The Tombstone has a message, Part 1

On the west coast of the United States, in the state of Washington, in a locality called Naselle, there is a small cemetery called Peaceful Hill Cemetery. The names engraved on the tombstones say that most of those buried there have Finnish roots. I visited that cemetery in the summer of 2005, but at the time I didn’t notice a tombstone that bore MARTYR on the back. About a week ago, a friend of mine who lives nearby posted a picture of that tombstone. As I saw the picture, I remembered that I had read newspaper articles about a sad event in which the Finnish-born Pentecostal evangelist Antti Lajunen had died.

As always, the special destinies of life aroused my interest and I began to find out the course of Antti Lajunen's life path, the final stop of which was the above-mentioned cemetery. Antti Lajunen was born on August 1, 1877 in the village of Karmala in Sortavala (Karmala no. 5) to the family of farmer Jaakko Henrikinpoika Lajunen (May 24, 1832 - July 7, 1911) and Brita Antintytär Ijäs (November 8, 1841 - October 23, 1902). [1] Antti's parents were married on 12 August 1860 and a total of seven children were born in the family: Henrik (16.3.1863-28.2.1918), Anna (2.6.1867), Helena (11.2.1871), Jakob (7.3.1874), Antti, whose first name is in the book of baptism in the form Anders (1.8.1877), Maria 18.10.1880 and Brita (27.2.1884). [2]

According to Church books, Antti's parents Jaakko and Brita Lajunen have been very diligent in attending communion. And, according to Church books, Antti's father Jaakko has worked as a Sunday school teacher for the local Evangelical Lutheran Church. In the records of the eldest of Antti's siblings, Henrik, there is an indication of "weak-minded", and he never started a family. The eldest of the daughters, Anna, married Matti Pulkkinen, a peasant son from the village of Riekkala in Sortavala on October 21, 1887. [3] The marriage gave birth to six children, but Anna died on the birth of her youngest child on February 21, 1902. The next of Antti's siblings, Helena, took the migration book to Helsinki on March 27, 1900, and after that I have no information about her. The fourth of the family's children, Jaakko (Jakob), married Maria Ollintytär Luostarinen (July 14, 1881-) from Sortavala's Heikkurinsaari on March 6, 1903. [4] Jaakko died at the age of 52 at his home in Sortavala's Karmala on April 12, 1926. In addition to the wife, five children, three sons and two daughters were left to mourn. Antti's sister Maria was married on January 4, 1907 to Juhana Antinpoika Haatanen (4.8.1882-), who was from the same village. [5] Riitta (Brita), the youngest of Antti Lajunen's siblings, was born in 1884 and, like Antti, never married.

Antti Lajunen experienced a spiritual awakening within the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and religious activation can be seen in the busy communion visits in 1898-1903, after which they completely cease. He moved to the Baptists in the early 20th century, and on the basis of communion visits, the  could be dated to 1903-1904. Antti Lajunen received adult baptism and performed as a spiritual speaker at Baptist events. An additional pencil entry, Baptist, has been made in communion  book of the Sortavala rural parish 1900-1909. The clergy of the Lutheran congregation tried to persuade Antti to give up activities without either success. Antti Lajunen remained a formal member of the Evangelical Lutheran congregation until 1912.

In 1903-1912, Antti Lajunen toured in his hometown area in Karelia to hold spiritual meetings with, among others, the elementary school teacher, the evangelist Pekka Lattu. Lattu has in his book
"Expensively Purchased Freedom" described Antti Lajunen's activities as follows [appendixes in square brackets to improve the comprehensibility of the text]:

Texts engraved on Antti Lajunen's memorial translated from Finnish to English (Bible text: King James Version)

Martyr, Evangelist Antti Lajunen, born in Finland in 1877, died May 9, 1929 Portland Oregon USA.
"I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." Revelation 6:9.
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15.

“In August 1903 I moved to Sortavala; there I met Brother Antti Lajunen, who had woken up but was afraid of sectarianism, as he himself said. At a meeting with Brother V. Malin, he then said he understood free grace. Immediately after reading the Bible in his home, he was delighted with the Room. 5: 1 so much that [Antti Lajunen's] father noticed it and started warning about the wrong. He was later taken to Pastor Jalkanen of Ruskeala to correct for a false doctrine. But Antti Lajunen wanted to follow the teachings of the Bible and was baptized soon after.

Since then, we have held joint meetings with Brother Antti Lajunen in the countryside, but the pastor of the [Lutheran congregation] announced in the church that [us] should not be given a meeting room. So some of the hosts fearfully closed their doors, but others opened and received the word with joy. Once in the village of Karmala, Antti Lajunen had asked for a room for a meeting, and he go a permission, and then asked me to speak. The crowd had arrived in abundance, but before the meeting began, one farmer, a village elder and a Sunday school teacher, came and frightened the owner of the house with periodic penalty payments, citing a church proclamation. The host then apologized to us for not having to hold the meeting now. I asked then if the host was afraid we were teaching the wrong doctrine. He replied that he did not know what was right and what was wrong, but he would not start paying the fine once it was forbidden.

That’s when I said that once a meeting isn’t allowed, it’s not held. But the Bible explains what is wrong to learn and what are false prophets. Don't you, the host and the assembled people, want to hear, then I read a little from the Bible. Everyone agreed, saying that at least it won’t be a fine if you read the Bible. So I read of true and false prophets, and the people listened and marveled. The master of the house broke down in tears and said, ‘Now I know who is right and who is wrong. I am no longer afraid of threats; these men are allowed to speak in my house, and let him who is afraid go away. '' Those three words against the above went out, the audience stayed to listen, and we continued the meeting. "[6]

Officially, the separation from the Lutheran Church took place on May 15, 1912, when he transferred his church books to the Tampere Baptist Church/Congregation, as there was no parish for the Baptists in Sortavala. [7] At the same time, Lajunen became acquainted with the Pentecostal movement, whose message also inspired him. In the next section, I will talk about Lajunen's work as an evangelist for the Pentecostal movement.

More articles on Fort Bragg Finns: Founding and building the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Bragg has changes its name to the Trinity Lutheran Church

The first Finn permanently moved to the Fort Bragg region, Mendocino count, in California as early as 1869 and the other early settlers in 1877. In the beginning of 1880s the Finnish population in the area increased rapidly. The Finnish immigrants came to Fort Bragg area because of the employment available in the logging, lumbering and fishing operations, trades they knew from the “old country”. Many members of the Fort Bragg Finnish community felt a need for a church where they could worship in their native language. The Finnish religious heritage was primarily Lutheran and early group of Finns formed al Lutheran congregation on February 17, 1889. The fifteen charter members adopted the name Finland Evangelist Lutheran Church. “Evangelist” was a mistranslation of the Finnish word “evankelis”. Notes from the minutes of this initial meeting establish the identity of founders:

At this first meeting we established and named the church with 15 members. Council members were elected by voice vote
Chairman: John Barquist
Secretary: Johan Petter Westerberg
Treasurer: Johan Guest
Board members: Johan Jensen, Herman Barquist/Berkovitz, Jacob Nyy, Isak Markkula, Jacob Backman (Haiman in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti and in the original minutes), Peter Johanson (missing in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti).
We agreed that the name shall be Suomalainen Evankelis-Lutherilainen Seurakunta and it shall be changed unless the whole congregation agrees. Members shall be morally upright and they shall not be saloon keepers.

The Finland Lutheran Evangelist Church' churchbook.

At the same meeting a lot was secured at the southeast corner of Corry Street and Redwood Avenue.  In  the next meeting in March plans were underway for the construction of a church building and was decided to clear the Church lot. At the meeting on April 28, 1889, a list was prepared for sign-ups for building funds. On June 30, 1889, the architect’s drawings were approved and a loan for $300 was negotiated to purchase lumber. At this point, however, the Mill (Fort Bragg Redwood Company) donated the necessary lumber, first-cut redwood timber which was being harvested at that time.

Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church in Fort Bragg

Following articles were published in the local Advocate-News:

On July 19, 1889:
Lumber is being hauled this week for the building of a Finland Lutheran Church on Redwood Avenue. It will be 30x50 feet and the top of the steeple, 75 feet from the ground.

On July 17, 1889:
New Church
The new Finland Lutheran Church is well under way and everything points to a neat house of worship. Mr. Barqvist desires to return thanks to those who donated toward the project: Fort Bragg Redwood Co $50, C. L. Burbeck $5, H. Houston $2,50, T. L. Johnson $10, H. A. Weller $5, G. W. Perkins $2,50, Geo Berryhill $1,50, Eri Huggins $5, C. R. Johnson $10, Marks & Leiser gave a keg of nails, Julius Wintzer $5, F. Kammerer $1,50, G. A. Johnson $1, Bucholtz Bros. $5, A .A. Lord $2,50, A. F. Carmichael $2,50, H. R. Danders $2, R. Glanders $1,50, A. C. Kimball $1, O. R. Johnson $25, A. B. Cambell $1, J. Barqvist $10, H. Barqvist $5, A. Wilson $5, Matti Pelta (=Pelto?) $10, J. Martin $3, J. Soderman $10, J. P. Westerberg $5, Y. Hyman $5, Jacob Nyy $5, This does not complete the list.

On August 28, 1889:
Work on the Finn Church has stopped for want of funds. This little edifice will present a neat appearance when completed.

On September 18, 1889
The following people are new contributors to the building fund of the Finland Lutheran Church: Peter Peterson $5, F. A. Whipple $5, T. Murray $5, Kaarl J. Jakobson $5, Eza Terraien $6, Herman Berkamtje (=Barqvist?) $6, J. Soderman $4, J.A. Diel $1.

The Finnish Newspaper wrote in the beginning of June, 1890,
that the Finnish Church in Fort Bragg was nearly completed.
Tampereen Sanomat June 4, 1890.

Construction of the building started in September 1889 and in the end of the same year the structure was roofed and closed in enough to hold regular services. The building was finished in the Summer 1890. It was painted both inside and outside, the altar, pulpit and pews were completed, too. The church was built of redwood and fir with clapboard siding on the exterior. There were four Gothic windows on the north side as well as on the south side of the church.

The membership of the congregation grew rapidly. As early as in the end of the foundation year it was counted to rise over one hundred, including children. In the end of the second year the membership had risen to two hundred. Membership has not thereafter at any point increased to enlarge. The church members lived in addition to Fort Bragg in Noyo Hill, Noyo, Caspar, Mendocino, Albion and Comptche. Some live up to thirty miles from the Fort Bragg.

They are thrifty and industrious - Finns in Copper Country

The last place on Earth for many Finns has been Copper Country, Michigan. There they found their living after immigration. This "The Last Place on Earth" you will find three miles north of Calumet, in Phillipsville, at US Highway 41.

I found this short article about Copper Country Finns in the Ironwood News Record. It was published on August 1, 1896. I retyped this, a little bit blurry text, with some comments:

A Industrious People

Twenty years ago there were not over 100 Finnish residents in Houghton County [1]. Today there are estimated to be over 7 000, or more than any other nationality other than Americans. The largest immigration of Finns was between the years of 1885 and 1886. The great majority of those coming to this country belong to the peasant class, very few coming from the cities of their native land. The chief occupation of the Finns in the Copper Country is mining, but quite a number have taken up farming on a small scale. They are also fast becoming a prominent factor in business circles; and they compare favorably in sobriety with any other nationality. The American News (Amerikan Uutiset)[2], published in Calumet, has the largest circulation of any Finnish weekly paper published in America. The Suomi Society, a Finnish fraternal organization, has the largest membership of any society in Calumet. There is also a Woman’s league, which devotes itself to philanthropic and educational purposes. In religion, the Finnish people are Lutherans, divided into two sects – the Apostolic Lutheran and the Evangelical Lutheran. In politics, they are mostly Republican, with a scattering of Prohibitionists. Most of the Finns own the houses they live in, and are considered as a rule to be thrifty and industrious. The population of the farming towns of New York Mills and Cokato, Minn., principally comprises Finns who formerly lived in in Houghton County, where they sayed the means with which tp purchase their farms. The immigration of Finns to Houghton is now on the average ten per day.

[1] Actually the Finnish immigration started ten years earlier, at first from Northern Norway.

[2] Amerikan Uutiset was started in Minneapolis with the name Työmies. When in Calumet published Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti ceased publication, Työmies was moved to Calumet in 1894 and it's name was changed to Amerikan Uutiset.