#40 MY FINNISH COUSINS

October 31, 2023

#40 MY FINNISH COUSINS

MY FINNISH FAMILY

my great-great grandmother, Kirsti Wigren, and her children

my grandfather, Vaino, back row

( abt 1907-1912)

My mother was an only child of Finnish immigrants; thus I have no first cousins. How amazing and gratifying to recently connect, in person, with a host of second cousins--my Finnish family!

In 2019, en route to Russia, Steve and I decided to stop over in Finland for a week. We were able to find an email address for a second cousin, Erik, who lived in Helsinki, and asked if we could meet him for coffee. By the time we arrived, Erik had contacted 40 of our great-grandmother’s descendants and had organized a family party for the Saturday afternoon. Our great-grandmother, Kiirsti, had nine children; six of her children had family and there was a representative from each branch at the party. No one in the room had ever met every other person in the room, yet the love and family bond was instantly strong. There were four generations—from baby Elias to Mom’s cousin, 78 year-old Reino-- in attendance. When I commented to a teenage cousin that it was so great to have young people there, her comment, “I want to know my family” made me tear up. How proud Great Grandma Kiirsti would be to know that her many descendants were educated engineers, doctors and teachers. Her one daughter, Helmi, who immigrated to the US and had no children, was also fondly remembered and highly spoken of, for she often visited and supported her Finnish family during tough times.

Party in Helsinki & my Finnish family

my second cousins

Erik & I in Finland...Erik got the height in the family

Fast forward, post covid,😷 to last week when cousins Erik and Erja came to Toronto for a ten day visit. Particularly touching was our drive to Harriston so that Erik could visit the graves of my grandfather’s (his great-uncle) and my mom (his first cousin 1xremoved).