Sweden, Blekinge Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Sverige, Blekinge, Kyrkoböcker Register

Record Description
The collection consists of church records from the county of Blekinge. It contains indexes to births, marriages, and deaths and also images of clerical surveys, registers of birth, marriage, death, move-in and move-out lists, confirmations, church accounts, etc.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran birth or christening or birth (Födde) records are:




 * Child’s name
 * Christening date
 * Sometimes the birth date
 * Parents’ names
 * Parents’ marital status
 * Parents’ residence
 * Fathers’ occupation
 * Sometimes the mother’s age
 * Witnesses and their residences

The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran marriage (Vigde) records are:




 * Groom’s name
 * Depending on the time period, the groom’s marital status, residence, and age
 * Bride’s name
 * Depending on the time period, the bride’s marital status, residence, and age
 * Witnesses and their residences

The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran death or burial (Döde) records are:




 * Name of the deceased
 * Death date
 * Burial date
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Age
 * Marital status and sometimes the spouse’s name
 * Sometimes other biographical notes

The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran moving records (Inflyttnings and Utflyttnings) are:


 * Name of person moving
 * Former residence
 * New residence
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Age
 * Sometimes marital status

The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran clerical surveys (Husförhörslängd) are:


 * Name of each member of the household
 * Birth dates
 * Birthplaces
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Deaths within the year
 * Marriages within the year
 * Moves within the year (including where they moved to or from)
 * Marital status
 * Relationships

The key genealogical facts found in most Lutheran church account registers (räkenskaper) are:


 * Name
 * Date
 * Residence within the parish
 * Amount paid
 * May give reason for payment

How to Use the Records
For detailed information on using Swedish church records, see the wiki article: Swedish Church Records

To begin your search you will need to know:

 * Name of your ancestor
 * Date of the event
 * Parish name

If you do not have this information, it may be necessary to go to a more recent generation to begin your search.

Search the Collection
To search the collection you can either browse the collection or search by name.

To browse the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page. ⇒Select the Parish. ⇒Select the type of record. The types of record books that are available are different for each parish. See the chart below for the types of records and an English translation of the type of record. ⇒Select the volume and year which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

To search the collection by name:

Place the information you have into the appropriate fields in the search screen and press search. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. You may find new pieces of information about your ancestor. Add this new information to your records for the individual or family. This information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age listed in the records to calculate the person’s birth date.
 * Use christening and birth records of christenings (baptisms) to confirm a person’s birth date and place and to find their parent’s names.
 * Use confirmation records to identify a person’s birth date and place and his or her age.
 * Use death or burial records to identify a person’s birth date and place. Use marriage records to identify a couple and the marriage date and place and to begin compiling a family group. These are an excellent substitute for civil marriage records.
 * Use church records in general to identify other family members who may have served as witnesses to an event.
 * Use the date of the event along with the locality to find the family in the clerical survey.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Most church records list a residence. The residence is a clue to locating your ancestor in the clerical survey and can help you eliminate records that do not apply to your ancestor. The residence is often the name of a farm. If the farm is large it may be divided into smaller, numbered sections. Large cities may also be divided into smaller numbered sections.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank or status within the community.
 * If your ancestor was in the military, there may be additional records about them.
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. Use the clerical survey to help you sort out which children belong to each set of parents.
 * A clue to finding the residence is to look for an “i” in the entry. In Swedish this is the word “in.” What the entry is telling you is the person or persons named are living in the following place.
 * Locate this farm or numbered section on the clerical survey of the same parish for the same year as your ancestor’s christening, marriage, or death.
 * Search all available clerical surveys during your ancestor’s life. Update your family group records with the new information you have found.
 * Compare the information you find in a clerical survey with the parish register. You may find different information in each record.
 * You may need to search the records of other parishes as your ancestors may have moved in from (infra) or moved to (utfra) another parish.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names as well as nicknames.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes.

Reading the Records
The records are in Swedish so you will need to be able to understand written Swedish. For help with reading the records please see the following wiki articles:


 * Sweden: Language and Languages


 * Swedish Genealogical Word List

Online Courses
Online courses in reading Scandinavian Gothic handwriting are also available through the FamilySearch Learning Center. Select Scandinavia from the localities list on the left side of the main page.

Record Types
The following chart lists the types of records and the English translation.

Additional Research Help
For additional detailed information about these records along with additional research strategies using Swedish church records, see the wiki article: Swedish Church Records

Related Websites

 * Genealogy Research in Sweden
 * Genline : Swedish Genealogy Online
 * Arkiv Digital: Swedish Church Records Online (in color)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Blekinge County, Sweden
 * Swedish Church Records
 * Sweden

Source of Information for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Parishes throughout Blekinge. "Blekinge Church Records, 1612-1916; index 1646-1860." National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet SVAR), Marieberg, Stockholm.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection
"Sweden, Blekinge Church Records, 1612-1916; Index 1646-1860," database and digital images, From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org: accessed 14 March, 2012), Brakne-Hoby forsamling &gt; C fodelse-och dopbock &gt; 12, 1852-1861 image 101 of 138 images, Kjerstin fodde 2 December 1858 parents Daniel Jonsson and H. Elna Danielsdotter. "Sweden, Blekinge Church Records, 1612-1916; index 1646-1860," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org); from the National Archives of Sweden, Riksarkivet SVAR. FHL microfilm, 990 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.