I am hoping perhaps that someone might be able to help me as I have hit a little stump and cannot at this time afford a researcher. My husband's Great Grandfather is Esa(ias) Isaac Turpen DOB 11 Aug 1868 in Finland. He arrived in the US from Finland in 1896 and changed the spelling of his last name from either Turpinen or Turpennen (I have seen several different spellings linked to him) and settled in Butte county South Dakota.

I found a record for Esaias Isaac Turpinen arriving from Finland via Ellis Island with a wife of Brida (Brita) Turpinen. I am pretty sure this is the correct person for my husbands Great Grandfather as DOB and arrival dates match. This is the only record that I have found of a wife of Brida Turpinen, everything else I find his wife as Carlina (Caroline) Raatikka DOB 31 Dec 1875 in Finland, also arriving in US in 1896, but marring Esa in 1899.

Unfortunately the surviving family does not know much about the Great Grandfather other than he was known and "Isaac" and came from somewhere in Finland, they do not know the Great Grandmothers name.

If anyone could perhaps help me out I would be very thankful!!

Charity

The surname Turpeinen is found in Pielisjärvi. You might hunt there.

Brita could possibly be Riita.

Perhaps when the couple married, they took the wife's last name of Turpeinen.

Could this be your Brita: Anna Turpeinen with a passport issued in 5.1896. (Maybe Anna Brita?)

On the 1900 census, it gives a marriage year of 1894. Search for marriages around 1894 on HisKi.

Can you find a cemetery record for Brita in SD?

I can't find anything on Esais Isaac Turpeinen.

Paula

Turpeinen is quite a common name and found in several places. Fortunately Raatikka is more uncommon and I was able to find Brita Karolina Raatikka in Tervola. She was born on Dec 31, 1875 and married Esaias Turpeinen on December 16, 1894. Brita Karolina is on this communion book page: http://www.sukuhistoria.fi/sshy/kirjat/Kirkonkirjat/tervola/....

They had two children in Finland, Emil Edvard who was born in 1895 but died already in June 1896 and Eino Ilmari, born in April 1896. The Ellis Island record also shows the son as Ilmari (age 3 months).

Esaias was born on August 16, 1866 in Pihtipudas. Could this be your Isaac - although the birth date does not match? The name Isaac might be a variation of Esa?

This census record shows that this family indeed lived in South Dakota: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMRH-6JF.

hope this helps
Kari

Thanks so much for your help, I will have to look on those to leads. I haven't been able to find a death or cemetery record as of yet. I am gonna keep looking though!

Charity

Thanks so much! This is VERY helpful! I am anxious to see what this helps lead me to!

I did look at the communion book page, though with it being written in Finnish I am a little confused at what I am looking at. Are the names grouped with Brita's name her siblings?

Thanks again for all of your help!
Charity

Yes, Brita's siblings are there, after their parents.

Thanks again for your help!