"Margus Reinsalu's Diary"

                                   Photo: Grandmother Helene and Grandfather Anton My grandfather Anton was born in September 1877 on Sagadi Manor lands in Virumaa . He came from a family where seafaring was in the blood. His father, Hans Kuutman , was the captain of Sagadi Manor's two-masted sailing ship. The sea was an inseparable part of the Kuutmans' life, but Anton's life turned out differently. As a young man, he sailed like his father and older brothers, but later he chose a more stable life and stayed on Sagadi Manor lands as a farmer. He was a man who could handle both sea and land, his work included seafaring, farming, forestry, and woodworking. In 1914, he was once again caught in maritime events when a storm threw him and his two brothers-in-law's ship "Pilk" onto the Altja beach . This was his last serious seafaring adventure, after which Anton focused on land and family. In 1936, th...

  Margus Reinsalu's Diary:   Chapter. 1878 - My Father’s Parents: Life in Pärnumaa During the Tsarist and Early Estonian Periods                                  Video: Grandfather Johannes playing his self-made zither with friends My p aternal grandfather, Johannes August Reinsalu (née Reinhold), was born on 21 July 1889 in Taali, Pärnumaa . He grew up in the countryside where life was hard, but the family stayed close. However, at the age of just three, a tragic accident changed the course of his entire life. While playing, he stabbed himself in the eye with a pair of scissors. The medical care of that era was unreliable, the doctor he was taken to was reportedly drunk and prescribed the wrong treatment, which resulted in Johannes becoming completely blind . Despite this, grandfather learned to manage independently and mastered the carpenter’s trade , becoming known in his community as a...

My Mother’s Great-Great-Grandparents, Noble Connections and Unknown Origins,  Catharina Hedwig (Borgström) Strandel ,  was buried beneath the floor of  Ambla Church                              Video: Ambla Church                               My maternal ancestors most likely arrived in Estonia during or shortly before the Great Northern War (1700–1721), via the port of Paldiski . Their exact origin has not yet been fully established, but historical references and genealogical records point strongly toward Sweden or Swedish-Finnish roots.The earliest written traces of them date from the beginning of the 18th century, when they were already known in Estonia and connected to several influential families.   Catharina Hedwig (Borgström) Strandel was a prominent woman. Her funeral was unusually grand for the time, she...

Margus Reinsalu's Diary: Chapter 1650 – My Father’s Great-Great-Grandparents: The Swedish Adelsfanan and the Story of Sandra Farm                                               Video:  Swedish  Adelsfanan                                     According to local legend (from Geni.com), before the Great Northern War (1700–1721) , a Swedish Adelsfanan (noble cavalryman) settled on the lands of what is now Sandra Farm in Soomaa . No one knew his real name or origin, he simply arrived and refused to reveal his identity. The locals began calling him “Sander”, a name that later became the family surname. This nobleman carried himself with pride. He always wore riding boots with spurs, kept a large wooden club at his belt ready for battle, and dressed in elegant, military-style clo...

Section 1: Birth and Baptism and early Home Life in Kohtla-Järve Video: My Baptism in Esku Chapel Near  Sagadi Manor - Mother, Godfather, Godmother, Father and Me   On November 20, 1960, I was born in Kohtla-Järve, an industrial town with gray chimneys and dusty streets that contrasted sharply with my childhood summers in the countryside at my grandmother's. The following year, in the summer of 1961, my baptism took place in the Esku chapel belonging to Sagadi Manor. In addition to my parents, my godmother and godfather were present. My other godfather was still in Norilsk at the time, but his role in my life was still significant. The Esku chapel, built in 1861, was a small chapel in the forest near Sagadi Manor. Norilsk, where my godfather was, was a forced labor camp in Siberia where many Estonians were sent during the Soviet era . In 1961, we got a new three-room apartment with all amenities on Narva Road in Kohtla-Järve, which was a big step up from previous condition...