The Leoke and Koik FamiliesFrom Estonia to America
Photographs

Photographs and illustrations

Family portraits, the bookshop and its publications, the places as they are today, and the documents shown in the history.

A first selection

A dozen photographs to start with.

Studio group portrait of the Leoke family, 1910: two seated parents with four sons, three standing and the youngest seated.
The Leoke family on 26 August 1910. As identified by Viljandi Museum, front row, from left: Hans, Elmar and Mari; back row: Jaan, Hans and Peeter (Peter). The boy in the front row is Elmar Oswald Leoke, Pilvi’s father.Viljandi Museum, VMF 176:92.
Head-and-shoulders portrait of Hans Leoke in later life, with a long beard.
Hans Leoke (1853–1919), Pilvi’s grandfather. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Full-length studio portrait: a bearded man seated, a young woman in a buttoned bodice and lace cap standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder.
Hans and Mari Leoke, dated about 1900 by Viljandi Museum.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 713. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Outdoor group photo, c. 1903: a bearded man and a woman in a flowered hat seated on a bench with two boys, two older boys standing behind.
The Leoke family, about 1903. Front row, from left: Elmar Oswald (about 7, Pilvi’s father), Hans, Mari and Peeter. Back row: Hans the younger and Jaan. The only photograph we have found of all four surviving sons as boys.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 716. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Street view along Tartu street in 1925, with a horse and cart; a long low wooden building with the sign “H. LEOKE.” beyond a corner house with a round window.
Tartu street in 1925, looking from the Lossi corner. The long wooden building beyond the round-windowed corner house carries the sign “H. LEOKE.”: the family shop and home at Tartu 11, six years after Hans died. The household book also records this address for Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters, without dating the address entry.Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Street scene, 1912: Hans Leoke standing in front of his shop at Tartu 11 while workmen string electric lines.
Hans Leoke, in a dark coat and with a beard, in front of his shop at Tartu 11 in 1912, while electric lines are being strung. The EVE building, now the Grand Hotel Viljandi, was later built on this site.Photo J. Riet, Viljandi Museum VMF 424:415. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Glass-negative photo of an exhibition stand: a draped board covered with booklets under the banner “H. Leoke. Raamatukauplus ja kirjastuseäri. Wiljandis.”, a glass-fronted bookcase on the left, a cloth-covered table in front.
“H. Leoke. Bookshop and publishing business. Viljandi.” Hans’s stand at the 1911 agricultural show in the VEPS courtyard: his own publications on the board, and a case of Estonian farming literature from 1790–1911 drawn from his archive library.Photo J. Riet, Viljandi Museum VMF 424:330. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Outdoor photo: an elderly white-bearded man beside a book stall with racks of books and a sign on the front, trees and a house behind.
Jaan Leoke selling books in Viljandi around 1950, during the Soviet period.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 725. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Old photo of a long, low single-story manor house with a pillared porch among trees, captioned “Karksi”.
Karksi manor house about 1914: the long, low house with its pillared porch. The building no longer survives.Information board, Karksi. In The Koiks of Karksi
Black-and-white photo of officials walking on a quay beside a large ship crowded with people at the rails; a church spire in the background.
General Commissioner Litzmann and his staff going to the ship in Tallinn harbor, September 1944, probably the Wartheland on 20 September. The photograph illustrates the evacuation; it does not establish that the Leokes traveled on this ship. Refugees crowd the rails above. St Olaf’s spire is on the left, so this is the main harbor north of the Old Town. From the photo archive of the Stockholm exile newspaper Eesti Päevaleht.Estonian National Museum, ERM Fk 3051:5377. In Leaving Estonia, 1944
Side of a large transport ship at a quay, decks crowded with people behind a banner “SHIP TO FREEDOM!”, nameboard “General W. M. Black”; soldiers on the quay.
“Ship to Freedom!” The General W. M. Black leaving Bremerhaven in October 1948 on the first DP sailing to America, with its nameboard above the banner. Elmar Oswald and Hilda were aboard.US Army Signal Corps photograph 111-SC-310938; US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of NARA. In To America, 1947–1952
Aerial photo of a large white transport ship under way at sea.
The transport General R. L. Howze, which carried Elmar from Bremerhaven to New Orleans in September 1949. The Times-Picayune listed it in the port’s shipping column on 9 September.US Navy photograph, early 1950s. In To America, 1947–1952

From the family history

Every photograph and document illustrated in the history, in the order they appear there.

Studio group portrait of the Leoke family, 1910: two seated parents with four sons, three standing and the youngest seated.
The Leoke family on 26 August 1910. As identified by Viljandi Museum, front row, from left: Hans, Elmar and Mari; back row: Jaan, Hans and Peeter (Peter). The boy in the front row is Elmar Oswald Leoke, Pilvi’s father.Viljandi Museum, VMF 176:92.
Head-and-shoulders portrait of Hans Leoke in later life, with a long beard.
Hans Leoke (1853–1919), Pilvi’s grandfather. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Full-length studio portrait: a bearded man seated, a young woman in a buttoned bodice and lace cap standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder.
Hans and Mari Leoke, dated about 1900 by Viljandi Museum.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 713. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Oval group photo of about thirty men around a table with a lace cloth, captioned in ink beneath.
Provost Ferdinand Hörschelmann with the schoolmasters of Viljandi district, Tartu, 24 June 1873. Hans, then 20, had qualified as a schoolmaster the previous year and may be among the group; the schoolmasters are not individually named.Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Street view along Tartu street in 1925, with a horse and cart; a long low wooden building with the sign “H. LEOKE.” beyond a corner house with a round window.
Tartu street in 1925, looking from the Lossi corner. The long wooden building beyond the round-windowed corner house carries the sign “H. LEOKE.”: the family shop and home at Tartu 11, six years after Hans died. The household book also records this address for Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters, without dating the address entry.Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Street scene, 1912: Hans Leoke standing in front of his shop at Tartu 11 while workmen string electric lines.
Hans Leoke, in a dark coat and with a beard, in front of his shop at Tartu 11 in 1912, while electric lines are being strung. The EVE building, now the Grand Hotel Viljandi, was later built on this site.Photo J. Riet, Viljandi Museum VMF 424:415. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Glass-negative photo of an exhibition stand: a draped board covered with booklets under the banner “H. Leoke. Raamatukauplus ja kirjastuseäri. Wiljandis.”, a glass-fronted bookcase on the left, a cloth-covered table in front.
“H. Leoke. Bookshop and publishing business. Viljandi.” Hans’s stand at the 1911 agricultural show in the VEPS courtyard: his own publications on the board, and a case of Estonian farming literature from 1790–1911 drawn from his archive library.Photo J. Riet, Viljandi Museum VMF 424:330. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Printed poster advertising the first Estonian lending library at H. Leoke’s bookshop.
A poster for “the first Estonian lending library” at H. Leoke’s bookshop.Viljandi Museum archive. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Plaster bust of Hans Leoke.
Plaster bust of Hans Leoke by August Weizenberg (1913), in the Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Printed booklet cover, “Koidu Seltsi Põhjuskiri, Viljandi”, with a rectangular archive-library stamp.
Statutes of Viljandi’s Koidu Society, 1911, printed by Hans’s brother-in-law Ado Tõllasepp and stamped “H. Leoke’se arhiiv-raamatukogust”.Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Close photograph of Hans Leoke lying in profile on a lace pillow, eyes closed, with a full gray beard.
Hans Leoke on his deathbed, August 1919.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 3887. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Outdoor group photo, c. 1903: a bearded man and a woman in a flowered hat seated on a bench with two boys, two older boys standing behind.
The Leoke family, about 1903. Front row, from left: Elmar Oswald (about 7, Pilvi’s father), Hans, Mari and Peeter. Back row: Hans the younger and Jaan. The only photograph we have found of all four surviving sons as boys.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 716. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Blue exercise-book cover with a printed label, handwritten “Ilukirjutus. J. Leoke 1897”.
“Ilukirjutus. J. Leoke 1897”: almost certainly Jaan’s penmanship copybook from when he was ten, made by K. A. Hermann of Jurjew (Tartu).Viljandi Museum. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Cabinet-card portrait of a young man with a mustache and upswept hair, “J. Riet” imprint at the bottom.
Jaan Leoke, publisher and bookseller, about 1910; on the back, in pencil, “Jaan Leoke 1886–1959”.Photo J. Riet, Viljandi Museum VM 9248 F 75:2518. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Outdoor photo: an elderly white-bearded man beside a book stall with racks of books and a sign on the front, trees and a house behind.
Jaan Leoke selling books in Viljandi around 1950, during the Soviet period.Viljandi Museum, VMF 75 F 725. In The Leokes of Viljandi
Crop from the 1910 family photo: a clean-shaven youth in a high-collared school uniform.
Peeter at 18, in his school uniform, in the 1910 family photograph. In Peter Leoke, the family’s anchor in America
Two strips from a handwritten household-book page: the Meomüttel family entries and Hilda’s entry.
Jüri Meomüttel, his wife Ann née Paltser and son August (top), and Hilda Wilhelmine with the note of her marriage to Elmar Oswald Leoke (bottom).EAA.1290.1.557, pp. 591–592. In Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters
Printed poster, “Wiljandi linna komandandi Päewakäsk No. __”, dated January 1919.
A curfew order printed in January 1919 with the date left blank, to be posted if the town was attacked: anyone found in the streets “will be shot on the spot”.Viljandi Museum. In Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters
Printed poster, “Wiljandi linna Komandandi käsukiri No. 3”, December 1918.
Order No. 3, December 1918: no travel without a permit, granted only in urgent need.Viljandi Museum. In Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters
Handwritten page of the Viljandi household book with entries for Elmar Oswald, Hilda, Virve Helje and Pilvi Laine, and margin notes.
Elmar Oswald, Hilda “(Meomüttel), daughter of Jüri”, Virve Helje and Pilvi Laine in the Viljandi household book. The pencil note at top left reads “Tartu tn. 11, Viljandis”; the marriage, divorce and baptism notes are on the right.EELK Viljandi Pauluse congregation, household book for Vana-Võidu, pp. 229–230. In Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters
Color photo, October 2026: a pink two-story school building with white windows and a flag.
The school building at Hariduse 2, now Viljandi Gümnaasium, in October 2026. Pilvi recalled attending school here; the years are not yet known. In Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters
Handwritten household-book page from Paistu with the Peeter Koik family.
Paistu household book: Peeter Koik, born at Alt-Karrishof (Vana-Kariste), parents Märt and Mari; his wife Els, entered as née “Ranthus” and born at Euseküll (Õisu) on 27 September 1844 (the baptism register gives Rantsus and 24 September); married in Paistu in 1875; and their sons, including “Sohn Johan”, born 19 August 1881 (Old Style).EAA, Paistu congregation. In The Koiks of Karksi
Page 524 of the Karksi household register, handwritten.
Karksi household register, page 524.EAA.1276.1.341. In The Koiks of Karksi
Old photo of a long, low single-story manor house with a pillared porch among trees, captioned “Karksi”.
Karksi manor house about 1914: the long, low house with its pillared porch. The building no longer survives.Information board, Karksi. In The Koiks of Karksi
Page of the 1925 Karksi birth register on a printed Russian form, handwritten in Estonian.
Karksi congregation, birth register for 1925, page 91. Elmar’s entry, first on the page, records his birth in December 1925 and baptism in April 1926.Estonian National Archives, EAA.1276.1.335. In The Koiks of Karksi
Black-and-white photo of officials walking on a quay beside a large ship crowded with people at the rails; a church spire in the background.
General Commissioner Litzmann and his staff going to the ship in Tallinn harbor, September 1944, probably the Wartheland on 20 September. The photograph illustrates the evacuation; it does not establish that the Leokes traveled on this ship. Refugees crowd the rails above. St Olaf’s spire is on the left, so this is the main harbor north of the Old Town. From the photo archive of the Stockholm exile newspaper Eesti Päevaleht.Estonian National Museum, ERM Fk 3051:5377. In Leaving Estonia, 1944
German registration card for Elmar Oswald Leoke.
Elmar Oswald Leoke’s Windsheim registration card: born 8 August 1896 at Groß-Keppo (Suure-Kõpu), parents Hans and Mari née Tõllasepp, married Hilda Wilhelmine on 12 January 1919 in Viljandi.Arolsen Archives. In Germany, 1944–1948
German registration card for Pilvi Laine Leoke.
Pilvi Laine Leoke’s card: born 27 November 1921 in Dorpat (Tartu), single, typist. The note on the right reads “emigrated to U.S.A.”Arolsen Archives. In Germany, 1944–1948
German death certificate for Virve Leoke.
Virve’s death certificate, Mörlbach registry no. 6/1945, issued 24 January 1951.Arolsen Archives. In Germany, 1944–1948
DP registration record card for Elmar Koik.
Elmar Koik’s DP registration record, 27 July 1948: a driver, speaking Estonian and German, last resident in Karksi. In Germany, 1944–1948
Typed and handwritten DP questionnaire page.
Elmar’s 1946 questionnaire, recording his wounding at Vaivara and his hospitals.Arolsen Archives. In Germany, 1944–1948
Top strip of a typed airline manifest: “Carrier: Pan American Airways, Inc. Passenger Manifest”, Frankfurt, November 30, 1947.
The header of the Pan American Airways passenger manifest for Pilvi’s flight, Frankfurt, 30 November 1947.US National Archives. In To America, 1947–1952
Side of a large transport ship at a quay, decks crowded with people behind a banner “SHIP TO FREEDOM!”, nameboard “General W. M. Black”; soldiers on the quay.
“Ship to Freedom!” The General W. M. Black leaving Bremerhaven in October 1948 on the first DP sailing to America, with its nameboard above the banner. Elmar Oswald and Hilda were aboard.US Army Signal Corps photograph 111-SC-310938; US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of NARA. In To America, 1947–1952
Typed emigration list with entries for Elmar Oswald and Hilda Leoke.
Emigration list naming Elmar Oswald Leoke (economist) and Hilda Wilhelmine Leoke (housewife), both listed as 51, sponsored by Peter Leoke of Los Angeles. A later penciled note gives Hilda’s alien registration number; the place and date written with it may belong to the next passenger on the list.Arolsen Archives. In To America, 1947–1952
Aerial photo of a large white transport ship under way at sea.
The transport General R. L. Howze, which carried Elmar from Bremerhaven to New Orleans in September 1949. The Times-Picayune listed it in the port’s shipping column on 9 September.US Navy photograph, early 1950s. In To America, 1947–1952
Typed immigration arrival card (Form I-448) for Elmar Koik.
Elmar’s arrival card, filled in at the dock: born Karksi, farmer-driver, last residence a US Army labor company at Frankfurt, bound for Imperial County Farmers; landed “N.O.La., 9/5/49, USAT Gen. R. L. Howze”.US National Archives. In To America, 1947–1952
Screenshot of the kalmistud.ee grave record listing Hans, Mari and Jaan Leoke.
The grave record on kalmistud.ee, Estonia’s national grave register. In Places connected with the families
Screenshot of the cemetery map with a yellow pin on the plot.
The plot (yellow pin) in Pauluse section IX, at the northern edge of the cemetery. In Places connected with the families
Color photo: a moss-covered boulder with a dark plaque reading “Hans Leoke”, among yellow hydrangea leaves.
Hans’s marker, a fieldstone boulder with a plaque: “Hans Leoke 18 27/XII 52 – 19 16/VIII 19”, his birth date in the Old Style. Very likely the original 1919 stone. October 2026. In Places connected with the families
Color photo: the fenced plot with the boulder and a large yellow-leaved shrub, houses beyond.
The family plot in October 2026: Hans’s boulder (left), Mari’s slab (center, its inscription worn away) and Jaan’s slab (right, confirmed by a rubbing). In Places connected with the families
Carte-de-visite portrait of a bearded man, Carl Robert Jakobson, laid on a page of the newspaper Sakala.
Carl Robert Jakobson, whose ideas Hans supported, with an 1878 issue of his newspaper Sakala, which Hans wrote for while schoolmaster at Arumetsa.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Printed advertisement, “A. Tõllasepp’a põllutöö masinate kauplus”, with a drawing of the building in the header.
An advertisement for Ado Tõllasepp’s shop “in his own house” on Tartu street: Tartu 9, the building shown in its header. Mari’s brother printed much of what Hans published.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Color photo, October 2026: the pale green Art Nouveau façade of Tartu 9 with shop windows.
Tartu 9 in October 2026: the only one of the family’s shop buildings securely identified as still standing. Hans’s shop was here in about 1907–09. In Local history and photographs
Winter street photo: workmen on a pole and ladder stringing telephone lines beside a wooden building at a corner.
Telephone lines going up at the corner of Tartu and Lossi streets in the early 1900s. The long building behind the corner house is very likely the Leoke shop.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Color photo, October 2026: a low yellow house with a black tiled roof, number 15.
Today’s Tartu 15, where the shop stood in 1900–07 in the Graf house, a former tavern. Street numbers may have changed since then. In Local history and photographs
Open-air stage set among the castle ruins, with audience, captioned “Salome, Viljandi 1920”.
Salome in the castle ruins, 1920: Viljandi’s first open-air performance. Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Ornate printed price list with vine borders, “Hinnakiri”, listing wines and spirits.
A 1920s price list of the Viljandi liqueur and wine company, with the Leoke archive stamp.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Printed poster, “Suvepidu”, with program and prices.
A 1934 poster for a temperance society’s summer party “in Mr Treial’s barn at the naturally beautiful Tusti settlement”, with a play and dancing. Stamped by the Leoke archive library.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Blank printed theater ticket of the “Uus teater”, with a control stub.
A ticket for Viljandi’s “Uus teater” (New Theater), with spaces for box, row, seat and price, from the museum’s display on the town’s cultural life. The Leoke shop sold theater tickets, though this one carries no shop stamp.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Printed leaflet, “Mis peab teadma iga Wiljandi linnawalija?”, with a library stamp.
“What every Viljandi town voter must know”: an election leaflet urging votes for List No. 1, printed by Ado Tõllasepp and stamped by Hans’s archive library. From 1910 Hans could vote in these elections himself.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Printed advertisement with a lighthouse emblem, “Saapa kreem Wirwe”, with a stamp.
“Please try WIRWE boot cream and ‘Polli’ waterproof leather grease”: a 1926 advertisement for M. Kõiva of Viljandi, collected and stamped seven years after Hans died.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Color photo, October 2026: the dark brown 1930s Grand Hotel Viljandi on the corner, with the pale green Tartu 9 beyond.
The corner of Tartu and Lossi streets in October 2026. The wooden buildings were cleared in the late 1930s for the EVE building, now the Grand Hotel Viljandi. Beyond it, the pale Art Nouveau house is Tartu 9, where the shop stood in 1907–09. In Local history and photographs
Printed shop poster on a red-to-yellow colored sheet, headed “Kaupluse koha muutmine” and signed H. Leoke.
Hans’s own poster announcing a move: “From the first of July this year my book, stationery and children’s toy shop and the most complete Estonian-language lending library will be in the Rosenberg-Schmidt house… Flax and wool spinning and the dyeing of cloth and yarn will also be done well and properly. Respectfully, H. Leoke.” Which move it records is not yet known.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Large group photo of schoolgirls with a few teachers, in rows.
The first class of the Viljandi Estonian Education Society’s girls’ progymnasium, 1912. Photographed before Pilvi’s birth; this is not her class.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Sketch map of the battle of Karksi, 4–5 January 1919, with arrows, villages and railway.
The battle of Karksi, 4–5 January 1919, on a map that covers the Koiks’ home district: Õisu, Halliste, Polli, Nuia and Karksi manor.Information board, Karksi. In Local history and photographs
Color photo, October 2026: a whitewashed church with a green-roofed tower behind a large tree.
St Peter’s Church, Karksi, built in 1778 on the old castle site: the Koiks’ parish church, where Ida was confirmed in 1926. In Local history and photographs
Color photo: a tall red granite stone with a scout badge and carved inscription.
The memorial stone of 2019: “War of Independence. The battle of Karksi. The Red-occupied Karksi manor was freed by the Scouts Battalion with the 2nd company of the 3rd Infantry Regiment and the Defence League on 5 January 1919.” In Local history and photographs
Color photo: autumn trees and fallen leaves, a pond, and a pale building in the background.
The manor park in October 2026, with one of the ponds and a surviving manor building beyond. In Local history and photographs
Fragment of a dark stone plaque carved “SELLEST MAJAST” with an elk-head badge, “Eesti Scouts”.
Fragment of a memorial plaque with the Scouts’ elk-head badge, “Sellest majast…” (“From this house…”), taken from the wall of the manor house.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Old photo of a long wooden schoolhouse with pupils standing in front.
Holstre-Pulleritsu school, 1911. Some early Koik households came from a farm recorded as Koiga on Holstre manor, in Paistu parish; Elmar Koik’s own line is traced to Vana-Kariste.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Photo of seven young men in scout uniforms gathered around a table looking at a map.
Scouts in Viljandi in the 1930s. Elmar Koik joined the movement in Karksi-Nuia in 1938; he is not identified in this photograph.Viljandi Museum. In Local history and photographs
Newspaper clipping from Meie Elu, 15 October 1987.
Meie Elu (Toronto), 15 October 1987. DIGAR. In Local history and photographs

More illustrations

Further crops and details prepared for the history.

Passengers at the rails of the General W. M. Black beneath a banner reading “Ship to Freedom!”
The General W. M. Black at Bremerhaven, October 1948: passengers at the rails beneath the “Ship to Freedom!” banner. Elmar Oswald and Hilda were aboard.US Army Signal Corps photograph 111-SC-310938; US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of NARA.
A tall 1930s office building on a street corner.
The EVE building in 1940, built on the site of the Leoke shop and home at Tartu 11; it is now the Grand Hotel Viljandi.Viljandi Museum display.
The back of a German registration card with handwritten entries.
The back of the Leoke family’s Windsheim registration card, listing the daughters Virve and Pilvi and the family’s entry into Germany through Gotenhafen on 22 September 1944.Arolsen Archives.
A two-story building with many windows.
The Viljandi Farmers’ Society building, which housed the girls’ progymnasium.Viljandi Museum display.
A handwritten household-register page.
Halliste household register, page 88: the household of Märt and Ello Koik at Uue-Kariste. The Paistu records show that they were not Juhan’s parents.EAA.1275, Halliste congregation.
A newspaper shipping column.
The Times-Picayune shipping column of 9 September 1949, listing the General R. L. Howze at New Orleans.
The back of a photograph card with a pencil inscription.
The back of Jaan Leoke’s portrait card, pencilled “Jaan Leoke 1886–1959”.Viljandi Museum, VM 9248 F 75:2518.
A printed military form filled in by hand.
Juhan Koik’s intake sheet, Pärnu County People’s Army commission, November 1920: son of Peeter, born 19 August 1881, living at Penuja, farm laborer, married with three children, a private in 1915–1918.Estonian National Archives, ERA.680.3.9, image 268.
A typed emigration list.
Elmar Koik on an IRO emigration list, 1949, bound for El Centro, California.Arolsen Archives.
A street of low buildings after the war.
Lossi street in Viljandi after the Second World War.Viljandi Museum display.
A street of low buildings with a horse and cart.
Lossi street in Viljandi before the Second World War.Viljandi Museum display.
A town market square seen from above.
Viljandi’s Big Market in 1922, seen from the water tower.Viljandi Museum display.
A printed advertisement on green paper.
An advertisement for H. Leoke’s bookshop in Viljandi, with a second notice below for “M. Leoke’s new haberdashery shop”: Mari’s shop.Viljandi Museum.
A woodcut of a woman reading by lamplight, with the letters H and L.
A publisher’s mark with the initials H and L, probably Hans Leoke’s. The source of this image has not been recorded.

Viljandi Museum catalog

Photographs of the family from the Viljandi Museum’s online catalog.

Hans Leoke’s stand at the 1911 agricultural show, Viljandi
Hans Leoke’s stand at the 1911 agricultural show, Viljandi MU01
Hans Leoke on his deathbed, August 1919
Hans Leoke on his deathbed, August 1919 MU02
Hans and Mari Leoke
Hans and Mari Leoke MU03
The back of Jaan Leoke’s portrait card, pencilled “Jaan Leoke 1886–1959”
The back of Jaan Leoke’s portrait card, pencilled “Jaan Leoke 1886–1959” MU04
Jaan Leoke, about 1910
Jaan Leoke, about 1910 MU05
Jaan Leoke selling books in Viljandi, around 1950
Jaan Leoke selling books in Viljandi, around 1950 MU06
The Leoke family, about 1903
The Leoke family, about 1903 MU07

Visits, October 2026

Tallinn, Viljandi and Karksi today.

Tallinn’s Old Harbour from the terminal roof, with St Olaf’s spire on the left, October 2026
Tallinn’s Old Harbour from the terminal roof, with St Olaf’s spire on the left, October 2026 V01
Tallinn’s Old Harbour looking toward the Old Town, October 2026
Tallinn’s Old Harbour looking toward the Old Town, October 2026 V02
The school building at Hariduse 2, Viljandi, now Viljandi Gümnaasium, October 2026
The school building at Hariduse 2, Viljandi, now Viljandi Gümnaasium, October 2026 V03
Hans Leoke’s boulder in the family plot, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026
Hans Leoke’s boulder in the family plot, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026 V04
The plaque on Hans Leoke’s boulder, October 2026
The plaque on Hans Leoke’s boulder, October 2026 V05
The Leoke plot’s entry on kalmistud.ee, Estonia’s national grave register
The Leoke plot’s entry on kalmistud.ee, Estonia’s national grave register V06
Jaan Leoke’s slab (right) in the family plot, October 2026
Jaan Leoke’s slab (right) in the family plot, October 2026 V07
Mari Leoke’s slab (center), its inscription worn away, October 2026
Mari Leoke’s slab (center), its inscription worn away, October 2026 V08
The Leoke family plot, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026
The Leoke family plot, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026 V09
The Leoke family plot from the side, October 2026
The Leoke family plot from the side, October 2026 V10
The family plot: Hans’s boulder (left), Mari’s slab (center) and Jaan’s slab (right), October 2026
The family plot: Hans’s boulder (left), Mari’s slab (center) and Jaan’s slab (right), October 2026 V11
The family plot at the north edge of the Old Cemetery, October 2026
The family plot at the north edge of the Old Cemetery, October 2026 V12
The family plot and its surroundings, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026
The family plot and its surroundings, Viljandi Old Cemetery, October 2026 V13
The Grand Hotel Viljandi on the former Tartu 11 site, October 2026
The Grand Hotel Viljandi on the former Tartu 11 site, October 2026 V14
The Grand Hotel Viljandi on the former Tartu 11 site, from the corner, October 2026
The Grand Hotel Viljandi on the former Tartu 11 site, from the corner, October 2026 V15
Today’s Tartu 15, where the shop stood in 1900–07, October 2026
Today’s Tartu 15, where the shop stood in 1900–07, October 2026 V16
Tartu 9, Ado Tõllasepp’s building, where the shop stood in about 1907–09, October 2026
Tartu 9, Ado Tõllasepp’s building, where the shop stood in about 1907–09, October 2026 V17
The door number at Tartu 9, October 2026
The door number at Tartu 9, October 2026 V18
Tartu street with the Grand Hotel Viljandi, October 2026
Tartu street with the Grand Hotel Viljandi, October 2026 V19
The Grand Hotel Viljandi and Tartu 9, seen from the viewpoint of the 1925 photograph, October 2026
The Grand Hotel Viljandi and Tartu 9, seen from the viewpoint of the 1925 photograph, October 2026 V20
St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, the Koiks’ parish church, October 2026
St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, the Koiks’ parish church, October 2026 V21
St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, October 2026
St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, October 2026 V22
Information board at Karksi: the manor house about 1914, which no longer survives
Information board at Karksi: the manor house about 1914, which no longer survives V23
Information board at Karksi on the battle of 4–5 January 1919
Information board at Karksi on the battle of 4–5 January 1919 V24
Information board at Karksi on the battle of 4–5 January 1919: the battle map
Information board at Karksi on the battle of 4–5 January 1919: the battle map V25
Information board at Karksi: the account of the battle of Karksi
Information board at Karksi: the account of the battle of Karksi V26
The 2019 memorial stone to the battle of Karksi, October 2026
The 2019 memorial stone to the battle of Karksi, October 2026 V27
The west door of St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, October 2026
The west door of St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia, October 2026 V28
The 1778 plaque on St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia
The 1778 plaque on St Peter’s Church, Karksi-Nuia V29
The manor park and one of its ponds, Karksi, October 2026
The manor park and one of its ponds, Karksi, October 2026 V30
Village information board at Karksi with a map of the former manor lands
Village information board at Karksi with a map of the former manor lands V31
Village information board at Karksi: the map
Village information board at Karksi: the map V32

Viljandi Museum displays

The museum’s displays on Viljandi’s history, photographed in October 2026.

Hans Leoke’s poster announcing a move of his shop
Hans Leoke’s poster announcing a move of his shop M001
The Koidu Society’s statutes of 1911, with a membership card of 1885
The Koidu Society’s statutes of 1911, with a membership card of 1885 M002
Jaan Leoke’s penmanship copybook, 1897
Jaan Leoke’s penmanship copybook, 1897 M003
Election leaflet, “What every Viljandi town voter must know”, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Election leaflet, “What every Viljandi town voter must know”, stamped by the Leoke archive library M004
Advertisement for Wirwe boot cream, 1926, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Advertisement for Wirwe boot cream, 1926, stamped by the Leoke archive library M005
Poster for a temperance society’s summer party at Tusti, 1934, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Poster for a temperance society’s summer party at Tusti, 1934, stamped by the Leoke archive library M006
A ticket for Viljandi’s Uus teater (New Theater)
A ticket for Viljandi’s Uus teater (New Theater) M007
Fragment of the Scouts’ memorial plaque from the Karksi manor house
Fragment of the Scouts’ memorial plaque from the Karksi manor house M008
A share certificate of the Sakala bank
A share certificate of the Sakala bank M009
A destruction-battalion membership card of 1941
A destruction-battalion membership card of 1941 M010
Badges and papers from the museum’s display on the 1940s
Badges and papers from the museum’s display on the 1940s M011
Uus teater tickets in the display on Viljandi’s cultural life
Uus teater tickets in the display on Viljandi’s cultural life M012
Posters for celebrations and dances, from the display on cultural life
Posters for celebrations and dances, from the display on cultural life M013
Photographs of choirs and orchestras, from the display on cultural life
Photographs of choirs and orchestras, from the display on cultural life M014
Photographs of Viljandi societies, from the display on cultural life
Photographs of Viljandi societies, from the display on cultural life M015
The museum’s display on Viljandi’s cultural life
The museum’s display on Viljandi’s cultural life M016
The 1934 Tusti summer-party poster in the cultural life display
The 1934 Tusti summer-party poster in the cultural life display M017
The Wirwe boot-cream advertisement in the display
The Wirwe boot-cream advertisement in the display M018
Advertisements of Viljandi businesses
Advertisements of Viljandi businesses M019
Lossi street after the Second World War
Lossi street after the Second World War M020
Lossi street before the Second World War
Lossi street before the Second World War M021
A 1920s price list of the Viljandi liqueur and wine company, stamped by the Leoke archive library
A 1920s price list of the Viljandi liqueur and wine company, stamped by the Leoke archive library M022
A gathering in the hall of the girls’ progymnasium of the Viljandi Estonian Education Society
A gathering in the hall of the girls’ progymnasium of the Viljandi Estonian Education Society M023
Provost Hörschelmann with the schoolmasters of Viljandi district, 1873
Provost Hörschelmann with the schoolmasters of Viljandi district, 1873 M024
Pupils and teachers of a Viljandi town school, early 20th century
Pupils and teachers of a Viljandi town school, early 20th century M025
The second graduating class of the girls’ progymnasium, 1913
The second graduating class of the girls’ progymnasium, 1913 M026
A group photograph from the museum’s display on schools
A group photograph from the museum’s display on schools M027
The Farmers’ Society building, which housed the girls’ progymnasium
The Farmers’ Society building, which housed the girls’ progymnasium M028
Viljandi town elementary school, early 20th century
Viljandi town elementary school, early 20th century M029
Holstre-Pulleritsu school, 1911
Holstre-Pulleritsu school, 1911 M030
A village school and its pupils, from the display on schools
A village school and its pupils, from the display on schools M031
A village school and its pupils, from the display on schools
A village school and its pupils, from the display on schools M032
A greeting to the schoolmaster Friedrich Kuhlbars, 1905, with photographs of schools
A greeting to the schoolmaster Friedrich Kuhlbars, 1905, with photographs of schools M033
A Viljandi school building, from the display on schools
A Viljandi school building, from the display on schools M034
A school building, early 20th century, from the display on schools
A school building, early 20th century, from the display on schools M035
Display case with an Estonian Literary Society membership card of 1885 and an Alexander School card
Display case with an Estonian Literary Society membership card of 1885 and an Alexander School card M036
Printed booklets in the museum’s display
Printed booklets in the museum’s display M037
Printed booklets in the museum’s display
Printed booklets in the museum’s display M038
Photographs in the museum’s display
Photographs in the museum’s display M039
Advertisement for J. Kondor’s joinery, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Advertisement for J. Kondor’s joinery, stamped by the Leoke archive library M040
Advertisements and a factory photograph, from the display on trade
Advertisements and a factory photograph, from the display on trade M041
Photographs of workshops and factories, from the display on trade
Photographs of workshops and factories, from the display on trade M042
Advertisement for a Viljandi printing house
Advertisement for a Viljandi printing house M043
Advertisements and a street photograph, from the display on trade
Advertisements and a street photograph, from the display on trade M044
Advertisement for the Petersburg watch warehouse, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Advertisement for the Petersburg watch warehouse, stamped by the Leoke archive library M045
Advertisement for A. Tõllasepp’s shop at Tartu 9
Advertisement for A. Tõllasepp’s shop at Tartu 9 M046
Photographs of Viljandi buildings and a market day
Photographs of Viljandi buildings and a market day M047
Advertisements and photographs of Viljandi businesses
Advertisements and photographs of Viljandi businesses M048
Photographs from the museum’s display on trade
Photographs from the museum’s display on trade M049
Clearance-sale advertisement for H. Puchk, stamped by the Leoke archive library
Clearance-sale advertisement for H. Puchk, stamped by the Leoke archive library M050
The museum’s wall on the War of Independence, 1918–1920
The museum’s wall on the War of Independence, 1918–1920 M051
The museum’s wall on political life
The museum’s wall on political life M052
The museum’s wall on trade, transport and communications
The museum’s wall on trade, transport and communications M053
The War of Independence wall, with the town commandant’s orders of 1918–19
The War of Independence wall, with the town commandant’s orders of 1918–19 M054
The political life wall, with the county council of 1927
The political life wall, with the county council of 1927 M055
Scouts in Viljandi, 1930s
Scouts in Viljandi, 1930s M056
The election leaflet “What every Viljandi town voter must know”
The election leaflet “What every Viljandi town voter must know” M057
The Viljandi courthouse
The Viljandi courthouse M058
The Young Eagles of Helme, 1935
The Young Eagles of Helme, 1935 M059
The EVE building in 1940, on the site of the Leoke shop at Tartu 11
The EVE building in 1940, on the site of the Leoke shop at Tartu 11 M060
The taxi rank on the Big Market, 1924
The taxi rank on the Big Market, 1924 M061
A square in Viljandi in the early 1920s
A square in Viljandi in the early 1920s M062
The Uueveski pool with an orchestra and summer visitors, 1934
The Uueveski pool with an orchestra and summer visitors, 1934 M063
Viljandi from the air
Viljandi from the air M064
A view over Viljandi
A view over Viljandi M065
A bridge in Viljandi
A bridge in Viljandi M066
The Big Market in 1922, seen from the water tower
The Big Market in 1922, seen from the water tower M067
Lossi and Tartu streets in 1925, with the H. LEOKE sign
Lossi and Tartu streets in 1925, with the H. LEOKE sign M068
Lossi and Tartu streets in 1925, and the Big Market in 1922
Lossi and Tartu streets in 1925, and the Big Market in 1922 M069
Jaan Leoke’s penmanship copybook, 1897
Jaan Leoke’s penmanship copybook, 1897 M070
Carl Robert Jakobson, with an 1878 issue of Sakala
Carl Robert Jakobson, with an 1878 issue of Sakala M071
The Koidu Society’s statutes of 1911
The Koidu Society’s statutes of 1911 M072
Telephone lines going up at the corner of Tartu and Lossi streets
Telephone lines going up at the corner of Tartu and Lossi streets M073
Hans Leoke’s poster announcing a move of his shop
Hans Leoke’s poster announcing a move of his shop M074

The ships

The transports that brought Elmar Oswald and Hilda, and Elmar Koik, to America.

The General W. M. Black at Bremerhaven, October 1948: the “Ship to Freedom!” banner
The General W. M. Black at Bremerhaven, October 1948: the “Ship to Freedom!” banner US06
Passengers waving from the General W. M. Black, October 1948
Passengers waving from the General W. M. Black, October 1948 US07
The General W. M. Black leaving Bremerhaven, October 1948
The General W. M. Black leaving Bremerhaven, October 1948 US08
The transport General R. L. Howze
The transport General R. L. Howze US12