The Beginning:
Several years ago, when I was still living in Toronto and attending the university there, I became interested in searching out family history. I had some information to go on, and wanted to expand my knowledge and find more family members.
Being a Salonen is not always easy: lots of people in our family don't get along and do not talk to each other. That being said, family is important, and like the Russian proverb says, "Don't forget the past-you'll lose both eyes!".
When I started this is what I basically knew:
My father Michael is a Salonen. His father Eric came from Finland sometime between 1920-1945 and spent some time in the US. Eric was married to a woman who lived in the US as well, who may or may not hav ealso been a Finnish citizen. My grandmother Marie was his second wife, and she was born in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
My mother was born a Jervis. Jervises come from England. Her mother was a Chasty, with split ancestry between England and Poland (Polish maternal line [Mielco], English paternal line).
I had a box of old family photos my grandfather Harry Jervis has given me and a family tree made up by our Mielco cousins in the 1990s. That was my starting point.
Over the years, I have used clues given to me by interviewing family members. I registered for an ancestry.com account to build my family tree. I have searched many, many online databases, and haunted libraries in Ontario. I have spent some weekends going through cemeteries looking for headstones.
And best of all, I have made contact with cousins around the globe, but we will get to that later.
Sometimes people in the family ask me why I have spent so much time and money doing this research. Both my grandpa Harry and my papa Alex have both passed away. I lost my dear cousin Ellen. It's been a hard few years within the family. Tracing our roots and contacting relatives seems more important than ever. Many of my best family "historians" are becoming elderly and their knowledge will go with them. All I can do is try my best to research what I can, and share my findings with the people I care about.
