3 Swedish Genealogy Records that You Need to Research

What Swedish genealogy records do you need to search for when trying to find your Swedish ancestor. You know that you need to find birth, marriage, and death records, but what else after that? In this article I will show you other Swedish records that you may or may not be aware of that will give you tons of genealogical information about your ancestor. You just need to know where to look.

Household Examinations

These are Sweden’s census records. The format is different, but the goal for these records was to get a tally of each household and the current situation. The government needed these records in order to raise or lower taxes and provide government assistance where needed. I recommend this be your first place to find your ancestor because the records are very comprehensive. I have written a few articles about these records that are more in depth.

• Your Swedish Ancestor’s Household Examination
• How Do You Use Swedish Household Examinations in Genealogy?

You can find these records on Family Search and Ancestry, but you can find most of them on the Swedish Archives website. Just select your ancestor’s county and parish in the website search page and then scroll down until you see the household examinations with the correct range of years. Each household book will cover a certain number of years.

Moving In/Out and Swedish Genealogy Records

All Scandinavian countries used to keep record of who moved into or out of a parish. The priest was in charge of this. So the family who wanted to move legally would go to their local priest and he would record in his church book when they were leaving their old parish and what parish they were moving to next. When the family moved, the priest in the new parish would record when the family moved in. The purpose of this was for taxation and it was only done during the late 1600s through the 1700s, but you can find some records during the 1800s as well.

Again, I cover these records in detail with this article…

• Where Did My Swedish Ancestor Go?

In addition, Family Search Wiki covers these records beautifully in this article here. Also, you will find this information on the household examination records as the family moved around the parish or from one parish to another.

Military Records

Swedish military records can be tricky so I would recommend reading all you can about them on the Family Search Wiki to know how to use them. In Sweden, one of the traditions they had was of assigning military surnames. So when a young recruit would start his military service, they would issue him a military surname. For example, a recruit was born with the name Jens Pedersen, but he would be known in the military as Jens Modig until his service was up after a few years. Then the next recruit would be assigned that military name. This way the military could differentiate between multiple people with the same name serving in the same unit.

So you will need to know what military name your ancestor used if he served. You can usually find this on the household examination records. Also, you need to know what unit he served in or at least what county he served in. Then when searching that county, you will find the units and record you need. You can find some military records on Family Search and Ancestry, but Sweden’s Central Soldier Database will have the most.

Conclusion for Swedish Genealogy Records

Most Swedish genealogy records will still be found on Family Search and Ancestry websites. However, searching Sweden’s genealogy websites for original records is actually fun and satisfying. So if you want to learn more about your Swedish ancestors, but don’t want to take the time to search for them, then that’s where I come in as a genealogist. Just contact me below to receive a free 30 minute consultation to find out how I can help you.

And in the meantime…good luck and happy hunting!

Tiffany

P.S. Contact me with any questions about these records or if this is the right time for you to hire a genealogist who specializes in these records.