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Finland

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  BMD Records (1657 - 1909)

  Births (21,156,592 records) | Deaths (407,199 records) | Marriages (617,742 records)

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• Genealogical society :

  Ancestry

  Notes :

  This collection contains Finnish population registries, known as the henkikirjat, from 1809 to 1920. The henkikirjat (which translates to “life books” in English) recorded information about population and real estate in Finland. It was similar to a census, except that it was taken yearly to determine taxes.Records from this collection are organized by county and parish and written in either Swedish or Finnish.Using this CollectionThe collection includes the following information:Person’s nameNameName of townDateAgeBirthdateOccupationReligionPlace of previous registrationWhether or not the person was tax exemptIf you don’t speak Finnish or Swedish, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:Läänin is Finnish for “county”Seurakunta (may be abbreviated as kunta) is Finnish for “parish”Ikä is Finnish for “age”Maatila is Finnish for “farm”Kodin numero is Finnish for “house number”Verottaa is Finnish for “tax”Grevskap is Swedish for “county”Socken (may be abbreviated as Sokn) is Swedish for “parish”Ålder is Swedish for “age”Odla is Swedish for “farm”Hemmans nummer is Swedish for “home number”Skatte is Swedish for “tax”When starting your search, it’s helpful to know where your ancestors lived, as each municipality kept their own henkikirjat. If you can’t find a relative and think they may have moved, check their last place of registration and try searching the surrounding towns.While these records are very thorough, you might not find some people listed. These records were originally kept for the purposes of paying taxes and life insurance, and many citizens were exempt. Exempt groups included people under 15 or over 63 years of age, active duty members of the military, the very poor, or members of the nobility. By 1765 all citizens had to register, but compliance was difficult to enforce.Collection in ContextThe henkikirjat initially began while Finland was part of Sweden and may be referred to as Mantalslängder in Swedish. In 1809, Finland was captured by Tsar Alexander I and became a Grand Duchy of Russia. The henkikirjat carried on, but it was only recorded every five years instead of yearly. Though under Russian control, the Finnish upper class still kept ties to Sweden. As a result, most records were still kept in Swedish. It wasn’t until the Fennoman (Finnish nationalism) movement in the 1860s that Finnish became one of Finland’s national languages and the henkikirjat began to be recorded in Finnish. Finland gained its independence in 1917.

  Finland, Population Tax Lists (1809 - 1920)

  23,253,780 records

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• Genealogical society :

  Ancestry

  Notes :

  Confirmation or Communion books were used annually to record the date on which an individual received communion in the Lutheran church, as well as their literacy levels and understanding of their faith. These records are extremely valuable as they record family groups and provide dates of birth and sometimes a place of birth. Death dates may also occasionally be included. Since Finland was a part of the Swedish kingdom in 1686, church records were kept in Swedish. Records were not kept in Finnish until after 1863, when Finnish was made an official language in Finland.Communion books were organized by villages and then by farm and household. The same books were used every year by the priest and updated with dates of the communion for that year. Children before the age of Communion (around 14 years) are not included.This CollectionUsers may find the following details for individuals found in the communion books (where available):NameGenderRelation to HeadBirth DateBirth PlaceBurial DateDeath DateResidence

  Finland, Communion Books (1670 - 1917)

  22,219,683 records

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• Genealogical society :

  Ancestry

  Notes :

  Pre-Confirmation books, otherwise known as Children's Books, were used to record the names of children who had not yet been confirmed into the Lutheran church. These records are extremely valuable as they record family groups and provide dates of birth and sometimes a place of birth as well. Death dates may also occasionally be included. Once the child became eligible for Communion, they were then recorded in the Communion books.Pre-Confirmation books were organised by villages and then by farm and household.This CollectionUsers may find the following details for individuals found in the communion books (where available):NameGenderRelation to HeadBirth DateBirth PlaceBurial DateDeath DateResidence

  Finland, Pre-Confirmation Books (1670 - 1918)

  5,667,012 records

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