Elsa's Story

ELSA'S STORY

I was born in Yiivieska, Finland, April 29, 1929, at about 6:00 p.m. Sleet was coming down heavily, I was told. I was the fourth of ten children, the only dark-haired one among blondes. I was named Elsa, which is a very common name in Europe. I think Elsa is a kind of international name - a shorter form of Elizabeth, which you can find in the bible.

My mother's name was Aina and my father's name was Ernest. Mother never talked too much about her childhood, because her mother died when she was only three years old. She went from foster home to foster home. She had an older sister Hilda Maria, who went to the U.S. when she was very young. Mother also had a half-sister Helmi and half-brother Toivo. Mother's father was married three times. I never saw him.

My parents married in 1923. Father worked a for state-owned railroad company for as long as I remember. We moved often because of his job. Most of the time we lived by the railroad. Company supplied the house. We had a well outside. The house was heated with wood and we used oil lamps. Mother raised some chickens, and had a cow and a pig. We had a barn, woodshed, a sauna with laundry and baking room, a little garden and a root cellar. We lived right across from a church, and I went to the balcony many times and watched the organist playing and choir singing. I loved it!

My Grandfather, who was a farmer, raised my father. Father played the violin. He often took us to pick mushrooms and berries. He took as good care of his family as he could. He was very handy and helped my mother a lot, because of her illness. She was sick most of her married life as she had tuberculosis, and was hospitalized many times. Both my parents lost one of their parents when they were very young. I think that affected their lives forever.

As children, we had to share a room, as well as beds. There were too many of us. It wasn't always easy. We had very few toys. We played soccer and skip rope, and "kick sledding" in the winter. We girls had a playhouse that Father built. We climbed trees, did high jumping, and flew a kite that my oldest brother made. We played Chinese checkers and had ball games. My mother had a bike but it wasn't always available. We had a beautiful park close by with swings, a fountain with gold fish, and a sandbox. I got my first doll when I was about twelve years old, but I felt I was too old to play with dolls. My real dolls were my younger brothers and sisters.

In the summer, when Father had days off, the whole family walked a mile and a half to the seacoast, and spent the whole day swimming, playing ball, and frying wieners on sticks over a bonfire. Many times we spent the whole day there without anything to eat or drink.

Mother was an excellent cook. She cooked the best chicken (when she could buy one), but most of the time it was potatoes or a potato casserole, meat sauce or meatballs, stews or soups, fish, and always desserts. My mother cooked and my older sister and I did dishes and tidied up the kitchen. As soon as we could, everyone had to make their own beds, shake rugs outside, sweep the floors, and help with the dishes. My special job on Saturdays was to empty the ashes out of the fireplaces. I hated it.

My mother always had cats. Once I took a little kitten to bed with me, and the kitten peed the bed. Boy, did I get a licking! But, I still like cats.

We had several quilts in our home. Mother made them of fabric swatches, and she taught me to do simple embroidery stitches. I learned to crochet in grade one and made a pot holder. In grade two, I did some needle weaving on canvas, and knit my first mittens in grade three. In grade four I learned to sew using a sewing machine and have been sewing since.

I went to public school for five years and then high school for five years because I passed the written tests. There were about 350 students in that school. My class was all girls, thirty of them. I didn't really have a favorite teacher. We had lots of homework, and also went to school on Saturdays. My favorite subjects were music, gymnastics, art, history, geometry, home economics, and sports, which I loved. I got top marks in sports all the time, but they didn't count on your report card. I loved the Finnish version of baseball; it was a lot tamer. Even girls had their own league. I liked skiing and skating.

I had many friends. I chose friends who had dolls and games. They didn't mind sharing them. I had a couple of good friends in high school, but I didn't see them often after school. I had to help my mother, because she was sick most of the time. Kids didn't visit other kids' houses too much in those days. We all had chores to do at home. We had a housekeeper, Mom's friend Hilja, who helped out when Mom was sick.

Every winter we had lots of snow, never any really bad storms but some cold spells. We enjoyed winter very much! We built snowmen and snow forts, and had snowball fights with the neighbours' kids. We had a one-day winter break from school at the end of February when everyone went skiing, sledding, or skating. Food served that day was green pea soup. Dessert was oven-baked pancakes served with cream and berry preserves.

For Easter we had a special Easter dinner, and sometimes we had bonfires, weather permitting. It was fun. We didn't hunt eggs. We had special dishes though, and little girls played "Easter trolls." We dressed as old women and went house to house, and were given candies or cookies.

In October and November, we had an open farmer's market with lots of booths. They sold farm produce, tin ware, apples, and meat pasties. Gypsies came to town and traded horses with the farmers. They sold coffee, and donuts cooked in hot water, which were hard and tough.

On Christmas morning, we went to church at 6:00 a.m. On that day we weren't allowed to visit anybody. We didn't have the custom of hanging stockings for Santa to fill. Santa came late on Christmas Eve, after supper, and threw a burlap sack on the porch. Parents made sure that there was at least one present for each of the children. One year Mother crocheted a nice green sweater with decorations on it for me.

We never had any parties or dances at school because of the war. We did have Christmas assembly and Easter assembly. You were handed report cards at those times. We didn't have a band in school, but several choirs. I loved singing! I danced with a folk dance group for a few years, and played in a band for eight years, and loved it.

I got confirmed in 1944, but because of the war raging in Europe, I had to wear a black dress. My mother made it. I graduated from high school in 1947 but it was no big deal. We were just given report cards and that was it.

We never got any money to spend, or an allowance, so I started buying gifts for my parents when I started working.

I was about seventeen when I saw Jack for the first time. He looked so shy, cute, and handsome -- and still does! We dated for about three years, went to movies, dances, and other gatherings. Jack served in the military. It's mandatory in Finland. He was drafted and served from March - December, 1949. His rank was sergeant.

We married on April 29, 1950 in the Minister's living room with two witnesses present, and the Minister's wife. It was raining and thundering that day. I had made my own dress of a light blue, thin wool fabric. That dress was my Sunday best dress for many years.

Our first home was just one room, upstairs in my mother-in-law's house. We had a cooking stove in that room. Soon we got a two room "apartment" on the main floor. Our first born was Raija, then came Merja (Maria), and Timo.

Mother died on November 14, 1953, of tuberculosis.

We decided to move to Canada in 1957, at the end of June. Ilona was born in Atikokan, Ontario, a few years later.

Father passed away shortly after we came to Canada, on January 8, 1958, of a heart attack.

We bought our first home in 1959. It was just a two-bedroom house, and we lived there for twelve years.

From a journal written by Elsa Kosola, submitted by her daughter, Maria Harden.

Photos:
1. Wedding Day
2. Elsa in profile
3. Winter in Canada

Story ID:	200
Written by:	Maria Harden (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Family History
Location:	Kokkola Finland
Year:	1950
Person:	Elsa