Types of Swedish Church Records

swedish-parish-records

Did you know that Swedish parishes have been keeping records since 1686? Although individual parishes may have a few records from earlier dates, church law required Swedish church records to be diligently recorded after this time.

Sweden parish staff used many types of records to account for the people living in the parish boundaries. The ones that are most useful to family history work are christening and birth records, engagement and marriage records, burial and death records, household examination records, and moving-in and moving-out records.

Swedish Birth and Christening Records

Records of each child born or christened in the parish. In Swedish, these are called födelse och dop anteckningar.

Information you can find in these records:

  • Name of the child
  • Parents’ names
  • Parents’ residence
  • Names of the godparents

Learn more about Sweden christening and birth records.

Swedish historical wedding photo

Swedish Engagement and Marriage Records

Records of each bride and groom that were engaged or married in the parish. In Swedish, these are called lysnings och vigsel anteckningar.

Information you can find in these records:

  • Name of the bride and groom
  • Date of public announcement (banns)
  • Date of the wedding
  • Other information, such as character references for the bride and groom

Learn more about Sweden engagement and marriage records and finding marriage information in all types of Swedish records.

Swedish Death and Burial Records

Records of each person who died or was buried in the parish. In Swedish, these are called död och begravning anteckningar.

Information you can find in these records:

  • Name of the deceased
  • Date of death
  • Date of burial
  • Place of residence
  • Age at the time of death
  • Cause of death (when known)

The Swedes have recorded all the deaths in Sweden between 1860 and 2016 and created a database called the Swedish Death Index. This database is a more complete collection of death records than can be found elsewhere, but it is only available in certain formats. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, offers free access to the Swedish Death Index at the library. It is not available through the FamilySearch desktop at family history centers. (See the Swedish Roots Bookshop site for more information on how to purchase this database on CD or DVD. To view an English version of this site, look in the main navigation bar.)

Learn more about Sweden burial and death records.

Stockholm cemetery

Swedish Household Examination Records

Records of meetings between the priest and the parishioners. In Swedish, these are called Husförhörslängd.

Information you can find in these records includes the following:

  • Name of the person
  • The person’s knowledge of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
  • When the person took communion

These records might also include the following information:

  • Place of residence
  • Age or date of birth
  • Moving information

Sweden has indexed all the household examination books from 1860 to 1930. These books include information about every member of a parish and were recorded every year, so they are a great resource for starting your Swedish family history. You can go to FamilySearch.org to access most of this database (1880 to 1930) for free. To search for your ancestors’ names in the full Household Examination database, visit MyHeritage.com or ArkivDigital.com.

Learn more about Sweden household examination records.

Swedish Moving-In and Moving-Out Records

Records of every person who moved into or out of the parish. In Swedish, these are called Inflyttnings och Utflyttningslängder.

Information you can find in these records includes the following:

  • Name of the person who moved
  • Where the person came from
  • Where the person was going
  • Date of the move (or at least when the priest was notified)

Many times, these are records of people who moved outside the chapelry (pastorat). If a person moved from one parish to another within the chapelry, the move might not have been mentioned in the moving records.

Learn more about Sweden moving-in and moving-out records.

Additional Resources

Need help getting started with your Swedish family history? Read “Swedish Family History for Beginners” on the FamilySearch blog. You can learn even more about Swedish record types and how to access them on the Sweden Church Records page on the FamilySearch wiki.

Swedish records are available for free online on FamilySearch.org and the Swedish National Archives website. You can also find Swedish records on Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and ArkivDigital.

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