My Husband's Family

I am currently not researching my husband's family but, because I have already met new cousins though my own research, and have made Internet contact with another collateral cousin, I thought I should put up a page for this family just to see whether any new cousins are researching these lines.

My husband's maternal ancestry is Finnish. His grandfather, Elmer Rae, was born in Helsingfors, Finland, and his grandmother, Fannie Kuorikoski / Koski, was born in Vaasan Laani, Finland.

I don't know when they emigrated to the United States, but his mother, Miriam Rae, was born in Kemmerer, Lincoln County, Wyoming in 1925.

His grandparents died young, and his mother was reared in various foster homes until, at about the age of eight, she went to live with her aunt, Fiina Koski Hekkanen, and uncle, Matt Hekkanen.

Aunt Fiina was a fiesty lady. Per Family Tradition, she slipped into the United States from Canada. She was blind in one eye, and walked many, many miles in a snowstorm to get her new glass eye. She worked in a circus for a time.

At the age of 18, Miriam moved to Seattle, Washington to study nursing. While there she met and fell in love with her roommate's brother, Paul McRae. Paul was in the Navy, and World War II was in full swing. They were married while he was home on leave, they had a month-long honeymoon, then Paul shipped out to the South Pacific. When he returned 18 months later, he had a 9-month-old son, Ted. The young couple realized that the marriage wasn't going to work, so they divorced. Miriam and the baby moved back to her Aunt Fiina's home.

Miriam re-married in 1952, giving Ted a blended family of one brother and two sisters. She died in 2000.

Paul remarried and had three more children. He died in 1985.

Paul McRae was the son of Wilfred McRae and Abigale Kamp. His maternal grandparents were Simon Kamp and Susan Shindle.

Fannie Kuorikoski / Koski was the daughter of Jonas Kuorikoski and Maija Warila.

Ted has cousins, Marvin and Jack, on the paternal side of his family.

© 2001 Dianne McRae

Page Added 8 July 2001