| EARLY FINNISH SETTLERS Though it was the year 1911 when the first Finnish family settled in Spencer, they were not the first Finnish residents in the state or even in the area. Finnish families were already established in New York City in the seventeenth century. According to official records, one Peterson Staeck of Turku, Finland owned a townhouse in New York City in 1660. Hans Peterson and Dirch Michelson were also listed among the Dutch settlement Finns. Miss Hoffman, of Finnish-Swedish descent and an early resident of Dutchess County, married one of the Roosevelt ancestors. In the townships of Van Etten and Newfield there were Finnish families as early as 1909. John Lehtonen of Newfield became a real estate agent. He sent glowing advertisements to most of the Finnish language newspapers at a time when many families were ready and eager to own land of their own. As early as 1910 a St. John’s Day (Juhannus) picnic was held on the lawn of the Herman Manninen farm in North Van Etten with six families enjoying this ancient Finnish holiday. The first child of Finnish parentage born in the area was a girl named Lydia born to Herman and Katri Manninen in March, 1911. |