Digitized Finnish-American newspapers offer a glimpse into life 100 years ago

The National Library of Finland has digitized its collection of Finnish-American newspapers up to the end of 1923. This highly anticipated collection serves as a significant resource for studying immigration history, population history, and genealogy.

These newspapers provide insights into the lives of Finnish communities in America and are freely accessible from anywhere through the digital platform digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi.

Users can perform various searches or browse the collection by title. Additionally, some of the material is available on microfilm at the National Library.

The collection comprises 174 newspaper and magazine titles dating back to 1876. Finnish immigrants' political and religious associations, as well as various local communities, published their own newspapers in the United States and Canada. The publication locations, such as Duluth, Astoria, Hancock, New York, and Fitchburg, reflect the history of Finnish settlements. These periodicals were printed in Finnish, Swedish, and English, with some content blending into a unique Finnish-English hybrid known as "Finglish."

Some publications have direct links to the present day. For example, "Canadan Uutiset" continued until 2000 before merging with "The Finnish Update: Pohjois-Amerikan Uutiset," a politically independent news outlet.

The National Library's digitized collection covers the period of mass Finnish immigration to North America, peaking between the 1870s and 1920s. The newspapers offer a multifaceted view of daily life for immigrants in their new homeland and provide information on how news from Finland and Europe was reported across the Atlantic.

In 2024, the digital collection will be expanded with additional materials digitized in the United States, including approximately 5,000 pages from "Toveritar," "Auttaja," and "Uusi Kotimaa," donated by the Library of Congress. These issues are missing from the National Library's physical collection.

Materials published after 1924 have also been digitized but are available only at designated workstations in legal deposit libraries due to copyright restrictions.

HT