Thanks for that history lesson. I associate myself with those 'Monadnock' Finnish Americans. I was close to all my paternal relatives, one, because they were all in the New Ipswich area, and two, I spent a lot of time with my y Finnish grandparents on Niemi Rd. My maternal grandparents were French Canadian and divorced. It was not a good divorce since my maternal grandfather is not in any of my mother's photos and he died when I was 2. My mother's brothers went with their father to Pepperell, Mass and my mother came to Highbridge from Nashua in 1932 with her mother. My grandmother became a care giver for an older diabetic man (Adolph Rochon) at a salary of $12/wk plus room & board for her and her daughter. My grandmother inherited the house in Highbridge after Mr. Rochon died (before I was born). The house was next to Duval's (Barry's) store.
Mentally, I consider myself Finnish-American but am really a hybrid. There are many like me in New Ipswich, i.e., hybrids. Male Finns married English, Irish, Italian, French women. There are many in New Ipswich with Finnish last names who are hybrids like myself.
I did learn to speak, to a limited extent, Finnish and French. My mother spoke both much better than I.
Thanks again, I look forward to 'the rest of the story'.
Thanks for that history lesson. I associate myself with those 'Monadnock' Finnish Americans. I was close to all my paternal relatives, one, because they were all in the New Ipswich area, and two, I spent a lot of time with my y Finnish grandparents on Niemi Rd. My maternal grandparents were French Canadian and divorced. It was not a good divorce since my maternal grandfather is not in any of my mother's photos and he died when I was 2. My mother's brothers went with their father to Pepperell, Mass and my mother came to Highbridge from Nashua in 1932 with her mother. My grandmother became a care giver for an older diabetic man (Adolph Rochon) at a salary of $12/wk plus room & board for her and her daughter. My grandmother inherited the house in Highbridge after Mr. Rochon died (before I was born). The house was next to Duval's (Barry's) store.
Mentally, I consider myself Finnish-American but am really a hybrid. There are many like me in New Ipswich, i.e., hybrids. Male Finns married English, Irish, Italian, French women. There are many in New Ipswich with Finnish last names who are hybrids like myself.
I did learn to speak, to a limited extent, Finnish and French. My mother spoke both much better than I.
Thanks again, I look forward to 'the rest of the story'.