America Letters Project: University of Turku, Finland, collection
Abstract
Collection consists of three sets of microfilm reels: 1) Letters from the Varsinais Suomi area of Finland: The America Letters, Varsinais Suomi (Finland), collection (1885-1960) contains 4,000 letters written by Finnish immigrants in the United States to relatives and friends in the Varsinais Suomi area of Finland.
2) Letters from the Etela-Pohjanmaa area of Finland. The America Letters (1890-1960), Etela-Pohjanmaa (Finland), collection consists of 4,000 letters sent by Finnish immigrants in Canada and the United States to friends and relatives in the Etela-Pohjanmaa area of Finland.
3) Letters from the Satakunta area of Finland The America Letters (1880-1964), Satakunta (Finland), collection contains 6,000 letters sent by Finnish immigrants in the United States and Canada to the Satakunta area of Finland. Also included are family photographs. The letters discuss family news; economic conditions; living conditions; working conditions; weather; and moving in search of employment.
Selected items from the collection have been digitized and are available in the University of Minnesota's U Media Archive and on the Digitizing Immigrant Letters project website (see "Digital material" below).
Dates
- 1880-1964
Language of Materials
Finnish
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS
Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.
OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS
This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
For further information regarding the copyright, please contact the IHRCA.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
In the 1960s, the Department of History of the University of Turku, Finland, conducted a project that gathered materials pertaining to Finnish overseas emigration. As part of the project, in 1964 and 1966, the Department collected letters sent by Finnish immigrants living in various destinations (mainly in the U.S. and Canada) to their family, friends, and relatives in Finland. The project yielded over 12,000 letters, which were collected in three provinces in the coastal areas of Finland (the area from which most Finnish immigrants to the U.S. originated): Varsinais-Suomi, Satakunta, and Etelä-Pohjanmaa. These "America Letters" (ca. 1880-1964) are now part of the IHRC's Finnish American collection in microfilm format.
Extent
57 microfilm rolls
ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS
The collection is organized into three series: 1) Letters from the Varsinais Suomi area of Finland: P2666-2681. 2) Letters from the Etela-Pohjanmaa area of Finland: P1298-1313. 3) Letters from the Satakunta area of Finland: P1270-1294.
- Title
- Inventory of the America Letters Project: University of Turku, Finland collection.
- Author
- IHRC Archives
- Date
- 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding Aid in English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Immigration History Research Center Archives Collecting Area
