FINNS: An Oral History

The Voices

FINNS: An Oral History of Finnish-Americans in New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region

Excerpted from FINNS: An Oral History... by Patricia Kangas Ktistes, 1997, all rights reserved.

The Voices

These were the people that Patricia Kangas Ktistes interviewed for this project.

Walter R. Aho  

Original Finnish paternal family name Aho 

Walter, in his 50s when interviewed, son of Raino and Fannie (Kangas) Aho, was born in Fitchburg,  Massachusetts. As a child, he spent summers in Ashby, Massachusetts, and attended the New Ipswich, New  Hampshire, Apostolic Lutheran church, where he served as a lay minister. He now preaches at another area  church. He attended public schools in Fitchburg and Ashby, Massachusetts, and owns Grace Electric, one of  many entrepreneurial firms that began as a subsidiary of Seppala & Aho Construction Co., a Finnish-American owned and -operated firm in New Ipswich. He and his wife Karen are parents of 14 children.  

Oiva Anderson  

Original Finnish paternal family name Tuhvanaho  

Oiva, in his 70s when interviewed, was a first-generation Finn and only son of Andrew and Hannah (Mäkelä)  Anderson, who moved to New Ipswich when Oiva was three. He attended public schools and earned  baccalaureate and master’s degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Oiva served in the U.S. Army  Air Corps during World War II and then pursued an engineering career. He later owned an entrepreneurial  business. He also lectured before the local Historical Society, and contributed to Raivaaja [The Pioneer], a  regional Finnish-language newspaper. The late Oiva and Annette Anderson were parents of three daughters.  

Mrs. Harold Clukay  

Mrs. Clukay, in her 70s when interviewed, is a native of Peterborough, New Hampshire. She attended local  schools and the Concord College of Business and then married her high-school sweetheart, the late Harold A.  Clukay of Dublin, New Hampshire, and raised a family. Harold played center for Peterborough High School  during the 1930s when the Hilanders basketball team rivaled the ‘Fighting Finns’ of Appleton Academy in New  Ipswich, New Hampshire. 

Kevin D. Corriveau  

Kevin, in his 40s when interviewed, is a native of Manchester, New Hampshire. He graduated from  Keene State College, attended the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College, and currently  chairs the English Department at Mascenic Regional High School, serving New Ipswich, Greenville,  and Mason, New Hampshire. He and his wife Beatrice are the parents of two children.  

Lily (Maki) Dicker  

Original Finnish paternal family surname Hilmamäki  

Lily, in her 70s when interviewed, was one of two daughters of Charles [Kalle] and Emma (Lampinen) Maki.  She grew up on her family’s farm in the New Ipswich “Finn district and in early childhood attended a local  Apostolic Lutheran Church. She also attended local public schools and worked at area companies. The late Lily  and Arthur Dicker [Tikka] were parents of two daughters.  

Mildred (Somero) Henault  

Original Finnish paternal family surname Somero  

Mildred, in her 70s when interviewed, is one of nine children of Eino and Sophie (Sorvari) Somero. She grew up  on her family’s farm in New Ipswich, attended local schools, and worked at General Electric during World War  II. Mildred married Benjamin Henault in 1950 and they are parents of six children. Mildred has worked  extensively in her local community as a volunteer, assisting teachers in public schools.  

Leo J. Hill  

Original Finnish paternal family name Harju  

Leo, in his 70s when interviewed, was one of four children of John and Julia (Mäkelä) Hill. He grew up in New  Ipswich and attended local public schools. A talented athlete, he played center for the Appleton Academy  ‘Fighting Finns’ basketball team and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. After the war, Leo returned home,  married his high-school sweetheart, and worked for area companies. The late Leo and Doris Hill were parents of  two sons.

Patricia (Barney) Hoard  

Original Finnish paternal family name Paarni  

Pattie, in her 30s when interviewed, is a third-generation Finn on her mother’s side and is half-Swedish,  half-Finnish on her father’s side. A native of Esko, Minnesota, she grew up attending the Apostolic  Lutheran Church and local public schools. After her first year of college in Minnesota, she married Don  Hoard, a Finnish-American, and the young couple moved to Rindge, New Hampshire. She graduated  from Keene State College after becoming the mother of four sons.  

Debra (Halbedel) Johnson  

Original Finnish paternal family name Wesoja 

Debra, in her 40s when interviewed, is a third-generation Finn through her paternal grandmother. She  grew up in Greenville, New Hampshire, attended local schools and then graduated from Wachusett  Community College. She currently works for an area company. Debra’s husband Richard is of Finnish  descent and they are parents of one daughter. Debra also has a daughter from a previous marriage. 

Captain David M. Kangas, R.N., U.S. Army (retired)  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää  

David, in his 40s when interviewed, works as an ICU nurse at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He grew up in New  Ipswich, New Hampshire, and Reading, Pennsylvania, and attended local schools. David received baccalaureate  degrees from Fitchburg State College (finance) and George Mason University (nursing.) He made the U.S. Army  his career before launching a civilian nursing career. He and his wife Hannah are parents of two daughters.  

John “Chuck” Kangas  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää  

John, in his 80s when interviewed, was the eldest of six children. He was three years old in 1915 when he and his  mother Sannamaija (Kero) Kangas emigrated to the U.S. from Finland. John grew up in Worcester,  Massachusetts, then New Ipswich, New Hampshire, and attended local schools. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in  1942. After the war, he returned to his family in Dublin, New Hampshire, and worked for local companies. The  late John and Ann Holmes Kangas were parents of one son.  

Marion (Pakkala) Kangas  

Original Finnish paternal family name Pakkala  

Marion, in her 70s when interviewed, is one of two children of Andrew [Antti] and Ida (Aho) Pakkala. She grew  up in New Ipswich, attended local schools, and during World War II worked at Lovell General Hospital, Fort  Devens, in Ayer, Massachusetts. After the war, she married, raised a family, and worked for local companies.  Marion and her late husband Harvey are the parents of three children.  

Ralph L. Kangas  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää  

Ralph, in his 40s when interviewed, is one of three children of Ralph and Myrtle (Johnson) Kangas. He is of  Finnish descent on his father’s side and Swedish descent on his mother’s side. He grew up in New Ipswich on  the Kangas family farm and attended local schools. Ralph attended the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church  as a young child. He graduated from Keene State College and has taught ever since at Mascenic Regional High  School. Ralph and his wife Diane are parents of three children.  

Randolph C. Kangas  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää  

Randy, in his 30s when interviewed, is one of four children of Toivo and Eleanor (Somero) Kangas. He grew up  in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, and Reading, Pennsylvania, and attended local schools. As a child, he attended  the Independent Apostolic Lutheran and Missouri Synod Lutheran churches in New Ipswich. Randy works for a  local company and he and his wife Karen are parents of seven children.  

Toivo M. Kangas  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää  

Toivo, in his 70s when interviewed, was one of six children of John and Sannamaija (Kero) Kangas, who  emigrated from Finland in 1915. Growing up, he attended the Apostolic Lutheran and Independent Apostolic  Lutheran churches in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. He attended local schools, played guard on the Appleton Academy ‘Fighting Finns’ basketball team, and entered the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1942. After the war, he  returned home, married, and worked for local companies. The late Toivo and Eleanor Kangas were parents of  four children. 

Walter Ketola  

Original Finnish family name Ketola  

Walter, in his 50s when interviewed, is the eldest of five children of Arthur and Helen (Autio) Ketola. He grew  up in Watton, Michigan, and graduated with a B.A. and M.A. from Northern Michigan University. He married,  started a family, and then moved with them in 1970 to New Hampshire, where he worked for an area company.  He and his wife Elvi later moved to North Carolina. They are parents of 14 children.  

Patricia (Kangas) Ktistes  

Original Finnish paternal family name Kankaanpää 

Patti, in her 50s, is one of four children of Toivo and Eleanor (Somero) Kangas. She grew up in New Ipswich,  New Hampshire, and Reading, Pennsylvania. She attended local schools and, as a child, the Independent  Apostolic Lutheran and Missouri Synod churches. She earned a B.S. from Colby-Sawyer College and an  M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College. She is mother of two daughters by her first marriage. In 2001, she married  John Ktistes of Gloucester, Massachusetts.  

Mildred (Somero) Kuusisto  

Original Finnish paternal family name Somero  

Mildred, in her 80s when interviewed, is the daughter of Edward and Hilma (Moilanen) Somero. Mildred grew  up in Michigan, was married, and raised four children. She attended Suomi College and in 1968 moved to New  Ipswich, New Hampshire, where she worked at Seppala & Aho Construction. Mildred continues as a member of  the Apostolic Lutheran Church.  

Lorna (Niemela) Letourneau  

Original Finnish paternal family name Niemelä 

Lorna, in her 60s when interviewed, is one of 10 children of John and Lempi (Korpi) Niemela. She grew up on  her family’s farm in Dublin, New Hampshire, and attended local schools as well as Keene Teacher’s College. As  a child, Lorna attended the Apostolic Lutheran church in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. She was married, raised  a family, taught in public schools, and then founded a private Christian academy in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.  Lorna is the mother of four children.  

Frederick Meshna  

Fred, in his 50s when interviewed, is a native of the Boston, Massachusetts, area. He received his baccalaureate  degree from Fitchburg State College and master’s degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. At the time of  his interview, he taught chemistry and physics at North Middlesex Regional High School, serving the towns of  Ashby, Pepperell, and Townsend, Massachusetts. Fred and his wife are parents of one daughter.  

Linda (Dicker) Montague  

Original Finnish paternal family name Tikka  

Linda, in her 40s when interviewed, grew up on her family’s farm in the ‘Finn District’ of New Ipswich, New  Hampshire. She attended local public schools and, as a teenager, attended the Missouri Synod Lutheran church.  After graduating from high school, she married and moved to Vermont, where she works as a real estate broker  and appraiser. She and her husband J.J. reside in the Manchester area.

Col. John R. Niemela, U.S. Air Force, ret.  

Original Finnish paternal family name Niemelä  

John, in his 60s when interviewed, is the eldest of 10 children of John and Lempi (Korpi) Niemela. He grew up  in Dublin, New Hampshire, and attended local public schools. In childhood, he attended the Apostolic Lutheran  church in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. He attended Suomi College, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950,  became a fighter pilot, and retired in 1978. He and his wife Joanne are parents of five children. 

Kathryn Niemela  

Original Finnish paternal family name Niemelä  

Kathryn, in her 30s when interviewed, is one of five children of Col. John R. and Joanne (Huston) Niemela. She  is of Finnish descent on her father’s side. As a military kid, Kathryn grew up in the U.S., Asia, Scandinavia, and  other European countries. She received her B.S. from Colby-Sawyer College, M.B.A. from Plymouth State  College, and M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College. Kathryn’s a freelance journalist and U.S. government  employee.  

Oliver E. Niemi  

Original Finnish paternal family name Niemi 

Oliver, in his 80s when interviewed, is a first-generation Finn; one of two sons of John and Anna (Kekki) Niemi.  He was born in South Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and then moved as a child to New Ipswich, where he  attended local schools. After graduating, he worked for area companies, established a realty business, and  eventually retired. He and his late first wife Lillian are parents of three children. Oliver and his second wife  Marion reside in Peterborough, New Hampshire.  

Laurel D. (Aho) Ojala  

Original Finnish paternal family name Keskiaho 

Laurel, in her 50s when interviewed, is a third-generation Finn on her father’s side and third-generation Swede  on her mother’s side. She grew up in Calumet, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and attended local schools. She  then married and in 1964 moved with her husband to New Ipswich, where they joined the Apostolic Lutheran  Church. Laurel and Tim are parents of 11 children.  

Martin Seppala  

Original Finnish paternal family name Frande  

Martin, in his 70s when interviewed, is one of nine children of Gus and Lempi Annie (Somero) Seppala  [Seppälä]. He grew up in Rindge, New Hampshire, attended local schools, and then co-founded Seppala and Aho  Construction. Martin grew up attending the Apostolic Lutheran church in New Ipswich, New Hampshire; and he  and his late wife Barbara are the parents of 17 children. He currently owns a construction company, Seppala  Homes, in Greer, South Carolina, and serves as a lay minister at the Greer Apostolic Lutheran Church.  

Cynthia Smith  

Cindy, in her 40s when interviewed, served as an English teacher and guidance counselor at Mascenic Regional  High School in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, from 1995-97. At the time of her interview, she worked as a  career guidance counselor at Conval Regional High School in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Cindy and her  husband are parents of two children.

Dorothy L. (Patat) Somero  

Dot, in her 60s when interviewed, grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts, and Newmarket, New Hampshire. She  moved to New Ipswich after marrying a Finnish-American. Dot received her baccalaureate degree from Keene  Teacher’s College and master’s degree from Arizona State University. During her years in New Ipswich, New  Hampshire, she attended the Congregational and Independent Apostolic Lutheran Churches. She taught  elementary school for three years in Peterborough, New Hampshire. After moving with her family to Phoenix,  Arizona, she taught school for 26 years. Dot and her late husband Martin are parents of two children.  

Earl Somero  

Original Finnish family paternal surname Somero  

Earl, in his 40s when interviewed, is the youngest of nine children of Eino Somero and Sophie (Sorvari) Somero.  He grew up in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, and attended local schools and the Independent Apostolic  Lutheran Church, where he currently serves as a lay minister. Earl owns an entrepreneurial business. He and his  wife Marja are parents of four children.  

Lisa Traffie  

Original Finnish family paternal surname not known  

Lisa, in her 20s when interviewed, is one of 14 children of Michael and Katherine (Raisanen) Traffie of Ashby,  Massachusetts. She attended local schools and then worked in a full-service advertising agency as a senior  graphic designer. Lisa grew up attending the Apostolic Lutheran Church in New Ipswich, New Hampshire.

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