This temporally and updated frequently www-page tells the last and current information of this research project.

Story

The sad story of Victor's family is well known in our small parish called Evijärvi, situated on the western part of Finland close Vaasa, where the most immigrants moved to USA and Canada on the 1850-1930 talents.

Victor went to Canada 1926 to earn money for a farm they bought and left five children and wife in Finland waiting him. Everything worked well in the beginning and Victor send money hidden in the letters to his family to Finland. But the local Finnish postmaster was thief and he robbished money and hid all letters to the stone wall as he told on his deathbed. As Victor did not get any feedback or communications, maybe he thought worse possibilities at home on the log camps.

Family suffered later a lot as the head of family vanished totally. I heard this story from a child and now helping grandchildren to find the truth and reason. The uncertainly state has been now 90 years. The family is waiting eager if there is found or known any kind good or bad information as the ignorance is the worst state.

Known facts

Mr. Wihtori Hernesaho later Victor Aho was born 18th April 1896 in Evijärvi, Finland. Married with Selma Matintytär Hernesaho (Melender), who lived 8th October 1894-11th January 1977.

Victor moved 1st September 1926 to Windsor Canada and died 20th March 1947 in Kapuskasing for natural reasons, this information obtained until last summer.

The same Evijärvi village boys arrived on the S.S. Montcalm ship 17.9.1926 simultaneously to Canada. The name list:

Hernesaho Vihtori 30v, Evijärvi, Selma wife stayed in Finland, this is now our puzzle.
Hernesaho Matti Eemeli 29v, wife Sanni stayed in Finland, Matti moved back year 1929.
Hernesaho Vihtori 32v, Evijärvi, got Canadian citizen membership 24.6.1947. Wife Hanna was left in Finland and died 1930.

Their first connection and traveling place in Canada was according to immigrant files:
“cousin” Mr. Eklund, 387, Wilmington Ave, Windsor, Ontario.

This Wilmington Ave I did not find in Windsor, only in some other places. Maybe this Swedish name guy is virtual and did not exist.

The burial place in Kapuskasing cemetery is zone 4, section P1 & P2, row/column O-9. Victor was probably a timber jack. Mr. Felix Aho is not relative and thus not spouse. Actually no one other in Victor family visited in Canada or USA during those days, maybe only some descendants during last decades.

Photos

The local descendants found only three photos about Victor copied attached. If there is any help, these photos can be copied and shown freely:

Victor with his wife and one child before leaving to Canada (9MB)

Victor has been already years in Canada due to many indicating proofs. Victor is second on the left (11MB)

Victor has been years already years in Canada due to many indicating proofs found on the photo. Victor is the second on the left. Vihtori Moisio, Pylkönmäki Finland, has arrived already 1907 as a young boy. He probably spoke already fluently English and that is the fact he is as a boss or in mearuring work. This is low level photo for the www pages. You can zoom photo by clicking on it

This photo has been taken maybe by a professional photographer as quality is good for the 1940 level. I realized it during coping by a professional PhotoShop software.

The left guy has maybe a steel stick for measuring diamaters of logs and he is Vihtori Moisio, Pylkönmäki Finland, arrived already 1907 as a young boy had he probably spoke fluently English. There is special word for that tool in English and Finnish. Victor has maybe cigar in hand unnormal in Finland. They are definitely lumber jacks on a short summerday holidays or weekend. Other jacks are not from Evijärvi, but looks like Scandinavian. Those timber jacks were called in newspapers on 1960 talent during strikes as bushman or bush-workers.

The population of Kapuskasing is now 8196, but on the 1960 talent during strikes there were 1600 timber jacks. How much more lumbers were during 1930-talent as everything have to do manually?

The same photo as a low resolution print (1MB)

The zoom of Victor face (0.1MB)

Victor with a suit in Canada.(0.2MB)

Unknown Victor's friends photo in Canada from which is cut sole Victors photo shown on the right.

Some linguistic background of family names

The family name “Aho” is common meaning “meadow” on the western parts of Finland where are the most immigrants coming from. Name is like Smith or Jones and you can not approximate roots as is the case with many other Finnish family names. “Hernesaho” is meaning roughly “pea meadow” and this can be orieted better in this "lake distict" area close 50miles.

After arrival to Canada

Now one child over 80’s age old remembered that those three Hernesaho guys was at first at a dam construction work place close some big lakes. They did not get their wages and guys started to walk alongside railroad and jumped on a train.

The time schedule from year 1926 to 1947 is open. The next information is only he died suddenly of natural causes on March 20th 1947 in the Kapuskasing.

Kapuskasing timber town

The last place is found at a local chemetry

Kapuskasing burial records

I do not copy beutiful photos of above links, but I suggest strongy to study to learn something more.

Dams in Canada

This caption is only for research purposes:
A list of dams in Canada

What happened after that for those young guys, is a mystey. Anyway Matti Hernesaho returned back in Finland 1929 and Vihtori Hernesaho setled down with is wife and got Canadian citizen membership 26.6.1947.

All Finns of that time had the skill for a timber jack. Someone wanted not to wade in snow and went to mines and few settled up a farm.

Some backgroud

One child of Victor told me decades ago a sad story as he was as a poor “huutolaislapsi” and that is one other reason I try to study the matter. This word is difficult to translate into English and I try on the next lines:

In Finnish “huutolainen”= Pauper receiving his sustenance from the parish.
In Finnish “huutolaislapsi”= Orphan child receiving his sustenance from the parish. This system was used in Sweden and Finland until 1935. The farmer won who made the lowest bit in auction to take a child for a year. They have to do a lot of work and in practise some slaves in the USA had better condition and life. What I heard from this Victors son, it was very shame to stand on the stump and waiting for the lowest bit. He never forgets these auctions and was bitter, why their father left them. Now those children are already past or close to do that. There were only very few children yearly “to sell out” on the parish auction.

Speculations

Not yet time for that.

Why myself is involved in this project?

I'm helping Evijärven sukututkijat ry (Evijärvi Genealogy Society) to find information about local ancestors and history of the whole lake district, Finland.

Contact information:

You find here.

If you have photos, legend or suggestions to correct something, I take everything with pleasure and try latter to put stuff here by mailing to us.

Updated 1st October 2016