Lena Hansdotter Pöhl / Jürgens

Lena Engman (14 February 1842 – 3 November 1926) was forced to begin labor early in her life — at the age of 9 she was babysitting in Dirslätt, a.k.a. Aulepa, at age 12 she was a helper at the manor and at age 14 a maid at the Herman farm (Swedish: Hermansgården) in Klottorp, a.k.a. Suur-Nõmmküla. When Lena turned 18 in 1861, she married the widower Mats Jürgens, 14 years her senior and a well respected farmer at the Irjas farm (Swedish: Irjasgården) in the village of Hosby on the Noarootsi peninsula. The couple had 3 children.

During the years 1867–1868 there was a severe famine in Estonia (read related: Finnish famine of 1866–1868), and with the failiure of the crops, desperation followed in it's footsteps for the residents of Noarootsi. Rumors began to flourish about the fertile soils of Caucasus—just waiting to be cultivated—which resulted in many farm fire sales of tools and animals, while loading the remaining supplies onto horse and carriage, heading for Saint Petersburg. As did Mats Jürgens with family; together with wife Lena, the son Karl from his first marriage, the son Adam and daughter Mina from the second marriage—they joined a caravan of about 50 people who set their course for Russia.

This endeavor was however not met in kind by the landlords of Noarootsi who managed to rally the authorities enough to halt the potential emigrants in their tracks, both in Reval as well as in Saint Petersburg—where they were forced to spend the winter in primitive barracks. Typhoid and other epidemic diseases hit. Mats Jürgens died in January 1869, as did his children Adam and Mina a couple of days before him. Among other deaths were Lenas sister, Mari, with husband Anders and two of their children: Lisa and Mats. From Mats Jürgens family, the sole survivors of that winter were Lena and her stepson, Karl, who by spring 1869 managed to make their way back to Noarootsi.

By 1872, three years after the return to Noarootsi, Lena married Gustav Pöell. Since he was not a landowner, they had to earn a living by any means necessary. The couples first child, Maria, was born in 1873 at the Skåtanäs manor, a.k.a. Tahu or Schottanäs, where Gustav worked as a foreman (Estonian: Kubjas). The son Hans saw daylight by 1876 in Klottorp and his brother Johannes was born 1883 in Dirslätt. The couple had 2 more children, Tio and Karl who both died as infants.

After Skåtanäs, Gustav worked with gardening at the Klottorp manor, a.k.a. Nõmmküla mõis, (German: Nömmküll, "Nömmküll in Kirchspiel Nukkö, Wiek"). He built a cottage in Dirslätt, on the land of the Peters farm, where they held a cow and a few sheep. Later the family relocated to Sutlep manor where Gustav tended the cattle and delivered milk to the dairy at the manor. Lena worked as a milkmaid.

During the spring of 1890, Gustav ended up in the cold water whereupon he fell ill and became bedridden for the duration of the summer as well. Lena had been saved (Baptists) during the missonary Thure Emanuel Thorén's stay in Noarootsi in the 1870's. During the course of his ilness, Gustav became a believer as well. After his death in September, Lena and the kids moved back to Dirslätt.

------------------------------

References / Notes

• Record № 18301 in the RNHF genealogy database at the Rickul/Nuckö Hembygdsförening
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.23:154; 1834–1843; Parish register. Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften, im Jahre 1842 [Index of births and baptisms 1842], p. 152, frame 154. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.1 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 23, image 154). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed April 11, 2012). — birth 1842
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.25:130; 1854–1863; Matricula of births and baptisms 1862 in Noarootsi parish. Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften in der Gemeinde Nuckoe 1862, p. 129, frame 130. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.1 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 25, image 130). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed July 27, 2012). — birth of daughter Lisa 1862
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.26:10; 1864–1873; Matricula of births and baptisms 1864 in Noarootsi parish. Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften im Jahre 1864 in der Gemeinde Nuckoe, p. 9, frame 10. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.1 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 26, image 10). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed July 27, 2012). — birth and baptism of son Ado 1864
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.26:42; 1864–1873; Matricula of births and baptisms 1867 in Noarootsi parish. Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften im Jahre 1867 in der Gemeinde Nuckö, p. 41, frame 42. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.1 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 26, image 42). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed July 27, 2012). — birth and baptism of daughter Mina 1867
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.47:236; 1864–1874; Personalbuch der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Gemeinde zu St. Catharinen auf Nuckoe. A. Schweden. [Noarootsi St. Catherine's Lutheran congregation census. A. Swedes.] p. 213, frame 236. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.7 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 47, image 236). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed September 2, 2012). — birth 1842, confirmation 1859, IIoo 1872, eucharists
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.54:112; 1885–1904; Parish register IX (Gutani, Passlepa, Lükholmi, Pürksi, Tahku, Sutlepa, Auglepa, Taebla-Auglepa, Nõmmküla. Swedes), p. 125, frame 112. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.7 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 54, image 112). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed May 30, 2012).
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.55:24; 1874–1926; Matricula of births and baptisms in Noarootsi parish 1876. “Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften im Jahre 1876 in der Gemeinde zu Nuckö”, p. 20, frame 24. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.2 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 55, image 24). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed August 30, 2012). — birth and baptism of son Hans 1876
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.55:77; 1874–1926; Matricula of births and baptisms in Noarootsi parish 1883. “Verzeichniß der Geborenen und Getauften im Jahre 1883 in der Gemeinde zu Nuckö”, p. 69, frame 77. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.2 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 55, image 77). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed April 19, 2012). — birth and baptism of son Johannes 1883
• Saaga EAA.3169.1.66:99; 1903–1914; Personalbuch der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Gemeinde zu Nuckö, p. 99, frame 99. [Noarootsi Lutheran congregation census.] p. 99, frame 99. Saarte-Lääne deanery; fond EELC Noarootsi, subfond 1, series 4, subseries 4.7 (accessed image: fond 3169, inventory 1, record 66, image 99). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed September 3, 2012). — civil status
• Saaga TLA.239.2.17:105; 1920–1928; Matricula, Swedish St Michael’s congregation in Reval. “Kyrkbok, Svenska St. Mikaelsförsamlingen i Reval, Åren 1920–1928 (delvis 1929)”, p. 95, frame 105. Fond: Tallinn's Finnish-Swedish St Michael’s congregation, series 1 (accessed image: fond 239, inventory 2, record 17, image 105). Estonian Historical Archives, National Archives of Estonia & Tallinn City Archives, Tartu & Tallinn, Estonia. (accessed June 4, 2012). — birth 1842, death 1926, civil status
• Salin, Sven (ed). Hans Pöhl: Estlandssvenskarnas hövding/Rannarootslaste eestvõitleja. [Hans Pöhl: Champion of the Estonian Swedes.] [Bilingual, Swedish & Estonian] Stockholm-Tallinn: Svenska Odlingens Vänners förlag, 2010: pp. 29, 30. ISBN 978-9949-21-554-6

------------------------------

• * 1842-02-14 in Suur-Nõmmküla (Klottorp, Nõmmküll)
• Y 1859-11-29
• ooI 1861 with Mats Christiansson Jürgens
• ooII 1872-12-03 with Gustav Andersson Pöhl
• † 1926-11-03

Living Residence

• Homestead / Farm: Peters
• Township / Village: Aulepa (Dirslätt)
• State / Province: Noarootsi

Rahumäe cemetery / Rahumäe kalmistu

• Cemetery part: Old Section (Vana osa)
• Quarter: Swedish 2nd (Rootsi teine)
• Address: 10-1
• Details & location on map at the Haudi, kalmistute register

Saaga EAA.4918.1.1451:12?1362,154,944,470,0