MIGOGEBI-L Archives

From: "Connie" <>
Subject: AHO and LAHTI anyone connect?
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 20:26:11 -0500

SUCCESSFUL LINKS: FINNISH FINDS
by Paul and Dotty Kinnun
Sometime before 1940, four of the offspring of Finnish immigrants Moses and
Kaisa AHO gathered in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with their spouses for
a family portrait. They were Matt AHO and his wife Katrina, Kate AHO and her
husband Simon LAHTI, Lizzie AHO and her husband John LAHTI (brother of
Simon), and Maria AHO and her husband Sam ANTTILA. Maria and Sam were
Paul's grandparents, but Maria died before he was born, and we had never had
a picture of them. We were thrilled this spring to find Ruth Broemer on the
Internet, a granddaughter of Kate and Simon, and exchange family
information. She had this photo, and sent a copy to us.
When we went on vacation to Michigan this summer, we planned to get together
with Ruth and her husband Dale. But first, we knew we would be seeing
cousins who were grandchildren of the other sister, Lizzie, so we brought
along more copies of the photo to give to them. One evening we met one of
these cousins, A. C. Stein, and his wife Pat, for dinner. A. C. joked with
Paul that the two of them had so many relatives in the Upper Peninsula,
there could be one in the restaurant right then, and they wouldn't even know
it.
After we finished our meal, we went out to the car and got the photograph.
We presented it to A. C. on the restaurant porch, and were pointing out the
people in the picture: "Here's your grandma Lizzie, and here's Paul's
grandma Maria, and here's their other sister Kate . . ." Another couple
leaving the restaurant overheard us, turned around, and came back to
introduce themselves. They were Ruth and Dale, the people who had sent us
the photograph. They had come from the next county to have a special dinner
out to celebrate the end of haying season, and happened to be at the same
restaurant where we were, and leaving at exactly the right time to catch
that part of our conversation, and recognize the names as belonging to their
family. So there we were, grandchildren of three of the four AHO siblings,
plus spouses, together again in the Upper Peninsula 60 years later.
Naturally, we had to have our photo taken.
Now we'd love to find descendants of Matt and Katrina. There was also
another brother, Swante ("Swan") AHO, who died in Detroit in the 1920s. We
know some of Swan's family, but none of Matt's.
~~~ Genealogist Researching:
Connie Conley Noyes ~~~ Brooks, Conley, Crosby
1314 Superior St. ~~~ Earegood, Fraley, Grabrick
Wakefield MI ~~~ Hall, Hamilton, Keebaugh
49968 ~~~ Langlois, Mason
Gogebic County Coordinator www.rootsweb.com/~migogebi/gogebic.htm

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• AHO and LAHTI anyone connect? by "Connie" <>