The North American Juntunen Project

March 1998 Page 3

Some other tips to consider

Join a local historical society. Talk to area librarians who might be experts in helping you locate genealogy information sources.

Get organized using family group sheets and other forms for recording information.

Interview your older family members. With their permission, use a tape recorder. Label your tapes with the name of the interviewer, date of the interview, and name of the person interviewed. In the interview, simply ask them to talk about their family and the events in their life.

Take notes at family events. Share information and stories at family reunions.

Write down interesting family stories. Obtain copies of family photos. Encourage family members to write their biographies and stories. Collect family drawings or poetry.

Become familiar with your nearest Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Use their computerized data bases to search for your ancestors.

Consider placing ads in newspapers or historical society newsletters for possible information about the family members you are researching.

Obtain photocopies of all the records and documents you find. Place these into sheet protectors in a notebook, and label them with the source and date when the information was obtained.

Realize that there were often name changes when Juntunen ancestors immigrated to North America. Sometimes record clerks could not understand a name spoken in Finnish and wrote it down in the record as they heard it or thought it should be.

You will find conflicts in dates that will need to be evaluated from all possible sources of information. Remember that actual birth certificates are the most reliable primary source for birth dates.

Be prepared to find family information that might surprise you or conflict with information previously known.

Have fun exploring your roots. It's better than a job---you won't get fired or downsized, and you won't want to quit! When you have completed work on a family group sheet, submit it to one of the project coordinators.

Thank you for your help and interest in the Juntunen Family History Project!

John Stierna is the grandson of Edwin Juntunen, an immigrant from Suomussalmi, Finland, who became an early pioneer farmer in Suomi, MN. John and Ruth have spent the past five years researching John's Juntunen and Stierna heritage. They have recently co-authored the first book of a series The Stierna Family Saga. John is a senior water resources economist, and Ruth has a background in art history, design, and museum shop management. In cooperation with the Juntunen Society of Finland, John and Ruth are delighted to be leading efforts on the North American Juntunen book.

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