The Genealogy Committee has begun its work by challenging members to research the lives of the original Finns who settled in Fairport in the 1880's. This group of twelve people share one thing in common: they all love the genealogical search and the history that goes along with it.

The original Finns came to Fairport Harbor after the ore docks along Grand River were re-built.  This reconstruction provided many jobs that had to be filled.  Thus, where there is work, you will find a Finn looking to do that work. 

The original Finns we are researching are taken from this article:

"On the eleventh day of September, 1885, a group of twenty-three Finns arrived in Fairport and founded the first permanent Finnish settlement. Among them were Charles Hilston, Pekka Antilla, Jacob Tuoresmaa, Herman Kukilla, Isaac Mattson, Alex Kinnunen, John Ahonpaa, Jacob Pikka, Isaac Ranni, John Forspakka, Kusti Kaura, a certain San-teliin, Mikko Manty, Niilo Katila, John Katila, William Hirvi, Mikko Pohto, Esa Poutto, John Lamu, Matti Riipa, Isaac Alinen, and "Iso Antti Karstulasta."
These pioneers shortly erected their simple dwellings along the east slope of the Grand River and within a few years the population of "Finn Hollow"18 had increased considerably.
By 1900 the number of foreign-born Finns in Fairport had risen to nearly seven hundred.
Among the early Finnish women in Fairport were Mrs. E. Kinnunen and her sister. The first marriage was that of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kukilla in 1886."

Source: Ohio Historical Society Scholarly Journal Vol 49 Pg 155.

As of our last meeting, we have actually expanded our research to include three waves of immigration. The first wave starts in 1836 with the incorporation of the village of Fairport and ends with the century, 1900. The second wave begins in 1901 and continues to the beginning of the Depression in 1929/1930. The third and final wave continues the immigration of Finns in 1930 and continues to the present day. Many of the members of the Museum are from the second and third waves.

We are compiling a list of Finns from these immigrants to ultimately be recorded in book form.

If anyone has information regarding any of the people mentioned above, please email us to let us know. Please let us know if any of your forebears were Finnish immigrants and settled in Fairport, if only for a short time. Click here for email. Thank you in advance.

The second project we are working on is where Finns lived in Fairport. If you have an address (house number and street name) and the name of the Finnish family who lived there in during a certain year (19??), please email us that information. Please include the above information. Click here for email. Thank you in advance.