There were several farm-owners with the family name Turkki in Hämeenkyrö Parish in the beginning of land registry documentation in 1540. The roots of the Hämeenkyrö Turkki family were obviously from the village of Turkkila of the same parish. There were five farm-owners in Turkkila in 1540 and three of them had the family name Turkki : Antti Niilonpoika Turkki in Laurila, Niilo Turkki in Ollikkala and Olavi Turkki in the Turkki farm.
At the same time there were four farm-owners in the village of Muotiala located south of Turkkila and two of them were from the Turkki family: Mikko Niilonpoika Turkki in Mikkola and Martti Turkki in the Turkki farm.
In addition, Juho Heikinpoika Turkki was the master of the Turkki farm in the village of Ikaalinen north of Turkkila. Ikaalinen was still part of Hämeenkyrö Parish in 1540, but the future Ikaalinen Parish was later established on farm property belonging to the Turkki family.
Such a common appearance of the Turkki family allusives that the family had affected in the area already for a long time since Middle Ages. The family has probably got the family name Turkki effected on hunting and dressing of furs as these hunting sources of livelihood were those times very common in the area. Juho Turkki has, for instance, mentioned to be trader of furs in 1559.
In the 16th Century furs were, after tar, the second most important export good of the country. Also the local system of taxation, called tax law of Kyrö, was based on furs.
The main genealogical researcher of the Turkki family of Hämeenkyrö is :
Osmo Turkki
Leimapojankatu 14
FI-74510 PELTOSALMI
FINLAND
Telefon (Home) : 017-820 6171 (+358-17-820 6171)
Mobile : 044-0642704 (+358-44-0642704)
E-mail : turkki@dnainternet.net
English translation by David Turkki