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The roots of the Moilanen family go to the Lake Ladoga area in Karelia, which today is part of Russia. The family name Moilanen probably became heritable in the 14th century, if not even earlier. In the province of Savo this name was rather common in the middle of the 16th century. It comes from a Russian male name Samoil which again comes from a Biblical (Hebrew) name Samuel ('by Lord chosen'). In 1993 there were 8,406 people of name Moilanen, of whom 7,934 lived in Finland and 472 abroad. In this book (Kaskimailta kansaksi - Kainuun Moilaset) I have presented the results of my studies on the Moilanens in Finland from the 17th until the 19th century. Antti Moilanen has been chosen as the first ancestor. He arrived in the wilderness of Kainuu as a settler in 1599. In those days there were around ten Moilanen families in the area of today's Finland. My studies cover Antti Moilanen's descendants until the end of the 19th century, partly until our days. I have concentrated my studies on the central part of Finland, i.e. the province of Oulu. In other words, not all the Moilanens in Finland are included. Antti Moilanen's descendants - approximately 6,700 persons - are presented in family tables, in all 1,090 tables. In these tables the people's dates of birth, marriage, death as well as their places of residence and occupation are given. The majority of the Moilanens have, been peasants and tenant farmers. There are also some blacksmiths and shoemakers, tailors and foresters, soldiers, elementary teachers and even an MP The alphabetical index in the end facilitates finding one's own branch. At the end of the 19th century emigration increased and that took also many Moilanens abroad, especially to America. The tables show dozens of emigrants to America. Information on some descendants of these emigrants has been found and these persons are included in this presentation. In addition to the tables, stories and more extensive biographies of many members of the families have been included. With the help of the stories the reader can create an impression of how our ancestors lived and thought and how they got their living from nature by fishing and hunting, and later by burn-beating and producing tar. Some stories are told about the hard times of crop failure and starvation and the war time curses. The published estate inventories show the kind of problems people had and how estates were passed from one generation to another. The book also has maps, photographs, copies of old documents, poems, memoirs etc. The skillful hunters of the Moilanens have been presented as well as the soldiers who fought as far away as in the battlefields of Central Europe. The wizards and the witches of the family have not been forgotten either. The rituals of marriage, christening and the causes of death give some insight to the social conditions and interaction between people. In the memorial of the Moilanens, erected in Puolanka in 1990, is carved text about the beauty of the wilderness and the hardships of cultivating it. By understanding the past we understand ourselves. Our ancestors have paved the way for us, they are the foundation of our existence. This book seeks to honour the work of our ancestors and remind us of our roots. |