Federley 1697 - 2000   How this project started  On 22 March 1963 when I was 16 years old I attented the Federley family reunion at the Swedish Club in Helsinki. The next day the daily paper Hufvudstadsbladet published a news-item about the celebration. There was also a picture showing all attendants who had been born with the name of Federley. It was a total of not more than 11 people! Already then I knew that there in Finland lived other people unknown to me bearing the unusual family name Federley. When asking my elder relatives about these Federleys I got the most curious replies...... In the autumn of 1998, 35 years after the family reunion, I decided once and for all to find out more about theFederleys. In October 1999 I started compiling the data I had collected. I know today that if we could go backwards in time and arrange the 1963 celebration anew, there would on the picture be 102 persons who were born with the name of Federley, all of whom of course would be related to each other. (What else could you expect?) In 1963, one member of the sixth generation of Federleys after Anton Federley (1696-1742) was still alive, Bror Magnus´ (1792-1834) grandson Johannes "Juho" Federley. Generation seven counted 29 Federleys, generation eight included 69 Federleys, and in generation nine there had already been four Federley girls born, namely Marjo Marita and Kirsi Anita, daughters of Jorma Federley, as well as Malvin Idar Federley 's two daughters in Norway, Vivian and Tone. And most probably there should also have been some people with the name of Federlöf. (The branch Federlöf has not yet been fully investigated.)   Pyhäjärvi The existing genealogical study made in 1912 stated that Bror Magnus, castle watchman in Vyborg, had moved from Vyborg, but where to was not known. Along the roads existing today the distance covered by Bror Magnus was not more than 112 kilometres! In 1822 he thus settled in Pyhäjärvi west of Lake Ladoga in Carelia. Bror Magnus and his wife Johanna had inherited part of the Ivaskensaari estate, which the widow Maria Carlsson, Bror Magnus mother-in-law, on 11 January 1801 had purchased from a doctor Lindström, minister of the Crown. The place was then called 'Linnanvahti' ('castle watch') and Bror Magnus was by some people even called Bror Magnus 'von' Federley. The rest of the Ivaskensaari estate was inherited by the businessman Pjotr Bajarinov. There were 90 people bearing the name of Federley born in Pyhäjärvi, the last ones being two girls born in the autumn of 1941, Lea Marjatta Federley, daughter of the fisherman Armas Federley at Ivaskansaari, and Tuula Aino Tellervo, whose father was Sulo Federley, son of the 'Linnanvahti' master Johannes "Juho". When the population of the area later on was evacuated, the Pyhäjärvi Federleys dispersed. Some of them came in the war-time as children to Sweden where they still are living. All these 'children of the war' were girls but the name of Federley survived since the girls often kept their surname also in marriage. Even the husbands sometimes adopted the Federley name from their wives, and in several cases the name was passed on to their children. Well done by the Federley girls! The Pyhäjärvi descendants were some of those not present at the 1963 celebration. Today there still survive 21 persons who were born in Pyhäjärvi. We will meet at the coming celebration! Pyhäjärvi is now in Russia and is called Pladovoje. There is nothing left of the original Pyhäjärvi. Not even the church or the churchyard. 20 km to the north of Pyhäjärvi there was the town of Kexholm, nowadays Priozersk. There were 6 Federleys born in Kexholm. On this web page you can click on Pyhäjärvi to get more information about Federleys and Pyhäjärvi. You will there also find literature and maps.   Canada One of the Pyhäjärvi families, the one headed by Antero, which had settled in Rovaniemi in northern Finland, later on emigrated to Canada where there now are four generations of Federleys. All members of that branch are included in the family history. I hope we will meet at the coming reunion.   Norway From the 1912 study it is not to be seen that Anders Kristian Federley's wife Johanna Maria Helsingius after his death adopted a son Vihtori Alfred Mäkinen. He was to be Viktor Alfred Federley and moved to Norway. Norway has seen the birth of 16 Federleys, of whom there are 13 today. Four of the Norway Federleys could have participated in the 1963 celebration.   Australia Rauha Annikki Federley emigrated together with her husband Keijo Väkevä to Tasmania in Australia. Impi Federley's and Hjalmar Leonard Vilén's son Kaarlo Kalervo Vilén (later on changed to Viileinen) also moved out to Australia.     United States Karl Johan "Kaarlo Juhana" Federley (-> Carl John Federley) emigrated to Florida with his wife Lyyti Maria (-> Lydia Federley). Their son Olavi (-> Ole Federley) was born there. I have included Ole and his wife in the family tree with their descendants. This is official information I have obtained from U.S. authorities.   England Two Federley descendants settled in England. Tina Caroline Vakeva from Tasmania and Nina Maria Federley from Finland.   Federlöf A closer look at the 1912 family study shows that Anton Federley (fourth son of the first Anton) at his death 25 July 1797 was called Anton Federlöf. The name Federlöf is, however, not 'logical' since the first part Feder definitely is German whereas the second part clearly is Swedish. In the same way, Federley with a 'y' is 'illogical'! I have started penetrating this matter and will update both the family tree, this introduction and the book as soon as I have the Federlöf study completed.   Anton Who was then our ancestor Anton who came to write his surname Federley? Most probably he originally spelled his name Federle. Other possibilities are Federli or Federlin. Anton probably came to Finland from Germany or possibly from Switzerland. I have been in close contact and also personally met with Peter Feederle, chairman of the Federle, Feederle family association in Ludwigsburg, as well as with the 'family detective' Rolf Federle, in order to find Anton's parents. In church registers of the 18th century it seems as if Anton's and Maria's daughter Sofia Elisabetha who died in infancy in 1734 would have been named Federli. But if the handwriting is correctly interpreted or whether the priest knew how to write Sofia's family name is something we cannot be sure about. We all know that still today you may encounter the most fantastic variations of our fine surname. What do you say about the name I once got: Leif Ceder! There have been quite a number of Anton Federle's in Germany but none of these will come even close to Anton's date of birth, that is, 1697. On the other hand, there are two brothers with suitable years of birth who both emigrated, but it is not known whereto or what their first names were. Now that I have completed the investigation in Finland I will start trying to trace Anton backwards on the basis of the information available in the archives in Ludwigsburg. Federle, Feederle, Federli and Federlin are all related to each other. The names Feiderle and Federlich mentioned in the 1912 study cannot be located either in Germany or Switzerland and I therefore consider these name variations to be faulty. Anton was buried under the floor of the church in Tyrväntö in February 1742. The church was demolished in 1799 but the vestry built in the 16th century in real stone still remains in the churchyards. The portal built in 1830 also remains. I have dwelled on the idea that a tombstone for Anton could be placed somewhere nearby. In connection with the family reunion a floral tribute could be laid at the site of the memorial. The Federles on the Continent are all Catholics whereas we in Finland turned Lutherans.       Dear relatives and other readers of this letter! Although I did not have the luck of growing up in Carelia to become enthralled with the strong will people there gave proof of, I have by some kind of unexplicable stubborness completed this work which covers 864 families and 1268 individuals. To satisfy my curiosity and to enhance the pride I feel of our big family, I want to see to it that a celebration is arranged in the year 2000. Whether a family picture this time can be placed on just one page in a paper remains to be seen. I sincerely hope this will present a real problem.   Join the party!   With gratitude and respect for Anton Federley and Maria Eriksdotter.   Helsinki, March 21st year 2000 Lars Federley Generation 8     Dear Reader, If there is anything you want to tell, add or correct, please contact me:   Lars Federley