United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters, Berkeley Lodge No. 21 records, approximately 1902-2009

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Summary

Creators:
United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters. Berkeley Lodge No. 21
Extent:
15 linear feet (12 cartons, 4 boxes, 3 oversize folders, 1 volume)
Language:
English , Finnish .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters, Berkeley Lodge No. 21 records, BANC MSS 2018/192, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of records and correspondence documenting the administration of United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters Berkeley Lodge No. 21 and its relationship to the United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters Grand Lodge in Astoria, Oregon; records of the Lodge's events and activities, including clubs, organizations, and theatrical/musical programs; records of and copies of the Lodge's publications and other Finnish magazines and publications. Also included are a few scrapbooks documenting a predecessor organization, United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters San Francisco Lodge No. 1.

Biographical / historical:

United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters was founded to assist Finnish immigrants and their descendants in the Western United States and Canada. The organization's lodges were located in various cities on the West Coast. This particular collection mostly documents Berkeley Lodge No. 21, which was founded in 1911 as a mutual aid society for the East Bay's Finnish community, though materials documenting other lodges and the Grand Lodge can also be found throughout. Prior to the founding of Lodge No. 21 in 1911, some of its early members belonged to San Francisco Lodge No. 1, which was founded in 1882. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many Finnish immigrants relocated across the Bay to Berkeley and Oakland. The Finnish Hall, the building on Chestnut Street that provided a center of activity for the Lodge and for the larger Finnish community, was built in 1932 on land donated by Berkeley Finnish-American manufacturer Walter Mork.

The Berkeley Lodge corresponded actively with the other lodges all around California and the northwest. Berkeley Lodge No. 21 hosted several clubs and organizations including the Kaleva Ski Club, an association that provided relief and care to the sick in the community, a worker's educational club, a sewing club, and theater and choral groups, among others. This collection was housed in the Finnish Hall before its transfer to The Bancroft Library in 2018.

Acquisition information:
The United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters, Berkeley Lodge No. 21 records were gifted to The Bancroft Library by Frederic R. Mork in 2018.
Processing information:

Collection processed in 2018-2019 by Heini Ylärakkola with support from Lara Michels.

Arrangement:

Arranged at the folder level. Within each series arrangement is generally chronological.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research with the exception of the NITRATE NEGATIVES IN VOLUME 1, WHICH ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCHERS DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.

Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters, Berkeley Lodge No. 21 records, BANC MSS 2018/192, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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