Mr Pekka Pietari Hakkarainen was born in Kuopio, Savonia, Finland on 1 January 1884.
He was the son of Heikki Hakkarainen and Maria Rasanen.
It is believed he had emigrated to the USA around 1905 and settled in Monessen, Pennsylvania where he worked for $5 a day as a foreman in a steel mill. He was married to another Finnish-American, Elin Mathilda Dolk (b. 1888) of Quincy, Massachusetts, they were wed in their native Finland on 15 January 1912. The stay in Finland was to be brief as a prolonged stay may have meant Pekka being conscripted into the Russian Army.
Initially planning to return to the USA aboard Mauretania, they changed their mind and boarded the Titanic at Southampton as third class passengers (ticket number 3101279 which cost £15, 17s).
On the night of the sinking Pekka and his wife were in their cabin sleeping but were woken by the collision which Elin described as a strong vibration and a scratching noise. Pekka got up to investigate while Elin returned to bed, soon falling asleep again. When she awoke again sometime later Pekka had still not returned and she made her way up to the boat deck and search for him but never saw him again.
Pekka Hakkarainen died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified. His widow Elin later received £50 in compensation.
Comment and discuss
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I had heard from my Grandmother that we had relatives aboard the Titanic, but little else. We knew that they were recently married & that she survived but he did not. Your website is awesome! I was able to find our relatives from Finland & have printed their story to put in our family album!
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Hi Elaine and greetings from Finland. My Grandmother told me the same story. If I remember it correct she told that Mrs Hakkarainen was her cousin.
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