Finns in Fort Bragg: The Westerberg family from Vadsø, Norway

Westerbergs, which moved from Vadsø (Vesisaari), Norway to Fort Bragg, California, in a family picture taken  around 1903

Many of the early Finnish settlers on the U.S. West Coast came not direct from Finland but instead from Northern Norway. One of them was John Peter Westerberg. He was born April 11th, 1856, in Vadsø (Vesisaari) , Norway,  on the Varanger fjord at the Barents Sea. He had Norwegian parents and his ways may have been more Norwegian than Finnish. But he fit into the Noyo Hill's Finnish community very well, when he came there in 1881. At twenty-five years age he immigrated with his wife and four other Norwegian families from the same region. Three of them is known, Mathisons, Aulins and Raudios. Shortly after their arrival in America Westerberg's wife died.

John Peter worked first at logging in the woods along the South Fork of Noyo River. In 1892 he was able to purchase 160 acres on Noyo Hill from Simeon Covington. He paid $ 800. There was a cabin on the property that Westerbergs could use immediately. John Westerberg got married second time with Effina Emilia Hy(v)önen, who was also from Vadsø, Norway. She was born July 8, 1871 in Saltijärvi, Norway. Their marrige accured April 20, 1890, in San Francisco. John Westerberg's brother David and his wife Hilda and John's and David's grandfather moved also to Fort Bragg area. The men logged the hillsides and made ties to earn money. They also built John Peter a large barn and fenced the fields. At the same time a sauna and several cabins were built. Simeon Covington had planted a cherry orchard and the Westerbergs added orchards of apples and plums and vegetable gardens. Finally a two-story house was constructed.

John Peter Westerberg (1856 - 1934) was a lay
preacher first in the Finnish Evangalist Lutheran
Church and later in the Apostolic Lutheran
Church of Fort Bragg.

The Westerbergs had nine children in all. Their first child, Francis, fell against a hot stove and died from severe burns at the age of three in 1894. A second tragedy struck again when their daughter Annie was sixteen years old. She fell in the well and drowned.  Seven of the children reached their adult age and were also married. John Peter Westerberg became a citizen of the Unites States June 19, 1889.

When George Eskola finished church building in 1894 for the Apostolic Lutheran congregation on Harrison street, was John Peter chosen to serve congregation as a lay preacher. He had been a lay preacher for the Finnish Evangelist Lutheran Church during years 1890 - 1894. According to tradition, parishioners gathered almost every Sunday after church at John and Effie Westerberg's ranch. The yard was filled with horses and buggies as parishioners gathered for pot-luck dinner. Effie Westerberg had reputation of being a very good cook. Besides food supplied from the farm, in season there was salmon the men caught in Noyo River that she pickled or smoked.

John Peter Westerberg had a library in his home where people could borrow books, mostly written in Finnish. Each book had its own number, names of readers were written beside the numbers and record of when books were returned was noted by an X after the borrower's name. John Peter was a very energetic and highly considered person. He was active in his church, a board member of Tunnel  School at Noyo Hill, a member of the first board of school trustees of the Fort Bragg Union High School District. His obituary  states: "He was a fine, upright man who commanded the respect of his friends and neighbors." Effina Westerberg died in August 1930 and John Peter February 22, 1934 at the home of his daughter Ida in Oakland, California, where he had been living two - three years.

Westerbergs in the Finnish Evangelist Lutheran Congregation's church book, page 189

Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church in Franklin, Renville County, Minnesota

 

Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church near Franklin, Minnesota

I have visited the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran church in Franklin twice. This church is located a couple of miles East of Franklin, on the 660th Avenue. The congregation also had a cemetery which is appr. one mile east of the church on the same Street. This old church, standing between huge corn and wheat fields, is built in 1880. It seems to be quite seldom used nowadays.

 

Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church near Franklin, Minnesota

I found an excerpt of the congregation's history below mainly from History of Renville County compiled by Franklin Curtiss - Wedge and Fairfax centennial 1882-1982:
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Many of the early settlers in Bandon and Camp townships were Finnish Immigrants or Swedish and Norwegian  immigrants with Finnish or Sami background. About 100 families lived in the community around 1900. Most of these people were of the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran faith, which was founded by pastor Lars Levi Laestadius in northernmost Sweden. One of pastor Laestadius’ daughters, Charlotta, was married to Michael Jokela. Jokela's lived in Bandon township. Charlotta is buried in the Finnish Cemetery. Early services in the Faith were held at the home of Mathias Johnson sr by Jacob Wuollet of Cokato. The Congregation was formed in 1874. Some of the early members were Mathias Johnson sr, Mathias Mickelson, Abraham Jussila, Abraham Bogema, John Salo, Andrew Anderson, Nels Folk, Nels Helppie, John P.Marttala, Sacharias Ericson, Oscar Isaacson, Isaac Sakari, Peter Stonelake, Herman Johnson, Benjamin Holm, and Peter Lahti. Before a House of Worship was built, religious services were held at various homes. As the distance between North Bandon and Ft Ridgely was too great, the ministers would  conduct services in three areas of the community. Church records show that all of the above names appeared as signers on a note #150,00 for the purpose of building a church. This action took place in February 1884. A one-half acre lot was purchased from Sacharias Erickson in section 5, Camp township. A church building was erected in 1885. This building was 32 feet long, 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. An addition was built for the altar and the podium in 1905. An entry was added later.

 

Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church near Franklin, Minnesota

Some early births in the congregation were Hilda Lahti's 1870, Margaret Anderson's 1870, Emma Johnson's 1870, Henry Heikka's 1872 and Maria Pelto's 1872. First marriages were between Michel Heikka and Mary Johnson, Mathias Johnson and Albertina Friska, Abraham Bogema and Riikka Kyro. Early deaths were  Andrew Anderson's 1868, Matti Maunu's 1870, Eva M. Bogema's, Regina Johson's 1877 and Gustav Friska's 1873.

Finnish (Apostolic Lutheran) Cemetery between Franklin and Fairfax, Minnesota

Elders that have served the congregation have been Sacharias Erickson, Isaac Rovainen,1910-1915, John  Oscar Isaacson 1915-1924, Louis Savela 1924-1942, Isaac Kiiskila 1942-1957, Matt Savela from 1957 until his death in January 1980. Resident pastors have been Andrew Raketti 1880-1883 and John P. Marttala (1837 - 1910)  for many years. John Oscar Isaacson (1851 - 1938) and Frank Isaacson have served as lay preachers for many years. Also visiting pastors  have conducted services twice monthly  for several years. Andrew Mickelsen of Minneapolis conducted services twice monthly for several years and John Paana has been visiting the for past 44 years (situation from the year 1982).  He has driven from Golden Valley to conduct services once a month.

Hedwig Charlotta (Laestadius) Jokela's headstone at the Finnish Cemetery near Franklin, Minnesota

The cemetery lot was purchased from Andrew Anderson in 1868. The Dale Congregation shared the cemetery until they united with the Fort Ridgely congregation to form Fort Ridgely and Dale Cemetery Association. The Finnish Cemetery Association was deeded  the land from the Dale Congregation. The cemetery is located one mile east of the church.

 

John P. Marttala's headstone at the Finnish Cemetery near Franklin, Minnesota. John Marttala was pastor at the local Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church.