Finnish American Archive and Museum

• Finding Aids
• Genealogy
  • Siirtokansan Kalenteri 1926-1978
  • Kansalliskirkon Kalenteri 1938-1962
  • Watia Funeral Home 1918-1970
  • Finnish American Historical Society of Hiawathaland
  • Finnish Settlement of Brown and Dickey Counties
  • Knights of Kaleva Membership Index
  • F.F.S.C.G.L.M.R. Oral History Collection
  • Hirvonen Index
  • Holmio History of Finns in Michigan
  • Holmio Biographical File
  • Ilmonen Amerikan Suomalaisten Historia Vol. II
  • Doelle School Newspaper Index
  • Thomson Township History index
  • Nikander Amerikan Suomalaisia
  • Petroskoi 1931 American Finns
  • Ruhonen Oskar History
  • Suomi College First 25 1896-1921
  • Name Index to Photographs-Old Topical File
  • 19th Century Laestadian Ministers in the U.S.
  • Elo Cemetery Records
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Name Index to Dr. Armas Holmio's 'History of Finns In Michigan'

The English translation of Dr. Armas K.E. Holmio's History of the Finns In Michigan (2001) is currently in print and is available for purchase from Wayne State University Press. The book was originally published in Finnish in 1967, and translated to English by Ellen M. Ryynanen.

Armas Holmio came to Suomi College (now Finlandia University) in 1946 as a professory of history and church history.  He took over as archivist in 1954 and later served as seminary dean.  Dr. Holmio had previously served as Finnish seamen's pastor in San Francisco (1930-1933), pastor of various New England congregations (1933-1943), and served in the U.S. Army as chaplain during World War II.  He received a Doctorate of Theology from Boston University in 1940. 

The publication of History of Finns in Michigan received unprecedented support from Finns of all political and religious backgrounds, and accordingly leaves out no major element of Finnish-American life and history.  The work documents much of its information with footnotes and contains an extensive index.

As current archivist of the Finnish American Heritage Center, whenever a new researcher comes into the archive to start working on their genealogy, and their ancestors lived in Michigan (as many Finns did), I always check Holmio's book. What follows is the name index only from Dr. Holmio's book and is intended to serve as a genealogical guide to online researchers, reproduced here by permission of Wayne State University Press. 

The Archive also holds the records for the Society for the publication of the History of Michigan Finns (R-2).

- Kent Randell, 2010.
  Scanned and edited by Larissa Poyhonen and Mary Pekkala, 2010.