My grandmother, married name as Lempi Kuusela.
I do not have her maiden name.
She was likely born in Finland (year 1890). Although she may have been born in North America to Finn immigrant parents. In a
She is located in both USA and Canada at about 1910 or 1911. But her arrival timeline is not known.
She married an Erland Kuusela (born Ollila in Ikaalinen, Finland in 1910 or 1911, and probably in upper midwest USA states. Erland and his brother Viktor Tuominen were work there from 1909 to 1911, then returned to Sault Saint Marie Canada. There appears to be a son born in USA in 1911 or early 1912, Tauno Kuusela. 2 other sons, Wilho 1913, and Eino 1915, were born near the Sault Canada.
Eino was born April 1915, he is my father, died 1997.
In 1915, summertime, while Eino was only a couple months old, and Wilho 2, and Tauno 4, Lempi ran away to Lead South Dakota, with another man. This was illegal and there are travel record I can find. The authorities tracked them and the man ran away, leaving her with the 3 young boys. His name is unknown. The question is why Lead SD - did she have family there? I have no record of Erland traveling through there in 1909-1911, he was further east.
Lempi became deathly sick in Lead SD in 1915 too. She was hositalized and Erland came to Lead in that fall. He worked some and took care of the 3 boys, while living destitute on the streets at times. Lempi was dying in hospital with cancer, at then she was only 25.
In winter/spring 1917, the USA authorities decided to deport all 5 back to Canada, In Feb 1917 Erland and the 3 boys were deported back to the Sault. Lempi remained in hospital and died 45 weeks later. She id buried in a Deadwood cemetery, as Tempi Koskela. Where that name came from I don't know.
I am now on Ancestry, 23&me, GENI, MyHeritage and soon others.
I am looking for a way to use my DNA matches to find any Finn family tree with a Lempi, or Tempi, born 1890, and follow those woman's heritage to see if any headed to North America on or before 1911 to 1890, and to trace them deeply.
Do YOU dear experts, have any idea I might try. I am open to any suggestion, kiitos.
Take care,
Wally Kuusela-Cassell
wcass19366@aol.com
Canada cell/text 289-925-0408
