THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME TOIVIAINEN
What is the origin of the Toiviainen surname, which sounds oddly winding even to the ear of a Karelian? There are two theories. The older of these two theories, supported for instance by the writer of "Suomen nimikirja" (the book about Finnish names), Sirkka Paikkala, M.A., is based on the fact according to which the Toiviainen surname comes from an ancient Finnish name of a person. She writes about this name as follows (Sukuviesti 2/1985):
”In his collections from the early decades of the twentieth century A. V. Koskimies (former Forsman) refers to additional name variations of Toiva-group. First of all he tells that long ago Toivia or Toivio was quite a common male name in the Kemi district of Lapland. In Sodankylä he found the names Tåijuato (= Toivottu), Töwtesson 1569, Hans Toiffuisson (= Toivinpoika ”Toivi’s son”) 1567, Hans ja Peder Tåiwijosson or Toiuiasson (= Toivionpoika tai Toivianpoika ”Toivio’s son or Toivia’s son”) 1565, Oluff Tåijuasson (= Toivanpoika ”Toiva’s son”) tai Tåijviasson (= Toivianpoika ”Toivia’s son”) 1565, Tåijviosson (= Toivionpoika ”Toivio’s son”) 1566, Toijuatasson 1564 (=Toivotunpoika ”Toivottu’s son”). In Kuolajärvi he found, among others, the names Toijwio Toijwiosson (Toivio Toivionpoika ”Toivio Toivio’s son”)1566 and Toijuara Toiuarsson (= Toivara Toivaranpoika ”Toivara Toivara’s son”) 1570.
The examples don't only show how people used different name variations of the same person, they also prove that these "ancient" Finnish names were really also used as first names. In Lapland our old pre-Christian nomenclature over private persons has survived longer than anywhere else and written information exists about it. Other notes found elsewhere in Finland also refer to a name originally having been a "first name". In Padasjoki a person called Anders Toiwanpoika (Anders Toiwa’s son) was registered in 1480 and in Tuulos Nicki Toifuan was registered in 1468. - - -
A. F. Forsman has listed in his doctorate thesis (p. 161) variations of male names belonging to the Toiva-group, like Toiva, Toivakka or Toivakko, Toivali, Toivara, Toivari, Toivas, Toivatto (?), Toivettu, Toivi, Toivia or Toivio, Toivikka, Toivo (< Toivoi), Toivottu and Toivolempi (in Estonian Toyvelembe). I have also agreed to this in Suomalainen nimikirja by refering Toiviainen to the article Toiva, which clarifies the content of these linguisticly associated names. The following surnames appearing in Suomalainen nimikirja, Toiva, Toivainen, Toivakka, Toivanen, Toivari, Toivio, Toivo, Toivola, Toivonen and Toivettula, are of the same linguistic origin - not of the same family origin, which is a different matter - although part of these names contain younger layers."
So speaks Sirkka Paikkala. But the surname Toiviainen did not become existing in Lapland. According to the available information the first inhabitant with the name Toiviainen settled down there as late as in the beginning of the twentieth century, coming from the south and belonging to the Toiviainen family from the Lake Ladoga Karelia. Neither do the researchers seem to agree about the indisputability of lumping together the male names included in the Toiva-group. Viljo Nissilä (Suomen Karjalan nimistö, p. 124) points out in his explanation concerning the ancient Finnish name clusters like Toiva, Toivia, Toivo, that "the meaning and the logical connection of all these is far from being cleared up"
Jaakko Toiviainen (1917-1981) presented a totally different theory about the origin of our name in his study "The origin of the Toiviainen family". He writes the following: "My teacher of Finnish language, master Arvo Suominen, explained to me for 40 years ago that the surname Toiviainen refers to a man who has made a pilgrimage (pilgrimage in Finnish: 1) toivioretki, 2) pyhiinvaellusmatka).
In the 1977 Toiviainen family meeting I explained the origin of the Toiviainen surname on this basis. Without change of this basis I have later come to a more accurate result.
Toiviainen would be a logical name for a man who has made a pilgrimage, if it had not been so common during the catholic period to make pilgrimages to monastries and religious festivals that it hardly gave a reason to a new surname. Except maybe, if the one and same man caused a sensation by perpetual pilgrimages. If again a man decided to stay for good at a monastery after his pilgrimage he did not need a surname as a monk, and Toiviainen as the name of his children left behind does not sound credible.
The history of sailing at Lake Ladoga indicates that since early times a connection from the mainland to the Heinsimä and Valamo monastries could only be maintained by seaworthy Ladoga boats, which were not owned by just anybody and not just anybody mastered sailing with them. This connection has probably been maintained besides Sortavala and Kurkijoki also from the densly populated Ladoga sailing center Tiurala at Hiitola coast. As the early home of the Toiviainen family was located at Hiitola coast in the Tiurala villages I presume, their progenitor was a Ladoga sailor, who lived in Tiurala in the fourteenth century, and who either as a parish worker or of other reasons transported pilgrims to the Valamo monastery and was therefore given the surname Toiviainen."
It can be added to the beforementioned text of Jaakko Tuomaanpoika (Jaakko, son of Tuomas), that in the tax documents from the year 1500 a reference is made to an inn owned by the Valamo monastery and located in Tiurala (= Hiitola), on the south coast of Kilpola island. Additionally, the Valamo monastery owned also another inn there, just as did the Iivana monastery located in Käkisalmi. This proves that travellers certainly took this route from the Ladoga Karelia to the monastries a long time ago.
Here are the two explanations for the origin of our name. We hardly need a third one. These two give enough reason to ponder over what kind of a person was the man, whose descendant bears the name Toiviainen.
Written by Mr. Martti Toiviainen for the book ”Toiviaiset – suku Karjalan meren rantamilta” (pages 14-15) published in 1998 by the Toiviainens’ family society. ISBN 952-90-9770-0. Translation by Päivikki Halleen 2000.
THE TOIVIAINENS FROM HIITOLA
Maunu Toiviainen was born in the first half of the 17th century in Valtola in the Hiitola district. In the domain register from 1724 he is mentioned to be 117 years old, which means he would have been born in 1607. Even if this information has to be adopted with reservation, it seems to be certain that he was born before the year 1620. Maunu's wife, who died in 1693, is not at all mentioned by name in the sources. They started the oldest wellknown Toiviainen branch which extends to present days.Severi, Nuutti and Matti Toiviainen from Hiitola village as well as Nuutti and Elias Toiviainen from Valtola, although being just a little younger, belonged to Maunu's age group.
In spite of the abundance of the Toiviainen families in Hiitola in the 17th century, the Toiviainen line did not go on there as strongly as one could have expected. This was caused by the extremely high death rate during 1696-97 and 1707-08. In spite of its deficiencies a list of the dead and buried persons gives a clear and harrowing picture of this. As additionally the offspring of Yrjö from Ilmee (died 1708) seems to have moved to Kivennapa via Muolaa, and Söyrinki, the son of Jaakko Severinpoika (1672-1757) obviously moved to Pyhäjärvi to produce offspring for a family line, only the branch started by Maunu fom Valtola remained in Hiitola parish. Perttu, belonging to the next generation, did not get any male offspring and Erik's by-branch died out after two generations. The branch started by Maunu Maununpoika was living in Hiitola until the district was surrendered to the Soviet Union and the by-branch of Tuomas Maununpoika exists full of vitality in today's Finland.
The 1724 domain register of Viipuri county mentions the following , in Finnish translation, concerning the old Maunu and his family:
"Valtola
Maunu Toiviainen 117 yearsFields 1,24, forests 0,16. Number of households and houses 1, for which 1 house tax. Annual tax: tax in money 2, tax in rye 2 barrels, tax in grits 4 gallons. The house is situated at lake Veijalanjärvi running to the great Ladoga, and the family is fishing from the said lake Ladoga. Average fields and meadows. Forests two leagues away from the village, no mill and no fishing dams."
Thus the branch of Maunu from Valtola originates from this patriarch who lived in Valtola.
In the 1724 domain register there is the following entry concerning Jaakko Severinpoika from Hiitola village and the farm:
"Hiitola village
Jaakko Toiviainen 52 yearsThe fields sowed with rye. Fields 1,8, forests 1,16. Number of households and houses 1, for which 1 house tax. Annual tax to His Imperial Majesty: tax in money 2 rubles, tax in rye 2 barrels, tax in grits 2 gallons. This household and Olli Pellinen have average fields but quite insufficient and poor forests. They are fishing from the lake Ladoga, have no mill and no fishing dams."
This Jaakko Severinpoika, whose family most probably continued as a Pyhäjärvi branch, his brother Nuutti and Lauri Matinpoika had established their families already before the end of the 17th century. At the same time the families of Heikki and Matti Toiviainen were living in Veijala, the family of Eerikki Toivianen in Hiitola village and the family of Yrjö Toiviainen in Ilmee. Unfortunately the family facts and relationships given by the parish register are so inadequate that more than ten Toivianen families from Hiitola could not be included in the genealogic research.
More than ten Toivianen families were living in the quite small Hiitola-Vaavoja-Veijala-Valtola area during 1690-1710. Additionally a couple of families were living in Ilmee, and alltogether almost 20 families were living within the parish. Jaakko Toivianen's opinion about Hiitola as the "name nest" of the Toiviainens is thus supported also by this material. Hiitola was the unquestionable center of the Toivianen family in the Ladoga Karelia.
According to the parish registers 11 Toiviainen individuals left for Russia in the 19th century. Four of them returned to Finland according to a register entry. Four persons left and three returned without any register entry. Some of the Valtola-Maunu's offspring who remained in Russia were living in Rääpyvä in the beginning of the 20th century.
It's most probable that some of the Toiviainen burghers living in Käkisalmi in the 17th and 18th centuries are of Hiitola origin. Also later members of the branch have resided in Käkisalmi, but they have returned to their native places.
The old documents mention five Toiviainen individuals who are not included in the parish register starting from 1690. They are 1631 Simo in Hiitola village, 1640 Simo in Mustola, 1645 Lauri, 1680 Maunu, the bailiff of Mustola, and 1683 Matti as well as 1727 Tuomas Jaakonpoika from Hiitola village.
All the families mentioned in Hiitola parish register do not belong to the family of Maunu from Valtola or else, some of them cannot be included in this family because of inadequate information.
* * *
Written by Mr. Martti Toiviainen for the book ”Toiviaiset – suku Karjalan meren rantamilta” (pages 29-30) published in 1998 by the Toiviainens’ family society. ISBN 952-90-9770-0. Translation by Päivikki Halleen 2002.
THE TOIVIAINENS OF UUKUNIEMI
In the documents preceding parish register there are three statements about the Toiviainens of Uukuniemi: in 1683 Paavali and Lauri from Parikankylä and in 1688 Perttu from Ännikänniemi. Keeping of the parish register began in Uukuniemi as early as in 1690. However, the pedigree of different family branches of the Toiviainens turns out difficult to do. This is partly due to the fact that entries to the register during the early decades were few and almost random. All events have not been recorded and father’s name is seldom used together with the first and last names. The main difficulty is caused by the lack of records for long time periods in the 18th century: 17 and 41 years in the list of the baptized, 36 years of the married and 46 years of the buried. Also, a memo of the married was destroyed when the parish chaplain Jaakko Ruttenius drowned in Ladoga Lake during his official journey in 1713, and so list of the married is very insufficient for a few years’ time. The name tradition of Toiviainens in Uukuniemi has been very strong and it provides safe support to the researcher. Still, it remains unsolved to which branch did Olli Toiviainen of Totkuniemi belong. He was born in the mid-17th century. His daughter, Anna married Arved Ahokas, who lived in Niukkala, in 1696.
The origin of Pentinniemi’s family branch can be started from Reijo Toiviainen, who was married to Anna Jaakontytär ( = Jaakko’s daughter) in 1696. Reijo seems to have come to Pentinniemi as a living-in son-in-law. Unexpectedly Iisalmi (Idensalmj) has been listed as his birth place. The parish register of North-Savo, Iisalmi does not recognise surname Toiviainen. (One single entry from Hernejärvi in 1734 is false and means Toivainen.) Iisalmi may have been a place name in the area between the two Iijärvi lakes, five kilometres from Parikka village to the west and south-west. More Toiviainen entries has been recorded from those areas. The Pentinniemi family branch in this book is called ”Pentinniemen Reijon suku” ( = family of Pentinniemi’s Reijo).
The origin of Mensuvaara family branch can be started with certainty from the mid-17th century. It is so far the oldest branch of our family that is known. In the chapter ”Toiviaisten asuinalueet ja –paikat” (= Toiviainens’ dwelling areas and places) it is presumed that Lauri Toiviainen of Mensuvaara was the same Lauri Laurinpoika (Lauri’s son) who was the last owner of Toiviala farm of Kärinki in Ruokolahti in the 17th century. If so, this branch would be the oldest of all Toiviainen branches and its origin could be seen to have started already in the mid-16th century. This Toiviainen branch is called ”Mensuvaaran Laurin suku” (= family of Mensuvaara’s Lauri).
The earlier mention of Perttu Toiviainen in Ännikänniemi is repeated in the land register in 1693.Death of Reetta Laamanen, wife to another Perttu Toiviainen, is mentioned in the parish register in 1696 and a birth of a child in Antti Toiviainen’s family in 1704. The entries of Toiviainens in Ännikänniemi that have been made after this have proven to be mistaken. The family has either died out or moved somewhere else.
Migration to Russia occurred surprisingly often among the Toiviainens of Uukuniemi. Over twenty members of the family went there in the 19th century. Only few of them came back to Finland. Some descendants of those who went to Russia were in the Soviet Union still in 1922 registered in the records of the Keltto congregation.
Written by Mr. Martti Toiviainen for the book ”Toiviaiset – suku Karjalan meren rantamilta” (pages 255-256) published in 1998 by the Toiviainens’ family society. ISBN 952-90-9770-0.
Translation by Hannele Sinkkonen 2000.