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|| Mother || Lizzie      || June 1864 || Immigrated from Finland 1885 || 10 children, 7 alive in 1900 || || Mother || Lizzie (??) || June 1864 || Immigrated from Finland 1885 || 10 children, 7 alive in 1900 ||
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 *[[ http://www.finamhsw.com/ | Finnish American Society of the West ]]  *[[ http://www.finamhsw.com/ | Finnish American Society of the West ]] in Portland.
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 *[[ http://www.migrationinstitute.fi/ | Migration Institute of Finland ]]
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== Hanna Mine Disaster of 1903, killed many Finnish immigrant coal miners == === Hanna Mine #1 Disaster of 1903, killed 96 Finnish immigrant coal miners ===
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 *[[ http://www.hannabasinmuseum.com/hanna-1903-explosion-fatality-list.html | another list with town names]] The 5 Longi surnames are from Yliveteli, which some maps place south of Veteli.  *[[ http://www.hannabasinmuseum.com/hanna-1903-explosion-fatality-list.html | another list with town names]] The 5 Longi surnames are from Yliveteli, which some maps place a few kilometers south of Veteli.

The Union Pacific mines used gouging, digging downwards to get the coal more cheaply. Safer practice involves sinking the main shaft all the way to the bottom of the works, then mining upwards, so that gas collects below the working area. Miners carried "safety lamps" which theoretically reduced risk, but sometimes opened them to light their pipes (!). A second disaster in 1908 killed 59 more. The mine was closed after that.

Emily did not lose her father or brothers to the explosions, but may have lost uncles.

=== 19th century Finnish immigration ===

Finns were expendable immigrant trash, the northern "white wetbacks" of the early 20th century. They did not face today's racist border paranoia; as northern Europeans, they only had to pass a medical exam for communicable diseases. If they came in through Ellis Island and failed the exam, they were eligible for a stay at the [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island_Immigrant_Hospital | Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital ]] until they recovered, or given a free trip back at the steamship company's expense.

My guess is that William and Lizzie did not pass through Ellis Island, but disembarked in Canada, and travelled by rail through Canada and Minnesota to Wyoming, their paper trail intentionally obscured by the Union Pacific company to enforce servitude. Wyoming was a territory before 1890, and documentation was minimal.

My grandfather Johan Sigurd Lofstrom also disembarked in Canada in 1911, a generation later. I have his steamship and rail ticket.

Emily Longi

Emily Longi was born December 1897 in Carbon, Wyoming, of Finnish ancestry. She married Johan Sigfried Lofstrom in Astoria Oregon on December 29, 1917 and had two children, Hubert and Sigurd. She died in the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon on December 22, 1950.

Father

William Longi

May 1868

Immigrated from Finland 1882

Married 1886 (estimated)

Mother

Lizzie (??)

June 1864

Immigrated from Finland 1885

10 children, 7 alive in 1900

Sister

Ida Longi

November 1888

Sister

Hilla Longi

March 1890

Brother

William Longi

November 1891

Brother

Elmer Longi

November 1893

Sister

Lempi Longi

March 1896

Emily Longi

December 1897

Brother

John Longi

June 1899

Hanna Mine #1 Disaster of 1903, killed 96 Finnish immigrant coal miners

The Union Pacific mines used gouging, digging downwards to get the coal more cheaply. Safer practice involves sinking the main shaft all the way to the bottom of the works, then mining upwards, so that gas collects below the working area. Miners carried "safety lamps" which theoretically reduced risk, but sometimes opened them to light their pipes (!). A second disaster in 1908 killed 59 more. The mine was closed after that.

Emily did not lose her father or brothers to the explosions, but may have lost uncles.

19th century Finnish immigration

Finns were expendable immigrant trash, the northern "white wetbacks" of the early 20th century. They did not face today's racist border paranoia; as northern Europeans, they only had to pass a medical exam for communicable diseases. If they came in through Ellis Island and failed the exam, they were eligible for a stay at the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital until they recovered, or given a free trip back at the steamship company's expense.

My guess is that William and Lizzie did not pass through Ellis Island, but disembarked in Canada, and travelled by rail through Canada and Minnesota to Wyoming, their paper trail intentionally obscured by the Union Pacific company to enforce servitude. Wyoming was a territory before 1890, and documentation was minimal.

My grandfather Johan Sigurd Lofstrom also disembarked in Canada in 1911, a generation later. I have his steamship and rail ticket.

EmilyLongi (last edited 2024-02-14 21:40:22 by KeithLofstrom)