Finnish Resources:

Preliminery Sketch Of Finnish Geneaology Research

EARLY TRACES OF ANCESTORS*: 

	*Earliest excerpts are from the "LAPPAJARVAN 

SEURAKUNTA" or Lappajarvi Congregation History, 

1637-1937. This information was researched by the 

Strang family. 





1300:	Swedes occupy part of north central Finland 

wilderness populated by local natives that were 

probably ancestors. Swedish government began to 

keep records. 



1400:	Strang or Stronga family: Believed to be living in 

the settlement known as "Strand," about 40 people 

near Lakes Alajarvi, Mankijarvi and Kivijarvi, 

among several other local settlements such as Kyro 

with 160 and Komu with 20 settlers.



1548: 	Henry Strang, or Heikki Stronga and John Strang or 

Juho Stronga: Vimpeli tax records show these 

names. King Gustav Vaasa I of Sweden encouraged 

people from villages along the lakes to settle the 

inland areas. Families in Vimpeli area numbered 11 

with a population of 68 recorded.



1600:	Vimpeli became a village. 



1620: 	Matti Strang: Vimpeli, appointed to be the skyta 

or game (fur) shooter to King Gustav Adolph II of 

Vaasa. Being a skyta allowed a person to keep his 

homestead without payments of taxes by turning 

over an allotted number of furs to the king. It 

was also a tradition that when the skyta traveled 

to Sweden with the furs, he was given food and 

drink and lodging along the way by all households. 

Other landowners could not interfere with the 

king's skyta when he hunted for furs.  



1621: 	Famine in Vimpeli area when crops failed.



1674-77:	Famine



1686-88:	Famine



1694:	Matti Martinpoika (Martin's son) Strang and Matti 

Heikkinpoika (henry's son) Strang: Confirmation 

record at Vimpeli



1695-98:	468 persons starve in the Lappajarvi area in 1697, 

32 starve in 1698.

 

1710-21: 	Isohiva War (Great Hate War) lasted for 11 years. 

Russians invade Finland. 



1714-15:	The Russians attacked Vimpeli in 1714-1715. The 

Russians took everything of value form the town. 

The villagers hid the church bell in the lake but 

did not recover it. The Russians killed 29 men, 

women and children in the Lappajarvi area.



1715:	Matti Erkki Martinpoikka Strang: Taken prisoner by 

Russians in Vimpeli with 30 other boys and girls.



1727:	Olavi (Olaf) Strang was the church warden or 

treasurer (1726-49) and commissioned the casting 

of a new church bell. His name is inscribed on the 

bell with the names of Baron von Essen, Herman 

Witten, (bishop), and Eric Fantin (church "herra" 

or master, or minister

. 

1732:	Famine



1740: 	Famine



1742:	Russians invade Finland again.



1745:	Olavi Strang gives a gift to church of 6 

candelabra.



1765:	Famine



1771-72:	Famine



1777:	Jaako (Jacob) Juhonpoika (John's son) Storstrang 

of Vimpeli recorded as writing to the bishop that 

the church had not reneged on paying for 

transportation of clergy.



1783:	Famine



1797-98:	Famine



1800:	Famine



1803:	Famine



1808:	Famine



1809:	Famine: 32 starve in Alajarvi.



1830-31:	Famine



1835-37:	Famine



1835: 	Maria Lehtimaki (The grandmother of grandfather 

Matt Kangas) born March 14 In Vimpeli, Finland. 



1840:	Andrew "Antti" Storstrang (the grandfather of 

grandfather Matt Kangas) was born in 1840 in 

Halsua, Finland. Andrew's father died when he was 

a young boy. His mother married a man named 

Korkiakangas, and Andrew adopted the name of his 

step-father, later altering the name to "Kangas." 



18??:	Andrew "Antti" Kangas married Maria Lehtimaki of 

Halsua, Finland. They moved to Vimpeli where 

Andrew was known as "kaupa unti" or "Store-Andrew" 

and he operated a general store with another man. 



1860:	Anna-Lisa Peltokangas born in Finland on October 6 

(mother of our grandfather Matt Kangas)



1861: 	Erkki Kangas was born September 5 in Vimpeli 

(father of our grandfather Matt Kangas). 



1862:	Beta Anna Kleimola born in Ii parish in the 

province of Oulu Finland (mother of our 

grandmother Edna Pelto Kangas). 



1865: 	Edward Pelto, son of Peter "Pekka" Pelto, born in 

Kemijarvi, Province of Oulu, Finland on March 3 

(Father of grandmother Edna Pelto Kangas).



1865-67:	Erkki Strang: Severe famine in Vimpeli and 

Saaksjarvi area, Erkki asked to plead for loans 

from merchants and banks for people of Vimpeli. 

Erkki was probably a brother of Andrew Storstrang. 

Though it is a mystery yet as to just how and why 

the surnames do not seem to be the same, the 

family legend has it that they are kin, and the 

lineage is shared.  



1881:	Andrew (Storstrang) Kangas left Vimpeli, Finland 

and emigrated to the USA, arriving in Hancock, 

Michigan by boat. 

World wide web page photos and design (c)1995 Emil Groth