Shortening the original Finnsih surname into Maki, Ranta or Niemi was not the only way to facilitate the immigrant’s settlement and integration. Patronymic looking names were familiar to many people of Germanic and Anglo-Saxon origin, and therefore did not stand out from the majority population. That is why behind many an Anderson, Jacobson or Johnson you will find a Finnish father named Antti/Anders, Jaakko/Jacob, or Juho/Johan. Knowing this may help in the search for lost relatives, but it can also lead down a false path. The examples in this article are from Thunder Bay.

Some real patronymics

The four sons of Heikki Lipponen emigrated to Canada around the turn of the century and one by one took the surname Hendrickson. Heikki (1857-1920), Karl August (1859-1930) and Juho (1868-1927)) took adjoining homesteads in Kivikoski, with a total of about 200 hectares of land. Antti (1863-1947) was employed for twenty years in Port Arthur until he bought part of Karl August’s farm in Kivikoski. Karl August’s only daughter died young, but the other brothers had large families.

Juho Vihtori Kurttila (1886-1967) from Ruokolahti took the name Johnson after his father. He lived with his wife Edla Sipovaara in Tarmola, Gorham Township, and from the 1930s in Port Arthur. Their descendants include Abigail Sheppard, principal dancer with Finnish National Opera and Ballet.

Another important Johnson clan began with the family of Kalle Juhonpoika Vainionpää (1865-1947) from Alajärvi. Kalle and his wife Eva Högblom, who was from Karijoki, had a homestead in Kivikoski. Their descendants include Eino Johnson, who had a long-running shop at Port Arthur town border at the junction of Arthur Street and Dawson Road.

Other patronymic surnames I have found in the Thunder Bay District:

• Kalle August Järvisalo/Otava (1872-1936) from Toholampi used the name Anderson after his father.
• Elias Antinpoika Lohva (11874-1939) from Pyhäjärvi (Ol) also used the name Anderson.
• Juho Hermanninpoika Kankimäki (1874-36) from Soini used the name Hermanson.
• Karl Johan Pellas (1877-1946) from Närpiö used his real patronymic Carlson as his surname.
• Kaarlo Wilhelminpoika Könnö (1883-1959) from Kauhajoki took the surname Wilson, not Wilhelmson or Williamson.

Misleaders

Nolalu pioneer August Erickson (1876-1935) was not Erik’s son, but the son of Aukusti Nyrhila from Lapua. He lived several years in British Columbia with the original surname, and only took his new surname in 1906 when he decided to break off his return to Finland and take a homestead in Nolalu. August’s descendants intermarried extensively with other Nolalu families, and some of them still live in the village.

Matti Airaksinen (1882-1969) came to Canada from Eno. He chose to be Erickson, probably because that’s how the locals pronounced his name anyway.

Jaakko Hermanninpoika Rajala (1870-1950) from Karijoki chose to live in Canada with surname Jacobson. For his descendants, of course, it was quite natural.

The father of Oscar Erickson from Närpiö was Gabriel Mannfolk, nothing to do with the surname he took in Canada. Other Mannfolk immigrants kept their surname.

Unknowns

I am still waiting to receive tips about the following unidentified persons. Their surnames that look like patronymics may or may not refer to an actual father.

Peter Abram Hanson (1857-1927) was one of the earliest Thunder Bay Finns, and a homesteader in Lappe. His wife was Gustava Hepokoski whose entire family moved from Ii to Minnesota, where the Hepokoski family is still present in numbers. Search for a suitable Pekka Hannunpoika and his Finnish origins continues, so far without success.

My great uncle Nick Mesimäki’s father-in-law Peter Nelson (1864-1916) has remained unknown, although he was once a key figure in the Finnish community of Fort William. But was he son of a Niilo, Nils, Nels, Niklas, Nikolaus, or someone else after all?