Lilli Suburg

Lilli Suburg (1 August [O.S. 20 July] 1841 in Rõusa Manor – 8 February 1923 in Valga) was an Estonian journalist, writer and feminist. In 1882, she established a private primary school for Estonian girls in Pärnu, in 1885 she moved it to Viljandi where the number of pupils expanded. In 1887–1894, she founded and began publishing the first women's magazine in Estonia, Linda. When forced to sell her journal, Suburg moved to Latvia and headed a school there until 1907.

Early life and education

Caroline Suburg, known as Lilli, was born on 1 August 1841 (N.S.) on the Rőusa estate, in the Uue-Vändra township of Vändra Parish, in the Russian Empire to Eva (née Nuut) and Toomas Suburg. Soon after her birth, the family relocated to the nearby Vana-Vändra estate (et), where Toomas served as overseer and Eva worked as a cheesemaker. Through their industry, the couple were eventually able to lease the entire estate and send their daughter, who had previously been tutored by the governess of the Rõusa Manor, to a private school. From 1852 to 1859, Suburg studied at the private school operated by Marie von Ditmar in Pärnu and began studying at the city's girls' high school. Her studies were interrupted for almost a decade by health problems, which were diagnosed by a doctor in Tartu, as resulting from erysipelas. During this time, Suburg was forced to remain in bed for months at a time and read widely—works of German literature, pedagogy, and books and essays on women's issues. When she was able, she taught her younger siblings. Her parents had acquired a large woodland near Sikana, where Toomas tended cattle. He expanded the farm to a dairy-farming enterprise on the Waldburg estate and the family moved to the new homestead.