UNDER CONSTRUCTION........ more coming!

    My grandfather's family immigrated to the U.S. before he  was born.  They lived in Palmer, Michigan and  he (Onni)  was born there in 1905.  When he was about 3 years old, they moved back to Finland.  We're really not sure why.  He grew up in Finland and joined the Finnish Army and fought in the Winter (Finnish/Russian) War.  In the photo above, he was about 20 years old, so it must have been taken in Finland as he didn't return to the U.S. until he was about 23 years old.  Some years later, his brother, Uno, came to the U.S. as well.  

     In Nov. 1928, Onnie married my Grandmother, Senja Maki, in Gwinn Michigan.  Senja was born in Princeton, MI in 1904; her father and mother were Abraham and Serafina (Pietila)  Kirvesmaki, but as with many immigrants, they shortened their last name to Maki when they came to the U.S.

     There was alot of work in this area in the timber industry and also iron ore and copper mining.  Our countryside very much resembles the part of Finland that our family came from.  My great uncle lived in Vimpeli, and some cousins live in a small village of Alajarvi, which in English mean's "low lake".   Onnie worked as a miner in the iron ore mines of Marquette County.