My Family in the Pacific Northwest since 1886, Page 5

Table of Contents
The Finnish Brotherhood, Astoria Lodge #2
A Letter from Paavo Fellman
The Pacific Lutheran University Scandinavian Immigrant Program

The Finnish Brotherhood, Astoria Lodge #2
The Finnish Brotherhood History, Astoria Lodge #2, Astoria, OR, lists the deaths of the following POYSKY members:
John, 1931
Matt, 1922 - wife Hannah
Peter, died 1934.

A Letter from Paavo Fellman
Author's Note: The following is copied from a letter by Paavo Fellman, dated 25, March, 1993. Paavo Fellman was John Poysky's nephew. Paavo's mother Helena was a sister to John's first wife, Kaisa. Paavo's version of the marriage date, place and Sophia's last name (PIETILLA or MÄÄTTÄ), in the paragraphs below, are different according to the 1910 US census report, as are the marriage certificate of John and Sophia. John and Sophia were married in Clatskanie, OR, in March, 1899.

"The confusion of the family name can be explained this way. In Finland at that time (prior to 1890), children used the name of the farm they were born on as their family name. Up river from Oulu, Finland, there was a farming area known as Oulujoki (Oulu River). The farms there involved with your question are the Kauppi farm, the Kontinen farm and the Kastel farm.

"George KAUPPI was evidently born on the Kauppi farm and Margaret on the Kastel farm. George married Margaret. Of that union there were 9 children. Their names are George (Irja), Jenry (Heiki), John (Jussi), Elizabeth (Liisa), Hilma, Kathleen (Kaisa), Kristina, Helena, and `Anna, not necessarily in that order. The family moved from one farm to another so became KAUPPI-KONTINEN. The father mismanaged the farms, and the older boys left home, emigrating to America. One established a farm near Elsie, Oregon on Highway 26 in Clatsop County on the Nehalem River. Both he and his brother drowned gillnet commercially fishing on the Columbia River in 26 ft open boats sail and oar powered.

"The Elsie Kastel farm became later known as the Luhanilla farm. Mrs. LUHANILLA was a sister of John NIEMI. John Niemi was married to Hilma KASTEL. The two brothers took the name of Kastel -- their mother's maiden name -- rather than KAUPPI or KONTINEN. Kathleen married John POYSKY in Finland and that picture shows her standing behind John Poysky and along side of Hilma.

"The other picture is of John POYSKY and Sophia PIETILLA. Sophia was John's second wife after Kathleen [Kaisa] died. He, John, went back to Finland, married Sophia and brought her back to America. From that marriage was born Tyne, Eva, Charles, Martha, Edward, Wayne and June. Sophia insisted they all get a good education including her step son George, which they all did. [See Author's Note at the beginning of this section.]

"The POYSKY family was all raised in the boarding house and home behind it in Uppertown in Astoria. They provided work for both my mother, Helena and Anna. Helena came to America the last of the family to do so. When the parents died, she chose to live with a married sister Elizabeth (Luisa) in town or near it, with them.

"Elizabeth, her husband and infant all died of a plague. Mother (Helena) survived and with a help of an Aunt in Oulujoki and family in Astoria, she was given passage to America and came alone at age 16, in 1896 to be with her 3 sisters, all that was left of the family."

The Pacific Lutheran University Scandinavian Immigrant Program
"New Land, New Lives Oral History Collection
"Hilma Kristiina VANHALA MICHELSON, an oral interview conducted February 20, 1979 in Battle Ground, WA. Hilma Vanhala was born July 24, 1890 in Hailuoto, Finland, a small island off the West Coast of Finland, opposite Oulu. Her brother Henry sent her a ticket to America, where he was living in Astoria, OR. in 1912. The ticket was for the Titanic, but fortunately for her, she missed its departure. The third class on the Titanic was made up mostly of Finns, and most of them drowned.

"Astoria was called Finntown and The Helsinki of the West. By 1920 there were almost 4,000 Finnish people in town that had a total population of 14,027. Many were single men who lived at boarding houses or with families in the Finn section of town called Uniontown.

"Hilma got a job at POYSKY's (Finnish) Boarding House. "It would have been good there, but there were so many men. They would have all hugged me, so I told the Mrs. I was going to leave. I made 20 dollars a month and board and room. There were three of us girls working there and we slept in the same room". It was at the boarding house that Hilma met Willie Michelson, her future husband. The Michelson's were prosperous and well known in the Astoria area so the wedding, which took place at Kelso, (WA), was well attended."