I have a treasure chest upstairs, it looks exactly the kind you would think of. Metal hinges and handles, curvy lid... all the Works! My treasure chest isn't filled with gold coins (which is too bad I have to say), but something else that I think as a treasure of one kind. At least for people like us, who love old things! It's filled with letters and all kinds of little stuff. I would like to share some of it with you.

My father is from this little place called Ala-Viirre, which is located up here in Ostrobothnia, Finland. Now if there's a middle of no where, this is it. Just to give you an image, it's in the middle of pinewoods and fields. Houses are so far apart and far from town, that some people get their groceries from a store on wheels. In the old times, my fathers uncles lived there too. They were farmers and they had this big house called Iso-Kauppila (Big Kauppila). That is the place where the chest is from.

One of the brothers moved to America in the early 20th century to make a life there for himself. He wrote to his parents and brothers letters and one of them that i took to my hand yesterday, I noticed to be 100 years old. It was dated 18th of February, 1917. This great uncle of mine clearly wasn't much of a writer, but the letter was so sympathetic and moving.


Here's some of it:

Buhl, Minnesota
February 18th, 1917

Dear parents father and mother and brothers. I'm drawing a few lines to you again and send you greetings to Finland. I shall mention that we are healthy and feel ordinarily well this time. The winter has been particularly cold. We are working hard here at the iron district. I don't know anything else especial to say, i only wish good health to you and the war to end soon and that life would get back to normal and peace on earth that would last. War is hell and a curse, said the great war general of this country.

Hyvää yötä (=good night) (which he kindly translated in brackets, as i'm doing now: Good Pey).
John Kauppila