Trace Your Finnish-American Story

Fairport Harbor Finnish Families

The museum's genealogy group has compiled information on hundreds of Finnish families who settled in Fairport Harbor — addresses, family names, and years.

Finn Hollow

The museum holds documentation on the houses and families of Finn Hollow, the early Finnish neighborhood where Heikki Nieminen built the second house on dock company land.

Immigration Resources

Letters, boat and airplane tickets, passports, and naturalization papers in the collection help trace when and how families made the journey from Finland.

Finnish Names

Finnish names changed with translation and time. The genealogy group can help make sense of Americanized, shortened, or rewritten family names.

Local Cemeteries & Records

Local cemetery records and church records are an important part of tracing Finnish-American families in the Fairport Harbor area.

Family Photographs & Archives

The museum welcomes family photographs, documents, and histories to add to the archive — and may be able to help identify people and places in older photographs.

1836–1900

First Wave

Starting with village incorporation through the end of the century. On September 11, 1885, twenty-three Finns arrived in Fairport and founded the first permanent Finnish settlement.

1901–1929/30

Second Wave

Through the beginning of the Great Depression. By 1900, nearly seven hundred foreign-born Finns called the village home, and the community grew dramatically.

1930–Present

Third Wave

Continuing immigration to the present day, bringing new families and new stories into the fabric of the Fairport Harbor community.