2244 JJoottaaiillaann jjuuttuutt SSoovviioo--SSoovveelliiuuss FFaammiillyy BBuulllleettiinn nnrr 2244 FFeebbrruuaarryy 22001199 FFaammiillyy mmeeeettiinngg 33..88..22001199 iinn HHeellssiinnkkii.. WWeellccoommee!! sseeee pp.. 3344 Sukuyhdistys * Släktförening * Family Association Hallitus ­ Styrelse ­ the Board Puheenjohtaja Varapuheenjohtaja/sihteeri Rahastonhoitaja Ordförande Viceordförande / sekreterare Skattmästare Chairperson Vice­chairman / secretary Treasurer OLLI NYLANDER OUTI TASALA SUSANNA SOVIO­VEIKKOLAINEN Martintie 8 Armas Launiksen katu 5 C 31 Malitie 2 92150 Raahe 02650 Espoo 92120 Raahe puheenjohtaja(at)sovio­ sihteeri(at)sovio­sovelius. rahastonhoitaja@sovio­ sovelius.com com sovelius.com +358 40 519 8782 Jäsen ­ Medlem ­ Member: ERKKI HARALA Varajäsenet ­ Suppleanter ­ Substitutes: EVA LINDBLAD, MAARIT SOVIO TOIMIKUNNAT ­ KOMMITTÉER ­ COMMITTEES Hautainhoitotoimikunta ­ Gravvårdskommittéen ­ Committee for Maintenance of Family Graves: hautainhoito@sovio­sovelius.com, RAIJA INGERTTILÄ (PJ ­ ORDFÖRANDE ­ CHAIR), ANNALIISA NYLANDER, ERJA SOVIO, JOHANNA SOVIO Julkaisutoimikunta ­ Publikationscommittéen ­ Publications Committee: Jotailan.Jutut@sovio­sovelius.com RIITTA HARALA, PIA SOVIO­PYHÄLÄ, PÄR HELENIUS Internet­toimkunta ­ Internet­kommitté ­ Internet committee: internettoimikunta@sovio­sovelius.com OLLI NYLANDER, PÄR HELENIUS (SUKUTIETOKANTA ­ SLÄKTDATABAS ­ FAMILY DATA BASE), . The bank account of the Family association is IBAN: FI24 1200 3000 0187 62 BIC: NDEAFIHH at Nordea Bank The bank account of the Committee for Maintenance of Family Graves is IBAN: FI74 1200 3000 0190 26 BIC: NDEAFIHH at Nordea Bank . The Family associations E­mail: info@sovio­sovelius.com Contents Family meeting information.............................34­35 A word from the Chairman...............................3 Southern Sovios 2018.....................................36­37 From the editorial team...................................4 100 years old Raahen Kauppaklubi................38­40 Trading House Lang........................................5­9 Lang­Franzen­Sovelius­family graves.............40­41 Following the footsteps of George Pakkala (T242) in memoriam.............42 “Mamma from Raahe”.....................................10­13 Information received by Jotaila........................43 The Wreck of Polstiernan................................14 My father lieutenant Birger”Birko” Sovio..........15­18 Skinnarvik cavalry estate and its owners........18­20 Some memories of times in Raahe 1921­1935 from Matti Sovio............................21­22 Ten sticks on Clan meeting.............................22­26 "A day without playing is not a good day"........27­28 A fishing trip to ”The End Of The World"..........29­31 Returning Home ­ An Account of Leaving Namibia..............................................32­33 2 JOTAILAN JUTUT 2019 A word from the Chairman Once again it is ”reunion year”. In Raahe 2016, it felt very distant, but here we are. This time the venue is Helsinki and Sokos Hotel Presidentti. Further information about the family reunion later in this bulletin. One of the benefits of the family associa­ tion is, among others, this bulletin, Jotailan Jutut, Jotaila Family Bulletin. So far, the magazine has only been printed in Finnish and has been sent to all paying members. The versions in Swedish and English and, of course the Finnish versions, have been ge on the webpage.) Every year translating available on the association’s webpage. I is a great effort for the editorial staff and was very surprised to hear of a member volunteers in the family. Gratefully we try to being so disappointed in the Finnish ma­ make the most out of their work. gazine, as he couldn’t understand a word. To the point that he was considering lea­ Until now, the aim was to send invitations ving the association. So sad to hear it. The to the family reunion to all relatives. Now, intention by sending a magazine in Finnish because of the new EU Data Protection re­ is, by no means, to offend someone. gulations (GDPR) we are no longer al­ lowed to maintain a general address Anyway, we are now trying out a printed directory, only information about members version of the magazine in both Swedish of the association is saved. In addition, and English. The challenge is to see how people not having paid their membership to allocate the different language versions. fees for the past two years are deleted Until now, communication in other langua­ from the directory. Because of this, it is ges has been a result based on experience extremely important that you forward infor­ and, so to say ­ educated guessing. There mation about the family reunion to relatives hasn’t been any exact information about who may not be members of the family as­ members’ native and preferred languages. sociation. We would most likely have had the same issue if we had tried not sending any ma­ All relatives are warmly welcome to the fa­ gazines at all in Finnish to non­Finnish mily reunion ­ member or not. speakers. This is of course not an issue with the versions on the webpage. See you at the family reunion If you got a magazine in the “wrong” lan­ guage, please contact the board or the edi­ torial staff of this magazine to update your Olli language in the membership registry. (I ho­ pe you found this part in your own langua­ Translation: Eva Helenius (T308) . JOTAILA FAMILY BULLETIN 24 ISSN 2323­6280 PUBLISHED BY: SOVIO­SOVELIUS FAMILY ASSOCIATION REG.NR 181.890 EDITORIAL STAFF: Riitta Harala Editor­in­Chief, Pia Sovio­Pyhälä, editor, Pär Helenius, Layout ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS: Pia Sovio­Pyhälä, Outi Tasala, Eva Helenius, Åsa Hellenius and Salla Heron. Cover page : The Sovio­Solvelius family tree. Artist Conrad Sovelius (1834­1904) painted many decorative family trees. This tree from 1898 shows the family's fields of operations, agriculture, seafaring and trade. Photo: Olli Nylander BACKPAGE: House of Lang and the so called yard house. Photo: Olli Nylander JOTAILAN JUTUT IS PUBLISHED ON INTERNET URL: https://sovio­sovelius.com/jotailan­jutut­in­ english/, in Swedish https://sovio­sovelius.com/jotailan­jutut­slaktbulletin/ and Finnish and in hdistyksemme nettisivuilta osoitteessa: https://sovio­sovelius.com/jotailan­jutut/ JOTAILAN JUTUT 2019 3 From the editorial team By Riitta Harala (T279) Often in the beginning of the new year we have here an interesting combination of tend to look back to the year behind us themes for you. and revise what we have achieved, and al­ so look forward to the year ahead and Jotaila bulletin is a project very much think what we could do better than before. based on team work, both within the I must say that the past year behind was editorial team, but also with the writers interesting and especially the autumn was and relatives assisting in this work. I would full of work producing once again a new especially like to thank Pia Sovio­Pyhälä Jotailan Jutut bulletin. For me personally, and Pär Helenius, but also the the year was also very rewarding and en­ writers, translators, photographers and lightening. By following Sovio­Sovelius’ fa­ those who have assisted with printing and mily stories I have both learned to distributing the bulletin. understand history and present time in a way which is different from my school time In this bulletin, we have made an effort to history lessons. History was not really my incorporate articles as extensively as pos­ favourite school discipline. Now many sible about our family. However, in our facts in Finnish and world history have Editorial Team the Fredrik Oscar Sovelius’ found their explanation by reading stories family line seems to have a strong repre­ about persons in our family history. I sentation. The editors receive articles recommend this kind of exploration to ot­ mostly from relatives whose doings and hers. history they already know about. It is sel­ dom that somebody offers an article. But In this year’s bulletin we can once again in order to better cover the interests of the dwell in both the family history as well as entire Sovio­Sovelius family we would be in the present daily life of our relatives really grateful if more relatives would con­ around the world. The History of the Tra­ tact us and offer stories or ideas for such. ding House Lang intertwines during many We are also happy to make interviews if generations with our family history. Pia So­ you provide us names of persons willing to vio­Pyhälä who is historian has compiled a be interviewed. comprehensive narrative about the history of the Trading House. Pia has also contri­ As our Chairman Olli Nylander an­ buted with an article about her father Bir­ nounced, we will have our Family Meeting ger Sovio’s participation in World War II. I on 8th August this year, which gives us al­ myself have participated in the writing the so a chance to mingle with relatives. The article about Ellen Sovio’s childhood envi­ gathering gives you a good opportunity to ronment in Lybeck. Rainer Berndes has offer, or suggest us stories to be published collected information about the ownership in the Jotaila Bulletin. Our Editorial Team of the Skinnarvik estate during genera­ will be there, so please think about a story tions. We also succeeded to get Olli Sovio to tell us, or bring a text you have ready in Canada to interview his 97­years old which you can hand over when we meet. father Matti Sovio, to tell about his child­ The editors will compile the next issue of hood and youth in Raahe during 1920ies the Jotaila mainly in the autumn, so if you and 1930ies. Some of our relatives resi­ have a story that is not ready you are ding in Finland, USA, Namibia and Swe­ welcome to send it to us later. Looking den have written stories about their forward to meet you! hobbies, family gatherings, etc. In think we Translation: Pia Sovio­Pyhälä Riitta Harala Pia Sovio­Pyhälä Pär Helenius 4 JOTAILAN JUTUT 2019 Despite changes in ownership the name ”Trading House Lang” persists in 161 years Text compiled and translated by: Pia Sovio­Pyhälä (T290) In 1810 over half of Raahe was destroyed father, not the mother, and the inherited by fire and the town centre got a town­plan property was always managed by a man and a plan for a new square.