Under construction.......

Photo that spanning 3 generations. L-R: Isaac Abramson,
Isaac's grandson (my Uncle), Isaac's son-in-law and
daughter (my grandparents), and Isaac's wife Jennie.

Five Abramsons that all working in the same mine.
Three are Isaac's sons and two are his grandchildren.

Ancestors

Click here for Isaac's chart, in .pdf format.

Letters to Norway

Cousins this side of the Atlantic have been in contact with the family in Norway.

Three letters have survived that were written by Isaac in Michigan back home to his brother in Norway. They were translated from Finnish. The letters mention World War II - specifically the destruction of the Storbukt Indre farm at the hands of the Nazis as they retreated Lapland and the contents of a care package sent to overseas following the disaster. It is interesting to note that after living in the UP with all of the Finns and English-speakers, he lost the ability to read the Norwegian language.

Letter 1 January 1946

Letter 2 April 8 1946

Letter 3 March 1955

Isaac and Jennie on the Hannula
farm.

The Stobukt Indre farm, which means "big bay", is located near the town of Kjækan in the Kvænangen Kommune, or county, of the state of Troms in Northern Norway. The property is owned by family members, though it was rebuilt after the Nazis burned down every structure during their retreat of Lapland near the end of World War II.

The Finns that emigrated to Northern Norway became known as Kvæns. The Finns that came in the middle of the 19th Century were attracted by the jobs in the Copper Mines, and also the fishing industry. Reindeer herding was also not uncommon. Many, like Isaac's grandfather, were able to own their farms after working in the mines.

This person's online photos give a pretty revealing look at the environs of Kjækan.