“Margus Reinsalu's Diary”: Chapter. 1888 - My Mother's Parents - A Family of Seafarers and Landowners
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, the whole family Estonianized their name from Kuutman to Kuutma.
My grandmother Helena was born in February 1888 in Haljala parish, Virumaa. She was the daughter of Joosep and Juula-Maria and belonged to a family that valued education, hard work, and strength.
Helena was the pillar of the family, who kept the farm and the raising of eight children in balance. Her ability to keep the family together, support her husband, and at the same time carry the responsibility for the home made her a respected woman.
Anton and Helena lived with their family at Marjametsa farm, which they received in 1922 during the division of Sagadi Manor lands. The farm was their home and life, where they raised their children and worked.
Marjametsa farm was one of the most modern in the area, it had electricity supply already in the 1930s, generated from a wind turbine. This was a major innovation at the time, testifying to Anton's innovativeness and ability to look to the future.
The Kuutma family roots extend deep into Virumaa soil. Anton's father, Hans Kuutman, was the captain of Sagadi Manor's two-masted sailing ship, who lived with his wife Wilhelmiina-Maria Treuberk in Väike-Lauli village.
Hans was skilled both at sea and on land. Wooden household items made by his hand, including weaving looms, are still exhibited in Sagadi Manor's tool shed.
Hans and Wilhelmiina had 10 children, 5 sons and 5 daughters, three of whom also became seafarers.
The oldest son, Johannes, became known as a shipbuilder and owner and was active in nearby coasts in the late 19th century.
Anton stayed on the home farm but never forgot his seafaring roots.
In Anton's youth, seafaring and shipbuilding were still part of the family's everyday life, but over time farming and forestry became more important.
Anton and Helena's family was large and close-knit, they had eight children, the youngest of whom Raul, became known as a “Finnish Boy", engineer, historian, and author of memoirs. He wrote "The Third Way, for Estonia's Honor - a Pledge for the Future" (2004) and was one of the authors of the book "Finnish Boys' Memorials" (2005). In addition, "From Republic to Republic" (2009).
Uncle Raul was the keeper of the family heritage, who collected and preserved the history of his lineage. Items donated by him have been exhibited in Sagadi Manor Forest Museum since 2003, where they tell the story of one strong and hardworking family that survived and prospered despite historical changes.
Items made by Hans Kuutma often had initials HK and the year carved into them, as if as a reminder for future generations. One of them is a large boulder in Lauli village, into which a sailor's compass and the sons' names are carved, recalling the time when seafaring and farming intertwined in one family's story.
Marjametsa farm, with its outbuilding and barn built in 1930, gives an idea of how life in that household went at the time.
Electricity came from a wind generator.
During the first Estonian Republic, the Kuutma family included grandfather Anton and grandmother Helene, great-grandmother Wilhelmina-Maria, and eight children, one of whom was my mother Agnes and uncle Kaarel, who was my godfather.
On to the next chapters.
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