The multi-ethnic family connections of Rosa Clay, the first Finn of African descent, in late nineteenth-century South West Africa - UTU Research Portal

A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

The multi-ethnic family connections of Rosa Clay, the first Finn of African descent, in late nineteenth-century South West Africa

Authors: Merivirta, Raita

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Publication year: 2025

Journal: Immigrants and Minorities

First page : 1-29

ISSN: 0261-9288

eISSN: 1744-0521

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02619288.2025.2596163

Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access

Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address : https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02619288.2025.2596163

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/506320650

Abstract

This article takes a biographical approach to examine the story of Rosa Emilia Clay (1875–1959), later Lemberg, the first Finn of African descent, and Afro-European transnational and transcultural relations in Omaruru, South West Africa, in the 1870s and 1880s. In this article, the beginnings of Rosa’s ‘global life’, her biological parents and the placing of Rosa with a Finnish missionary couple are examined with the help of archival research, digitised newspapers and periodicals and some detective work online, especially exploration of genealogical websites and digitised census data, as well as baptism, marriage and death records.

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Funding information in the publication:
The work was supported by the Koneen Säätiö.