Just to ask PKRL, is Heimo a Finnish name or could it be a Swedish-speaking-Finnish name also?
I'm wondering as if it is a name with more Scandinavian/Norse roots, there was a big emigration of Icelanders to Canada around the 1880s onwards when times were tough in Iceland, perhaps some went a bit further on to Alaska. That said I've not met any Icelandic Heimo's yet and if it is a strictly Finnish name my theory is out of the window...
Yup,it might be swedish speaking finn´s name too,as in sweden theres loads of finnish decents having finnish names but id say its finnish name if any
but what do i know,maybe inuits and indians have also those strange names too,but it just hit my eye,that name of him as ive never heard foreign heimo-word.´There has been finnish mining community and miners and all sorts of gold diggers in canada/alaska from Finland,at early 1900´s.
While alaska was once property of russians,there was two Finnish men as governors(sorry if mis spelled),they were Arvid Adolf Etholen (1840-1845)and Johan Hampus Furuhjelm(1859-1864).These names again,arent finnish names at all,thyere more like swedish or german if you compare to names of modern ages,but back then all the folk in better places were more or less sounding more foreign and higher class,and we did have many guys with foreign roots in the best jobs...
In Alaska,theres records of Finnish people working as sailors,hand crafters,blacksmiths,miners,scientists,officers etc,but among them were some also karelian folks,i mean our finnish speaking "brothers" who lived in russia officially but close to our own karelian bordrers.Many worked,while Etholen was governor,through New Archangelic luterian church which i hear still exists in some form,somthing like "Luther church of Sitka"...?Nobody knows the accurate population of Finnish but there were,back then,hundreds of "us".
Mainly Finnish were moving to Alaska between 1830 and 1850 at first "wave",but even before that theres records telling that were especially few sailors form here,living there from 1820´s.Governor Etholen was there first time at 1818,and in Etholens ruling days,many of Finns worked in higher steps,sort of speak.His wife Margaretha established Sitka´s girlschool and they hired one more female finn there as teacher,Maria Fri Fredenberg.Between 1840-1845 the first and only pastor of luher chirch was finish Uno Cygnaeus,who held first lutherian service 23.7.1840.Oh and one person who can be noticed too was Etholens closest little helper,his adjuntant Johan Joachim von Bartram.
At early 1850´s the Finnish were vaporising and disappearing from Alaska as the fur-markets were going down since there wasnt much to hunt ( how wise that was....),and governor Furuhjelm tried to slow down the selling of alaska to USA,and tried to keep Finns there instead of leaving their "camp".There was loads of russians and many finns tried to merge to them by turning into orthodox religion,just to be more like russians and be more wanted and accepted.And back then you could get in trouble,as today,from being in wrong church as 1849 two finns,Jacob Lehto and Jacob Berg were accused of dishonouring religion as they acted in different way than orthodox believers.And into jail they went i hear,for doing something thats normal today,but back then it was more narrowminded...And when the colony was sold to america,1867,many of Finns headed back to Finland or even to Russia.But many of them ended up in San Francisco´s russian populations.The church that finns build in alaska was demolished 1888,but the Luther church stayed among the common men,and even back at 1930 there were masses and meetings,including several finns,and half-finns etc.
And at 1942 the church was rebuilt.
Since early 1900´s Finns were moving to all around USA,many went to Delaware were "we" were living already,as delaware had received its finns long time before that so there was relatives and finnish speaking communities already.
But back to topic...
USA brought 126 saami natives from Finland,and Norway,at year 1926,to tell eskimos how to live in one place and farm animals,instead of just travelling around.And decents of these sami people still do live in alaska.
personally i dont wonder if finns,and our sami people have lived in alaska,during all these years,as it is very similar,atleast parts of alaska, to our scenery,landscape,forests and our own lapland.
