Message from Estonian Genealogical Society
Are Saarne
I am Are Saarne, president of the Tallinn Branch of the Estonian Genealogical Society, married, 42 years old. Donna Koper of Alberta, Canada has written in this AjaKaja issue of her very recent trip to Estonia and Ukraine. I would like to further add some interesting memories of that same visit from my perspective.
Firstly, meeting Donna Koper and her husband Larry Koper was an experience my family and I will never forget. She is such a positive person; I was immediately delighted to help her attain her goals on this trip. It is impossible to describe all the details (I believe Donna and Larry will do that remarkably well). We simply had not experienced such a heartwarming new acquaintanceship for a long time. This visit by Donna and Larry convinced me to the bottom of my heart that Estonian-mindedness and warm sincerity can and do co-exist very well.
Specifically, Donna Koper came to Estonia and later went to Ukraine in search of her ancestral roots. Her forefathers left the Albu Manor, located in the Järva-Madise parish and Julianeneberg (Sügalepa) village of Estonia, before the beginning of the cultural movement known as the National Awakening. They followed the self-styled ’Prophet Maltsvet’ to Ukraine in 1862 and later moved onward to Canada in 1903. From that time forward, none of her family has set foot in Estonia, until this year. Donna wanted to discover and preserve something of her ancestors’ original home region for her current extended family in pictures and by filling the blanks in the family tree and family history, as well as about Estonia as a whole.
Through prior contact, I had done some research in preparation for informing Donna and Larry about conditions in Estonia during the 19th Century when her ancestors lived there. Despite the fact that Donna does not speak Estonian and my English is weak, we were able to communicate quite well - with and without humour.
Being well aquainted with Estonian history, I was particularly pleased to be able to convey to her the essence of the 19th Century lifestyle of Estonians. For me it meant she gained an understanding as who the Estonians are, because she, through one side of her family ancestry, has Estonian blood flowing in her veins. I sincerely wanted to give Donna and Larry the maximum results I could obtain, and I believe that goal was successfully achieved. I am continuing to help her complete her family tree for both the Reinson and Pertel lineages. This includes forwarding to her various relevant materials about Estonia in general.
The Society itself would like to work with Canadians of Estonian ancestry, as our historians at this end would very much like to find out the ongoing fate of Prophet Maltsvet’s followers as well as of the lives led by other Estonian emigres of that period and the beginning of the 20th Century.
I add that our meeting was made possible by Helgi Leesment and Dave Kiil who both put out a great deal of effort to make the Koper Estonian trip a positive experience for us all. I have since had interesting and helpful contact with Helgi Leesment and through her translation services, I send greetings to all the readers of this article!
On behalf of the Estonian Genealogical Society, we extend our best wishes to all of you way over there in Canada!
Saarne’s contact info:
Are.saarne@mail.ee tel 372-503-9488
are99@hotmail.com Skype aadress : are999
