Erik (Albinus) Hermans

Erik Albinus changed the family's last name from Södergrann to Hermans when his family emigrated to the United States. The Herrmans/Hermans family name came from several generations back and was possibly easier to use once they arrived in the United States.

The village of Tjärlax' oldest known surname would also have been Herremans tjeildon - a source which is to this day. There were three estates in Tjärlax in 1546 according to the tax writing at the time: Norrgrann-Södergrann, Back, and Herremans. From the name Herremans there are now different derivatives.

He was a boat builder, shipbuilder, bar pilot and river navigator in his native Finland. He moved his family to Willow Grove, Washington from the Ostrobothnia region of Finland in 1903, as he had a brother-in-law, Elia, and uncle, John, already living in the area. He had three sisters, all who died young. Albinus worked as a river pilot captain, ship builder, and fisherman in the Longview, Washington area. After he retired, around 1936, he moved to Vancouver, WA where he worked as a part time cabinet maker.