Genealogy · History · Books
Toiset Aijat
Matti J. Kankaanpää (1943–2017)
The works of Matti J. Kankaanpää (1943–2017), genealogy researcher from Virrat – articles, books and studies on Finnish history.
Latest Articles
All articles →17 June 2026
New Website Launched
The Toiset Aijat website has been redesigned — now with a genealogical index of persons and families from Matti J. Kankaanpää's research, and easier payment via MobilePay.
4 March 2024
Uusimaa Cavalry Regiment 1641–1809
A collection of 27 transcribed general muster rolls from the Uusimaa Cavalry Regiment, spanning 1641 to 1809 — essential genealogical sources for families from the regiment's recruitment area in southern Finland.
4 March 2024
Viipuri County Accounts 1635–1724
A collection of 22 transcribed Viipuri county account records listing people paid from crown funds — essential genealogical sources for Karelian families across nine decades.
4 June 2023
DNA and Genealogy Research
Lecture given on 17 January 2013 at the Virrat library: an introduction to DNA testing for genealogists, covering Y-DNA paternal lines and mtDNA maternal lines with Finnish examples.
20 June 2021
The Great Wrath in Finland 1714–1721
An account of the Russian occupation of Finland during the Great Northern War — the period known in Finnish history as the Great Wrath — and its consequences for the Finnish people.
10 May 2021
Ancestors and Descendants — Two Sides of a Coin
A reflection on the distinction between researching one's ancestry (backwards) and tracing one's descendants (forwards), and what each direction reveals.