A Family Story

A Family Story

by Edwin Harkonen (1999)

Around the turn of the century the biggest migration took place with the promise of better prospects – jobs, money, etc. My father, Alex, came to Canada first about 1900, 18 years old, the youngest of nine. He didn’t have much hope at the home horse farm in Tampere.

He roamed the lumber camps in southern Canada and the northern U.S. for 17 odd years. He teamed up with Einar Makela, Nick Makela, and Oscar Kinon. Funny that they would end up on McIntyre Road (Alpine, NY) within 7 miles of each other! Pa finally came to Detroit about 1917, met mother ,Lydia, and I was born in 1919. He worked as a carpenter at Fords mainly.

In 1922 Frank Maki enticed Finns from Detroit and the Upper Peninsula to come to New York. Einar Makela and my family came and bought farms a mile apart. Einar came a few month earlier with family than we did in May so he was there to get us in his horse and buggy.

Our farm was very run down so the first years were very hard – trying to get things growing and growing everything possible to eat. Also he worked out, repairing Mecklenburg and Odessa mills. Two winters at least Ma and I went back to Detroit and NYC to be a servant again. Mother came to the U.S. in about 1910, probably sponsored by the Komulas where a lot of the women worked as servants. Ma was second cook for the Morgans, Vanderbilts, etc. She went to Detroit in 1917.

We got our ’24 Model-T in 1926. Once Ma got ahold of it, she was off – organizing picnics, etc. and getting subscriptions for Eteenpain. Of course, we only had a horse and buggy the first years. I recall a trip to Emil Maki’s in Newfield was an all day trip! Going to Odessa, 7 miles (eggs in and feed out) or Trumansburg, 10 miles, was tiring, but fun for me.

As the only child I was quite lonesome the first years (3-7), but school over a mile away livened it up. Knowing only Finn at home made it hard the first days (some tears, of course) but with a very kind teacher got going okay. I missed one winter (2nd grade) as Ma had to go “piikoing”¹ to NYC. Then I skipped the 3rd half of 7th and all of 8th! I went to Odessa High School to finish English Regents and start high school in January. I spent the next 4 years in high school as I couldn’t leave school before I was 16. Then on to Cornell for a 2 year special agriculture course (’37-’39).

We had several big Juhannus kokkos – at Walt Forsman’s in Ovid, Tapios in Ovid, and our pasture plus others. Lots of fun with singing and dancing, etc.

Oh yes, we were dramatic, with Ahlsons directing and acting, we put on several plays (shown in Van Etten Hall) and I say “we” as it seems I was always roped in to doing a bit part. (Never understood some of the lines!) But I was one of the lovers in “Kuusi Rakastavaistä” (Six Lovers). Never made Broadway with it but did go to Syracuse with it!

Also we put together a folk dance show at Trumansburg School (300^th anniversary of the Delaware Finns landing). I was in that and I believe the Hacks, Vesas, and Mrs. Gottberg (my partner) were in it.

¹. Editor's note: Piikoing is a Finglish word combining the Finnish word piika (maid) with the English ing ending to make a verb meaning to do maids work.

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