About the family:

Matts Karlson Jussila was born in Munsala in 1805. His parents were the farmer of Jussila, Karl Mattson Jussila (1780-1852) and a farmer's daughter Maria Karlsdotter Tollikko (1781-1859), born in Bjon in Ytterjeppo to a family in Kimo in Oravais. The sea became Matts' profession in spite of his being the oldest of nine children. He drowned in 7 January 1851 in the archipelago of Stockholm. He was married on 12 October 1834 to Maria Sophia Hämäläinen, who was born on 1 December 1810 in Jakobstad. She died on 14 December 1864 in Jakobstad. Her mother, Greta Hämäläinen (1779-1839), moved to Jakobstad as a young maid. Maria's father was not known.
I have tried to find Greta's parents and birthplace. In the Finnish communion book for Jakobstad's Finns from 1772 I found the oldest data about her in the main list of servants. There was a maid Greta Thome Hämäläinen, in 1779. Her first mentioned Holy Communion was in 1804.

Matts' and Maria's children:
1. Maria Mathilda Karlsson, born on 13 November 1836 in Jakobstad, married in 13 December 1863 to master gardner Alexander Ström, born in 1843 in Pedersore. Children: Anna and Agda, born in 1864 and 1866.
2. Karolina Sofia Karlsson, born on 30 March 1841 in Jakobstad, died on 15 April 1923 in Jakobstad. Married 9 June 1870 to sailor Matts Widman, born 12 June 1826 in Lassila in Kovjoki. He was buried in the seas in Surabaya (Philippines), in 1882. Children: Johanna and Ellen, born in 1869 and 1871.
3. Carl Johan Karlsson, born 2 April 1842 in Jakobstad. He moved to Nykarleby. He was a business accountant.
4. Evelina Wilhelmina Karlsson, born on 11 November 1847 and died in 1849.

When Matts and Maria moved into the red house in 1843, they were about 38 and 33 years old respectively. The children, Mathilda Sofia and Carl Johan were about 6 and 2 years old, and Evelina was born in 1847, but only became 2 years old. Life in the house could not have been easy for a sailor's wife, who had to take the greatest responsibility of bringing up the children, clothing them and feeding them. The husband was mostly out sailing at this time. He was brought up and formed of the hard life on the sea. Boys went to sea at about 15 years of age, and discipline was severe on the ship. They had to tolerate a lot and learn to work hard in the daily grind with crude old sailors. The memories of how it was to live at home faded under the year-long sailings, which was often a fight for life over death. Knowing this, you can understand the short visits at home. Their communion books tell about fees for bad language and drinking and according to the town hall's justice protocol of 1833, Matts Jussila had to pay a fee of 15 Rubles in silver with 12 days in jail on bread and water. The reason was broken windows in the living quarters of businessman Johan Sallin. It would be interesting to know the reason why. Johan Sallin had great influence as a citizen and was a member of many important committees at the time. On 7 January 1851, Matts Jussila drowned in the archipelago of Stockholm. Now the economic burden fell upon Maria alone at home. I suppose she made her way through it by taking visitors (renting a room). Maria had a potato patch and a cow when the children were small.

On 6 April 1856, Maria remarried, to a shipbuilder called Matts Gustafsson Moström from Kronoby, born on 13 November 1823. Matts was also mentioned as a beer brewer and owner of the house. The marriage was short. On 5 December 1860, he drowned in Livorno according to the registry of names and occupations about sailors in Jakobstad. The marriage was without children. Maria died in 1864.

Maria's daughters, Mathilda and Sofia lived in the house alone after their mother's death. Sofia married on 9 June 1870 the sailor Matts Widman. He was a sailor and boatsman, now considered owner of the house.

Matts Widman was born 12 June 1826 on the farm of Lassila in Kovjoki. His father was a tenant farmer, Johan Mattsson Widman (1780-1846), who came from Munsala to Lassila, where he married the daughter of the house, Margareta Eriksdotter Lassila (1789-1840). After the death of his mother, Matts Widman became a sailor at age 15.