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Finland
Research Outline
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Helps For Using This Research Outline
     References To The Family History Library Catalog
     References To Other Family History Library Publications
     Finnish Terms
     Map Of Finland - Provinces
     Map Of Finland - Counties Of 1939
     Map Of Finland - Counties Of 1960
Archives And Libraries
     National Archives
     Provincial Archives
     Parish Offices
     Military Archives
     Other Finnish Archives And Libraries
     United States Archives
     Inventories, Registers, Catalogs
     Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
     General Background
     Using Census Records
     1634–1809
     1810–1860
Church History
Church Records
     Information Recorded In Church Registers
     Births [syntyneet/födda] And Baptisms [kastetut/döpta]
     Marriages [vihityt/vigda]
     Deaths [kuolleet/döda] And Burials [haudatut/begravna]
     Church Records Extracts [kirkonkirjojen Kopiot/avskrifter Av Kyrkoböcker]
     Confirmation Registers [rippilapset/skriftskolebarn; Konfirmationer]
     Communion Records [rippikirjat/kommunionböcker]
     Preconfirmation Records [lastenkirjat/barnböcker]
     Moving Records [muuttaneet/muuttokirjat; Flyttningslängder/flyttningsbetyg]
     Finding Church Records
     Records At The Family History Library
     Records Not At The Family History Library
     Search Strategies
Civil Registration
Court Records
Emigration And Immigration
     Finding The Emigrant’s Town Of Origin
     Emigration From Finland
     Australia
     Sweden And Norway
     Russia
     Immigration Into Finland
     Finnish Passport Lists
     Passenger Lists (departures)
     The Institute Of Migration
     National Archives
     Records Of Finnish Emigrants In Their Destination Countries
Encyclopedias And Dictionaries
Gazetteers
Genealogy
     Major Collections And Databases
     Family Histories And Newsletters
     Family Registers [perheluettelot/familjeregister]
Heraldry
History
     Local Histories
     Calendar Changes
Language And Languages
     Language Aids
Maps
     Using Maps
     Finding The Specific Place On The Map
     Finding Maps And Atlases
Merchant Marine
Military Records
Names, Personal
     Surnames
     Given Names
Nobility
Occupations
Periodicals
     Obtaining Periodicals
Probate Records
     The Probate Process
     Availability Of Probate Records
Public Records
     The Old And New Collections Of Accounts
     Old Collection Of Accounts, 1531–1634
     New Collection Of Accounts, 1635–1809
     Suomen Asutuksen Yleisluettelo (say)
Schools
Social Life And Customs
Societies
     Genealogical Societies
     Historical Societies
Taxation
Other Records For Finland
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

BIOGRAPHYLook this term up in the glossary.

A biography is a history of a person’s life. In a biography you may find the individual’s birth, marriage, and death information and the names of his parents, children, or other family members. Use the information carefully because there may be inaccuracies.

Many brief biographies have been gathered and published in collective biographies, sometimes called biographical encyclopediasLook this term up in the glossary. or dictionariesLook this term up in the glossary.. Usually these only include biographies of prominent or well-known citizens of a country. Some feature specific groups of people, such as bankers or musicians.

Some significant Finnish biographical collections available through the Family History Library are:

The Scandinavian Biographical Archives. New York: K. G. Saur, 1989. (FHL fiche 6060424–31, 6060441–45, 6060452–66; computer number 409520.) The information in this collection comes from many sources and is in alphabetical order by surname. It also has an index (FHL book 948 D32s; computer number 731014). The second section contains Finnish and Swedish biographical sketches. To find more specific microfiche numbers for this material, look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

FINLAND - BIOGRAPHY
Biographica (Biographies). Salt Lake City: Utahin Sukututkimusseuralle kuvannut AB. Rekolid, 1952. (FHL film 55735–55767; computer number 355764.)

Kansallinen elämäkerrasto (Biographical Encyclopedia of Finland). Porvoo: WSOY, 1927–34. (FHL book 948.97 D36k; computer number 194617.)

Colliander, O. I. Suomen kirkon paimenmuisto (Memorial of the Clergy of Finland). Salt Lake City: Utah in Sukututkimusseuralle kuvannut AB. Rekolid, 1952. (FHL film 55724–34; computer number 76320.)

The Finnish Historical Society is working on a project to publish biographical sketches of 6,000 Finns. This collection will first be available on the Internet, later on compact disc, and finally in book form. The biographies that have been completed are in Finnish, but eventually many will also be available in English. Following are the addresses for the trilingual home page for this organization and for their biographical database, respectively:

http://www.histseura.fi/
http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/

You can find collective biographies at the Family History Library in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

FINLAND- BIOGRAPHYFINLAND, [COUNTY]- BIOGRAPHYFINLAND, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- BIOGRAPHY
You may also find some biographical information in Finnish local history books. See the “History” section of this outline for more information.


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CEMETERIESLook this term up in the glossary.

If you know the specific area where your ancestor lived, you may contact the local mortuary [hautaustoimisto/begravningsbyrå] for information about burials that occurred after the 1920s.

Cemeteries and churchyards keep records of the location of graves. Graves are often reused after 25 years, and the tombstones are replaced. But the cemetery records generally provide both birth and death dates of everyone who has been buried there.

The Family History Library has not microfilmed any Finnish cemetery records, but the library does have the yearbooks of the Finnish Genealogical Society, which list the gravestones of several old cemeteries. The yearbooks have a personal name index for the first 13 volumes, which cover 1917 to 1929 (to find out what parish graveyards are included, you must search each volume of the yearbook separately):

Vuosikirja: Årsskrift (Yearbook). Lahti: Kirjapaino ja Sanomalehti Oy, [1917]. (FHL book 948.97 D25v; computer number 76320.)

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