Adolf Frederik Dreijer is buried in the Ruhnu churchyard

Adolf Frederik Dreijer (aka Friedrich; 3. I 1817 Eknäs, Uusimaa County – 23. V 1892 Ruhnu), Finnish and Estonian clergyman, served mostly on small Baltic Sea islands.

Studied 1835–47 (matriculated 10. VI 1835) at the Faculty of Religious Studies at the University of Helsinki, since 1936 was a member of the Uusimaa (Nyland) territorial student organization. During his studies worked at the congregations in Eknäs (Finnish Tammisaari, now Raseborg, Finnish Raasepori; 1839) and Tampere (1841). Was ordained 18. XII 1847 in Turu deanery in Porvoo.

1847–54 was an assistant minister of the Uusimaa County Karisi (Finnish Karjaa) congregation and 1854–71 chaplain of the small Vårdö island congregation in the Åland Islands. Since 1871 Dreijer was the minister at Ruhnu St. Magdalene Church. During his long period of service, a new parsonage was constructed (the old one was destroyed in a fire in 1865) and a church school was opened there.

Was married to Anna Elisabeth Dreijer (born Fellmann; 14. VI 1830 – 7. II 1914). Adolf Frederik Dreijer is buried at the Ruhnu churchyard.

Three of his children stayed on Ruhnu and married local islanders: his son Fredrik Immanuel Dreijer (16. IV 1859 – 20. XI 1926) was later the church bellman, his grandson Matts Dreijer was an archeologist in Finland; his daughter Aina Maria Rosalie (born 26. I 1865; husband Johan Mickos) was for years the only midwife on the island.

References

• Ylioppilasmatrikkeli 1640–1852 (Helsingin Yliopisto) (in Finnish)
• Die evangelischen Prediger Livlands bis 1918. Böhlau Verlag Köln, Wien 1977

Created in 2013