Anna Ahokas' birth is easy to find, if you take the trouble of learning a little Finnish and Katiha
.
I have some years ago made a short guide to Katiha 1 (now there is a newer one, Katiha 2, too) in English for a friend. Here is it, (with mistakes in translations, I am afraid):
How to use Katiha 1,
the data search of genealogical information on Karelian (the Finnish Karelia that was ceded in 1944) parishes
The database has been made and is being updated in Mikkeli provincial archives of the Finnish National Archives. You can find information taken from the church books of Karelia from 1700 until 1909 (not yet all is included and the year 1914 will be seen in 2015). Note that the names and information may contain errors just the same way the original books may. The names may also be written in different ways which the program does not always eliminate.
“Ei tietoja” means there are no records.
Go to the
http://www.karjalatk.fi/katiha/index.php. The site is only in Finnish but with these hints you are able to use it:
Tab 1. When you open the data search, there are the parishes on the left and their location on the map in the right. You may choose all parishes “Kaikista” (not to be recommended if you know the parish as it takes a longer time) or choose with CTRL+painting one or several parishes and then click “Valituista” = of the chosen. The third “Tyhjennä...” empties all your choices and you can start from the beginning.
Tab 2. On the next tab, Kirkonkirjat (Church books) you can choose all “Kaikista”, tick just one or some or empty “Tyhjennä” the choices of this view. On the right you see the present situation of the data base in each parish.
• Rippikirjat RiKi=communion books (annual books on all people)
• Lastenkirjat LaKi =Children’s books; books on children not yet confirmated; mostly in order of families and villages
• Vanhemmat (LaVa)=parents of the children
• Muuttaneiden luettelot (MuLu)= lists of people moved in and out of the parish
• Syntyneet ja kastetut (SyKa)=Born and baptized
• Vanhemmat (SyVa)=parents of the born an baptized
• Vihittyjen luettelot (ViLu)=lists of the married
• Kuolleet ja haudatut (KuHa)=lists of the dead and buried
• Omaiset (KuOm)=next of kin of the dead
Tab 3. In the third tab you can do searches with several factors. the most common is of course the name and its variations
• Ammatti=profession
• Sukupuoli=sex (rajaamaton=not used, mies=man, nainen=woman
• Etunimet=first names
• Patronyymi=patronymic, father’s name
• Sukunimi=family name, surname
• Omaa sukua=maiden name
• Kylä/talo=village/farm
• Kirjan sivu=page of the church book
Time limits
• Syntymävuosi=year of birth
• Vihkivuosi=year of marriage
• Kuolinvuosi=Year of death
• Tulovuosi=year of arrival
• Lähtövuosi=year of leaving
• Asetukset=choices of results and letters:
• Kirjasimen koko=size of letters; keskisuuri=medium, pieni=small, suuri=big
• Kirjasimen tyyppi=type of letter
• Tuloksia enintään 25/100/250/1000 seurakuntaa kohti=number of results per parish
• Tulosteen taustaksi=the background of print, harmaasävy=greyscale, valkoinen=white
Suorita haku=Search
Tyhjennä=empty.
It is advisable to choose one or some parishes first. If you get no results, you can add new parishes, limit the choices or write in the search fields only the beginning of the names. Note that you can use % as a “joker”: search %mari% and you will get also Brita Marie and Greta Maria in. If you do not know a letter for sure, you can also use mar_a and you will get Marja and Maria.
When you get the results “Haun tulokset”, you will be able to get more detailed results by clicking the magnifying glass under “Kirkonkirjat”. If you click the magnifying glass under the “Sivu”, page, you will be able to see what stands next in the church books.
The program has been tested to work with Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. If your computer stops working, you are getting too many results and you should limit the maximum amount of them.
Now, choose Viipurin maaseurakunta (Tab 1, Seurakunnat), Kaikista (Tab 2, Kirkonkirjat) and put Anna in Etunimi, Ahokas in Sukunimi, and limit with birth year 1849 (Syntymävuosi 1849-1849). You can use the magnifying glass for more info. And then you can go further to the original books...
Good luck!
Tuula K