Sofia Määttä and Johan Pöyskö Families in Finland from 1830 to 1891

Table of Contents

1830 -- 1926 The Parents of Sofia Ulriika Heikkinen Määttä:
Elsa Stiina Heikkinen and Antti Määttä

1856 -- 1886 Johan Pöyskö and Kaisa Greta Kauppi Kontinen's Finnish Years

1886 Johan Pöyskö Immigrates to the United States

1891 Johan Pöyskö Returns to Finland for his Family

1872 -- 1902 Matti Pöyskö in Finland
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1830 -- 1926 The Parents of Sofia Ulriika Heikkinen Määttä
Elsa Stiina Heikkinen and Antti Määttä

The date of the marriage of Elsa Stiina Heikkinen and Antti Määttä has not been discovered. However, their first child, Juho Petteri, was born in 1860, when Elsa was 20 years old, and Antti was 30 years of age. Sofia Ulriika, born in 1869, was the fourth of their five children.

A Finnish researcher, Sukututkimustoimisto, reports that a check of the Birth Register of the Kuusamo Parish in 1869 found that on the 10th of October there was born a child called Sofia Ulriika to Cottager Antti Määttä and his wife Elsa Stiina Heikkinen. This child was the only Sofia born in October, 1869 in Kuusamo.

It is most doubtful Antti was ever invited or permitted to call at Elsa's family home. After Elsa married Antti Määttä, their children could not visit the Heikkinen home. Elsa could call on her family, but she had to leave the children on the porch. This family story is probably true since Antti was of a much lower social class than the Heikkinen; and social standing was still rigidly observed in Finland. This author believes the Heikkinen family was the owner of the farm, because of their address Kuusamo Heikkilä Heikkilä.

Antti was born in 1830 in Kuusamo Heikkilä village, and died while on a trip to Oulu in 1893. During his life Antti improved his social status from cottager (serf) in Kuusamo Heikkilä village to farmer in 1877, living on the Kuusamo Heikkilä Erkkola farm. After Antti's death, Elsa move to Astoria, Clatsop, Oregon, USA spending her final years with daughter Sofia. Elsa died in 1926, and is buried in the Poysky family cemetery plot. Elsa is listed as a family member of the John Poysky family in the 1910 US census. The census also notes that Elsa immigrated to the US in 1896, 3 years after her husband's death.

Elsa and Antti had five children, Juho Petteri, born 1860, immigrated to America in 1891. Simo Kustaa, born 1862, immigrated October 9, 1889, Anna Kaisa, born 1865 and immigrated to Astoria, Oregon on October 10, 1889. Sofia Ulriika, born October 10, 1869, immigrated in 1891. Susanna Karoliina was born in 1873 and immigrated August 17, 1892. All children moved to the Astoria, Oregon region, working as fisherman, laborers, and domestics.

Sofia Määttä married John Poysky (Johan Pöyskö) in Clatskanie, Columbia County, Oregon, USA, in March, 1899. Sofia was John's second wife. His first wife, Kaisa Greta Kauppi Kontinen Pöyskö, had died of pneumonia in Astoria, October 6, 1896, leaving John with their young son George Jacob. Sofia was working in Astoria, Clatsop, Oregon, and met John Poysky there. Johan (later John) was born in Finland in 1860 and first immigrated to Astoria in 1886.

Sofia's father Antti was the son of Sipi Määttä (1800 - 1885) and Valpuri Hiltunen (1808-1872). Sipi and Valpuri had ten children, Antti being the second child and second son. The other children were Juho Petteri, Sofia, Simo, Aukusti, Sipi Hermanni, Emanuel, Kaisa Johanna, Anna Maria and Kretta Ulla. The ten children were born between 1828 and 1856. Sipi and Valpuri had been born on different farms in Kuusamo; Sipi on the Heikkilä Heponiemi farm and Valpuri in Pousu village, Hiltula farm. They spent their lives in Finland, living their final years with their son Juho Petteri in Heikkilä, Tyvela.

1856 -- 1886 Johan Pöyskö and Kaisa Greta Kauppi Kontinen's Finnish Years

Johan Pöyskö's mother was Elsa Kaisa Pöyskö, daughter of Jakko (Jacob) Pöyskö and Caisa Lisa Soronen. The following information is from the Oulu Lutheran Church Central Register. Pöyskö family information began in this church register in 1856 when Elsa Kaisa (Jakko's daughter) Pöyskö, age 19, moved from Alakiiminki to Oulu Parish. This information was collected by a member of the Finnish Genealogical Society on August 30, 2008, and translated into English by a Finnish and English speaking genealogist.

Elsa Kaisa Pöyskö was born June 15, 1837 and died, unmarried, in Oulu Parish, January 1, 1907, age 69 years. Her three children, Matti, Johan and Anna Maria Pöyskö, had been born outside of marriage.

Johan Pöyskö was born September 27, 1860, in the Rural Lutheran Parish of Oulu. When he married Kaisa Greta Kauppi Kontinen, it was in the same Rural Parish of Oulu. At the marriage, Johan's occupation was laborer, Kaisa Greta was a tenant. Johan must have been raised in Oulu as he married Kaisa Greta (Georg's daughter) there. Kaisa Greta was born February 2, 1864. A note in the register mentioned "in USA Kaisa Greta died on October 4, 1896." In this church register there are no notes of children born to Johan and Kaisa Greta.

Matti Pöyskö, Elsa Kaisa's second child, was born August 19, 1872 in Oulu Parish. Kaisa Greta Pöyskö's third child, Anna Maria Pöyskö, was born in Oulu Parish August 12, 1875 and died there on February 16, 1878.

On Johan's death certificate his father's name is Karl Poysky. Johan's second wife, Sofia Määttä Pöyskö, had provided the information at the time of Johan's death in 1931. His mother's name is not given on the death certificate. Prior to leaving Finland in 1891, Johan applied for a passport, listing his mother's name as Elsa Kaisanpoika. No father was listed. A Johan-Kaisa family tree includes the verified ancestors and descendents of Johan and Kaisa Greta Pöyskö.

**************John's family trees include the Ancestors of John and John and Kaisa's Descendents. ********************

Johan and Kaisa Greta's first child, a son Irja Jaako (George Jacob), was born in the same Oulu Rural Parish in 1887. Irja Jaako left Finland at the age of 4 years, settling in Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon, USA with his parents. His father, Johan (later John), had previously arrived in Astoria in 1886, and established a home for his family. In 1891 John returned to Finland to fetch his wife and son for their new home in America.

According to Paavo Fellman, son of Kaisa Greta's sister Helena Määttä Fellman, the sister's father was George Kauppi Kontinen. He married Margaret Kastel, and they produced nine children. Three were boys, Irja (George), Jussi (John) and Heikki (Henry). Their six girls were Kaisa Greta (Katherine), Liisa, Hilma, Kristine, Helena (Helen), and Anna. All the sons, and all but one daughter, immigrated to the United States.

When the children arrived in the USA most took their mother's family name (Kastel) as their last name. Their father, George Kauppi Kontinen had owned a farm up river from Oulu, called Oulujoki. The family farm is now a part of Oulu, and the area is called Kastel, according to Paavo Fellman(1990). George suffered some type of difficulty and lost his farm. This loss was an incentive for the children to emigrate from Finland.

Helena was the last of the family to leave Finland. In 1886, at age 16, Helena left for America. Her parents had previously died, and she had been living with her sister Liisa's family in Rovaniemi. During an epidemic or the plague, everyone in Liisa's household died except Helena. Alone, Helena chose to join her siblings in Astoria. Her relatives helped pay for her trip.

Paavo Fellman went on to say that in 1896, when Helena arrived in Astoria, her three brothers had died, as well as her sister Kaisa Greta. Brothers George and John Kastell died while salmon fishing on the Columbia River. Drowning was a frequent cause of death for fishermen working in heavy, open row and sail boats. The third brother, Henry, a lineman, died from complications from a fall. Kaisa Greta had also died. All five sisters married local men (Kaisa Greta married John Poysky) and remained in the Pacific Northwest for the rest of their years.

1886 Johan Pöyskö Immigrates to the United States

Johan Pöyskö emigrated alone (without family members) to the United States in 1886. He went to Astoria, where a strong Finnish enclave was establishing itself, and began life as a Columbia River salmon fisherman. In those early days fishing was done under sail and by rowing. The wooden boats were very heavy, especially when full of salmon. It was hard, dangerous work. Years later, Johan's daughter June, a nurse, blamed Johan's enlarged heart condition on all the rowing he had done while fishing.

Johan changed the spelling of his name to a more familiar English version John Poysky. John became involved in civic affairs. He applied for US citizenship in March, 1888, renouncing his allegiance to the Emperor of Russia, of whom he was a subject. He also began looking for an occupation besides fishing. He settled into the Finnish Boarding House, 1371 Franklin Avenue, Astoria, Clatsop, Oregon. At some point he purchased this property and lived there, and later in his large family home on Grand Avenue. An Astoria newspaper reported John purchased the Boarding House in 1892.

1891 Johan Pöyskö Returns to Finland for his Family

Johan returned to Finland for his wife Kaisa Greta and their son Irja Jaako (George Jacob) in 1891. The family is pictured with two of Kaisa Greta's siblings, prior to the Pöyskö;s leaving Oulu. John returned to Astoria separately from Kaisa Greta and Irja. John returned on the SS City of Chester. The City of Chester steamed from Liverpool via Queenstown, Ireland, docking at Ellis Island in March 28, 1891.

Johan Pysky's [name as listed on the passenger list], was included among the thirteen Finnish men listed together on the manifest. No Finnish women or children were listed. Families from Germany, Norway and Sweden had traveled together on the ship. In most families, boys over 11 years of age were listed as laborers, girls under the age of 18 were children, older than 18 they were spinsters. The author has yet to find the ship upon which Kaisa Greta and George sailed. 1900 US Census records note that George immigrated in 1891. The ship's manifest listed John as an Irishman even though he gave his home country as Finland.

In Astoria, John and Kaisa Greta had a second son, Johan Abram. He was born and died in 1893. Johan Abram and his mother Kaisa Greta share the same tombstone in Greenwood Cemetery, Astoria, Oregon. This grave site is separate from the Poysky Family plot which is also established in the Greenwood Cemetery.

1872 -- 1902 Matti Pöyskö in Finland

Elsa Kaisa Pöyskö's second son, Matti Pöyskö, born in the Rural Parish of Oulu in 1872, married Johanna Katarina Ojala on August 26, 1894. Johanna had been born September 22, 1875 in the City of Haukipudas. Johanna and Matti must have married in Haukipudas as Johanna was noted as having moved from Haukipudas to Oulu Parish on March 3, 1895. Their first child was born in Haukipudas.

The Finnish born children of Matti and Johanna Katarina Pöyskö were: Matti Jalmar Pöyskö born in Haukipudas December 12, 1894; Olga Johanna Pöyskö born in Oulu Parish July 7, 1897; Laura Maria Pöyskö born in Oulu Parish July 30, 1900. Laura died a member of the Oulu Parish October 25, 1900. Their next child, Saimi Marijam Pöyskö was born March 3, 1902 in Haukipudas. (The family must have moved back to Haukipudas.) Haukipudas is about 12 miles northwest of Oulu, on the Gulf of Bothnia. Matti Pöyskö left Finland with his family in 1902, bound for Astoria, Oregon.

This effort is an on-going project, subject to the errors and omissions of all human activities. I gladly receive inquiries, corrections, additions and comments.
Email Jane at poyskyfamily@aol.com