a WikiTree profile? I would love to be able to add you to the mamber rooster. :)

---

Hei Juha,

Nyt on profiili lisatty!  Sukutiedot ovat taydellisina geni.com:issa.

Terveisin,

Jukka

Answer 5

I want to join. I have lots of Finnish ancestors already in Wikitree :)

Comments

Thank you. I will add you to the member list when I get home from work tonight.

Answer 6

My wife has Finnish ancestry (both sverigefinnar and suomalaiset). Most of her ancestry was done by a professional genealogist quite a while ago who unfortunately neglected to include sources. I don't know how much time I can invest at the present time but I will certainly follow closely (and try to come up with sources for the profiles already on WT).

Comments

Thank you. I have added you to the member rooster.

Answer 7

Sign me up. My father was born in Finland

Comments

Thank you. Added you to the member list as well, and we now have enough members to start the process of becoming a top level project.

Answer 8

My wife has Finnish ancestry (3 grandparents) and I have Finnskogen Swedish roots.  I don't speak Finnish, but am a bit familiar with some of the the Finnish archives and can navigate church books in Swedish.

Comments

The Easter Bunnies are still busy designing the project badge.
We will be awarding it when they have done their job.

Answer 9

What a wonderful and timely project!  My Finnish side [mom's mother] is my brick wall so would love to help and get some also.

Thank you!

Sheryl

Comments

The Easter Bunnies are still busy designing the project badge.
We will be awarding it when they have done their job.

If you have a Finnish brickwall, you can post your question to G2G with the tag FINLAND (and a good description, of course).

---

Wonderful idea, Eva.  Thank you and I will do that.  I guess the Easter Bunny will bring the badge on Easter - April Fool's!!

Answer 10

My great-grandmother from Hedmark had Finnish ancestry and we have many Finnish DNA matches.

Comments

The Easter Bunnies are still busy designing the project badge.
We will be awarding it when they have done their job.

Answer 11

Finnish grandfather.

Comments

Welcome to project Finland. Project badges will be awarded as soon as they are available, but we would need your WikiTree id for that.

Answer 12

I hope I may be able to contribute a bit. My mother is 50% Finnish and I may be able to help with some matches. Thanks. :)

Comments

Great to have you onboard Marianne. Getting the project on track and everything done takes some time as you can see from the comments above. Your badge will be rewarded when it is ready.

Answer 13

My grandmother was Finnish—And am interested in my Finnish roots.

Comments

Welcome aboard Steve, you will hear from us as soon as everything is set up and we have the badge ready.

Answer 14

My mother came from Isojoki Vanhakylä and my father have some finnish roots way back in time too. I´m doing genealogy in both Sweden and Finland.

Greetings from Gustav Gustavsson

Comments

Welcome Gustav, you will hear from the project as soon as everything is ready to get going. Do you by any chance speak/write Finnish?

---

Hi Maggie!

I can speak some finnish but not fluently. But I can do the research in Church records in finnish.

---

Thanks for reply Gustav!

Answer 15

My daughter has finnish roots. I've been adding finns from a Finnish family book from Säkkijärvi and I'd like to join

Comments

Welcome to the project Peter, it will be a short while until everything is ready and we will get back to as soon as we have the badge to give you.

Answer 16

Please include me in the Finland project, although I'm not sure I can do much at this moment. The idea is good.

Comments

Welcome Olli, you will hear from the project as soon as everything is ready to get going. It seems you are Finnish so if we may have your help with language and location questions now and then it would be of great help! We'll be in touch after easter holidays.

Answer 17

DNA testing says I'm approximately 1/3 Finnish and Russian. I had suspected roots based on some amateur genealogy work, but I don't have any real content. I would be interested in following this page but wouldn't be able to contribute anything immediately.

Comments

Welcome Carmen!

The absolutely best would of course be to build your tree as far back as you can possibly get and perhaps you stumble upon a Scandinavian sounding name.

There might still be tasks within the project you could help with until you get your DNA mystery solved. We'll be in touch later, after easter holidays when we get the badge to award the members of the project.

Answer 18

My great-grandmother Sophia Johnson arrived in Texas from Sweden in 1847 and married my great-grandfather, an Englishman, who began cattle ranching to raise a family. In discovering her roots, I have realized the DNA she gave me was at least as much, if not more, of Finnish origin with a touch of ancient Baltic beginnings. I would love to develop an understanding of her past and learn more about her and her family from the 19th century and back as far as the journey takes me.

Comments

Welcome aboard Richard, project badges will be awarded as soon as they are available.

Your family story could be interesting to follow, Sweden and Finland has very much history shared since Finland used to be Swedish until 1809.

Answer 19

Yes please. I'm half Finnish and was lucky enough to visit Finland the last few years where I met a cousin who's also a genealogist. I've learned so much, continuing to learn more. Sorting out the changeover from the patronyms to surnames is a puzzle! Would love to be part of the project.

Comments

You are welcome aboard Vanessa!

Sounds like you are already on the way to building you Finnish part of the tree. Your experiences could be valuable to share with others just starting that journey! We will be in touch as soon as we have the member badge and are ready to get going.

Answer 20

Yes, I have Finnish roots.  My grandfather Arne Aho emigrated in 1923, and my grandmother's parents  Frank Reivo and Milda (Peltonen) Reivo emigrated in 1913.  I'm not sure how much help I'd be on the project since that side of the family has been something of a mystery to me, but I'd be happy to help any way I can.

Comments

You are welcome Muirae! We will get in touch with you once everything is ready behind the scene and we have the badge made for us.