Finland Archives and Libraries

Guide to Finland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Archives and libraries
Archives collect and preserve original documents of such organizations as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources, such as books, maps, and microfilm. This section describes the major repositories of genealogical and historical records and sources for Finland. When one of these institutions is referred to elsewhere in Wiki articles, follow the link to this article to obtain the address. If you plan to visit one of these repositories, contact the organization and ask for information about collection, hours, services, and fees.

Although the records you need may be in an archive or library in Finland, the Family History Library has copies of many valuable genealogical records on microfilm from several Finnish archives and libraries.

The following major types of genealogical repositories are discussed in this article:


 * National archives
 * Provincial archives
 * Parish offices
 * Military archives
 * Other Finnish archives and libraries
 * United States archives [[Image:]]

National Archives
The Finnish National Archives have documents pertaining to the whole country. Records of the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, and Vantaa are also found in the national archives; however, records from Uusimaa County are in the provincial archives in Hämeenlinna.

Records of genealogical value at the national archives include the following:


 * Church records
 * Census records
 * Court records

Emigration records
The National Archives of Finland are open to the public. You may purchase microfilms through the national archives and request photocopies of the records by using forms obtained from the archives.

You can write to the archives at:


 * National Archives of Finland Kansallisarkisto PL 258 00171 Helsinki Finland Telephone: 011-358-9-228 521 Fax: 011-358-9-176 302


 * Arkistolaitos The archives are located at: Rauhankatu 17 Helsinki Finland

Provincial Archives
Finland has eight regional archives that house records about their particular area. Most Finnish records of genealogical value are kept at provincial archives, including the following:


 * Church records
 * Census records
 * Emigration records
 * Court records

Each provincial archive also has a large collection of printed material about its area, including local histories and biographies.

The provincial archives are open to the public and will answer correspondence. Each archive has different service hours, so make sure you know the days and times it is open before visiting.

For Turku-Pori County, write:


 * Turun maakunta-arkisto PL 383 20101 Turku Finland Telephone: 011-358-2-2760 818 Fax: 011-358-2-2760 810 Culture and communications

For Häme and Uusimaa Counties, write:


 * Hämeenlinnan maakunta-arkisto 13100 Hämeenlinna Finland Telephone: 011-358-3-653 3801 Fax: 011-358-3-653 3810 http://www.yuste.org/latoile/hame.asp

For Kymi, Mikkeli, and Kuopio Counties and for the former Viipuri County and the parishes of Salla and Petsamo, which were ceded to the USSR in 1944, write:


 * Mikkelin maakunta-arkisto PL 2 00101 Mikkeli Finland Telephone: 011-358-15-321 310 Fax: 011-358-15-321 3157

For Vaasa County (see also Jyväskylän maakunta-arkisto), write:


 * Vaasan maakunta-arkisto PL 240 65101 Vaasa Finland Telephone: 011-358-6-317 3912 Fax: 011-358-6-312 0392

For Keski-Suomi County, which was formed in 1960 from the eastern part of the former Vaasa county and the border parishes from Häme, Mikkeli, and Kuopio Counties, write:


 * Jyväskylän maakunta-arkisto 40100 Jyväskylä Finland Telephone: 011-358-14-617 592 Fax: 011-358-14-610 651

For Pohjois-Karjala County, which was formed in 1960 from the eastern half of the former Kuopio County, write:


 * Joensuun maakunta-arkisto PL 146 80101 Joensuu Finland Telephone: 011-358-13-251 4602 Fax: 011-358-13-251 4606

For the counties of Lappi and Oulu Counties, write:


 * Oulun maakunta-arkisto PL 31 90101 Oulu Finland Telephone: 011-358-8-311 7066 Fax: 011- 358-8-311 7068

For the county of Ahvenanmaa (Åland) County, write:


 * Ålands landskapsarkiv PB 60 22101 Mariehamn Finland Telephone: 011-358-18-253 44 Fax: 011-358-18-191 55

Parish Offices
Local parishes usually have church records created after 1900. They may also have earlier records. You can write to local parishes and church archives for information. For more information, see Finland Church Records.

Military Archives
Finnish military records that were created before 1810 are preserved at the Military Archives of Sweden. The address for the archives is:


 * Krigsarkivet S-115 88 Stockholm Sweden Telephone: 011-46-8-782 41 00 Fax: 011-46-8-782 69 76 https://riksarkivet.se/krigsarkivet

Finnish military records from 1810 are at the Military Archives of Finland. (Most of the records begin in 1812.) The address for the archives is:


 * Sota-arkisto PL 266 00170 Helsinki Finland Telephone: 011-358-9-161 6362 Fax: 011-358-9-161 6371

Other Finnish Archives and Libraries
Many genealogical works are deposited in the University of Helsinki Library. The address is:


 * Helsingin yliopiston kirjasto Unioninkatu 36 00170 Helsinki Finland National library Finland

An archive that has newspaper clippings from Swedish-language newspapers from the early 1900s to the present, including death announcements, emigration information, and indexes, is:


 * Brages Urklippsverk Kaserngatan 28 00130 Helsingfors Finland

Finland has many organized historical and genealogical societies. Some societies maintain libraries and archives that collect valuable records. For more information, see Finland Societies. Also see these internet sites:


 * Suomen Sukututkimusseura
 * https://www.kansalliskirjasto.fi/en/collections/private-archives

United States Archives
The following archives have specialized collections on Finnish immigration and other records:


 * Finnish-American Historical Archives 601 Quincy Street Hancock, MI 49930 USA Telephone: 877-202-5491 (toll free) ; (906) 487-7274 (local) Historical Society of Michigan


 * Suomi or Finlandia College 601 Quincy Street Hancock, MI 49930 USA


 * Immigration History Research Center University of Minnesota 826 Berry Street St. Paul, MN 55114 USA


 * Lutheran Church in America Archives 1100 E. 55th Street Chicago, IL 60615 USA ELCA Archives http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/History/ELCA-Archives.aspx ELCA Archives

Inventories, Registers, Catalogs
Most archives have catalogs, inventories, and guides that describe their records and how to use them. If possible, study these guides before you visit or use the records of an archive so that you can effectively use your time.

The following publication is a comprehensive list of Finnish archives. It gives names and addresses of the archives and a brief description of their holdings:


 * Suomen arkistojen opas: Arkiven i Finland, en handledning : Guide to Archives Repositories in Finland. Helsinki: Valtion painatuskeskus, 1975. (FHL book 948.97 A35v no. 6 1975) A general guide written in English about the Finnish public archives is:


 * Guide to the Public Archives of Finland.Helsinki: National Archives, 1980. (FHL book 948.97 J5g) Helpful guides written in Finnish and Swedish about the National Archives are:


 * Kansallisarkisto, asiakkaan opas(The National Archives: A Guide). Helsinki: Kansallisarkisto, 1994. (FHL book 948.972 J5k) Riksarkivet, en handledning(The National Archives: A Guide). Helsingfors: Riksarkivet, 1995. (FHL book 948.972 J5ka)

The following book series contains a guide to the holdings of the National Archives of Finland:


 * Valtionarkiston yleisluettelo—Översiktskatalog för Riksarkivet(Inventory for the National Archives). 4 vols. Helsiniki: Valtioneuvoston kirjapaino, 1956–73.(FHL book 948.97 A35s)

The following book contains a guide to the provincial archives of Finland:


 * Maakunta-arkistojen opas (Guide to the Provincial Archives). Helsinki: Valtion painatuskeskus, 1976. (FHL book 948.97 A35v no. 2 1976)

A guide to the military archives has been published in English, Swedish, and Finnish:


 * Guide to the Military Archives of Finland. Helsinki: The Military Archives, 1977. (FHL book 948.97 J5ga)


 * Sota-arkiston opas (Guide to the Military Archives). Helsinki: Valtion painatuskeskus, 1974. (FHL book 948.97 A35v no.5 1974)


 * Krigsarkivet: en handledning (Guide to the Military Archives). Helsingfors: Statens tryckericentral, 1977. (FHL book 948.97 A35v no. 9 1977)

These guides are available at the Family History Library. They may also be available at your public or university library or through interlibrary loan.

To find other inventories, guides, catalogs, and directories, look in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:


 * FINLAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES
 * FINLAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

Computer Networks and Bulletin Boards
Computers with modems can be useful tools for obtaining information from selected archives and libraries. In a way, computer networks themselves serve as a library. The Internet, certain computer bulletin boards, and commercial on-line services help family history researchers:


 * Locate other researchers.
 * Post queries.
 * Send and receive e-mail.
 * Search large databases.
 * Search computer libraries.
 * Join in computer chat and lecture sessions.

You can find computerized research tips and information about ancestors from Finland in many sources at local, provincial, national, and international levels. The list of sources is growing rapidly. Most information is available at no cost.

Some very useful databases and guides for Finland are available on the Internet. In this Wiki, you will find references to sites that contain indexes and transcripts of Finland Church Records, Finland Emigration and Immigration, Finland Maps, and other topics for Finland. You can also find information about addresses and activities of various societies and archives on the Internet.

General sites that act as an index to many interesting Finnish genealogical sites on the Internet include:


 * Family History Finland, part of the WorldGenWeb project:
 * EastEuropeGenWeb -- Link unavailable (April'09)
 * SFHS Finlander discussion forum. Forum (mainly English language)
 * Suku Forum: Forum (Finnish/Swedish language discussion forum)
 * Cyndi’s List for Finland/Suomi: Website
 * Genealogical Research in Finland: Website
 * The Swedish-Finn Historical Society, Seattle WA: Website
 * Family History Library home page: Website

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