Church records in Finland have the parish registers as their central element.[1] The history of parish registers in Finland dates back to 1686, when the Evangelical Lutheran Church mandated their maintenance in every parish. These books, often covering ten-year periods, listed parishioners by village and household, initially by confirmation district and later alphabetically. However, a few parish registers can be found from as early as 1667 in 14 parishes in southwestern Finland.
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History of Church records in Finland
Originally, the purpose of parish registers was to monitor the spiritual life of parishioners: literacy, knowledge of Christian doctrine, and attendance at Holy Communion. This was required by the ideas of the reformer Martin Luther, as everyone was expected to be able to study the Word of God themselves. For this reason, documents were needed in which progress in literacy and understanding of Christian doctrine could be recorded. From the very beginning, parish registers had columns, as shown in the accompanying image, for recording proficiency in different sections of religious doctrine.
By the early 18th century at the latest, birth and death dates began to appear in parish registers. A little later, the social status of individuals and any moves within or between parishes were also recorded.
The entire population of the parish was recorded in the parish registers: rural residents were listed by village and household, while urban residents were listed by district and/or plot. Sometimes an alphabetized book of the population of a small town might have been created. In large rural parishes, on the other hand, landowners might have had their own parish register, and those without land were recorded in another. Thus, there could be several volumes from the same years.
In the 19th century, even more information was added to parish registers: birth parishes, vaccinations, marriages, and even the priest's personal observations about parishioners. In the 20th century, writing skills, education, and ecclesiastical voting rights were also recorded. Similarly, from the early 19th century onwards, any crimes committed by individuals and various health-related information were noted. Thus, parish registers became health and criminal records.
Parish registers were organized by page, each covering a period of about six or ten years. Individuals were listed by family, starting with the heads of the household and ending with maids, farmhands, and others living in the house. Crofters, tenant farmers, and other populations usually had their own page.
Use of Parish registers
Parish registers can be used to trace the life of an individual or family from birth to death. They can also be used to identify the inhabitants of a particular house from century to century. Naturally, wars, fires, and other disasters have destroyed parish registers over time. The "Information on Finnish Parishes" service of the Genealogical Society of Finland can be used to find out the history of a particular parish and any possible destruction of archives.
Each entry has its own role in the parish register. Analyzing them can sometimes be challenging, as individual priests may have used their own methods of notation. The most common entries are abbreviations describing relationships between individuals, information about confirmation, and reprimands. The latter refers to a situation where a person has broken the law of the land or church law in some way.
Language of church records in Finland
The Language Decree of 1863 mandated the use of Finnish instead of Swedish in documents in Finnish-speaking areas. This also affected parish registers, but in practice, the change was slow. The Swedish forms of first names originally used by priests were gradually replaced by Finnish ones. The names of individuals did not change at this stage, only the way they were recorded in church records.
Confirmation School
The history of confirmation school is also linked to parish registers. The first order to hold confirmation school was given in 1740, and it became mandatory in the Diocese of Turku in 1763. The abbreviation "adm" was commonly used in parish registers to indicate confirmation. Only a person who had attended confirmation school could marry or own real estate.
Children's Registers
In some parts of Finland, namely the area of the Diocese of Viipuri (although occasionally elsewhere as well), children's registers were also used. They are structurally similar to parish registers. Children who had not yet been confirmed were recorded in the children's registers. As soon as a person had attended confirmation school, their information was transferred from the children's register to the parish register. These records are also known as "pre-confirmation rolls".
About the entries
At the annual spring parish meetings, the knowledge of Christian doctrine of each parishioner was assessed and recorded in the church records according to the instructions given by Bishop Johannes Gezelius the Elder. Initially, the focus of these meetings was on memorization, and those being questioned were expected to know the most important parts of the Catechism and prayers. Later, explanations and questions related to these were also included. Priests essentially tested their parishioners on, for example, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, baptism, confession, the Eucharist, table prayers, morning and evening prayers, the house tablet, and the general ability to read and understand text.
Recording Proficiency
Gezelius' instructions suggested a three-level scale for assessing skill levels, where a cross (X) meant good proficiency, a slash (/) meant passable, and a blank entry meant poor proficiency. In practice, however, priests developed many different methods of notation, and the symbols used varied depending on the priest, time, and parish. This was often because Gezelius' scale was too limited to indicate progress. Most new systems, however, were based on the cross but divided skill levels into more categories. The more complete the cross, the better the proficiency. Especially in Eastern Finland, scales of more than five levels might have been used, and sometimes reading and Christian doctrine were assessed differently. In the 20th century, there was a gradual shift towards numerical grading.
There is no general guide to interpreting skill markings, as almost every parish register differs slightly from the others. However, by comparing different marking systems, it is often possible to get at least an indicative understanding of what each marking means.
Summary
In Finnish parishes, parish registers refer to historical documents that are a central part of Finnish population records and genealogy. They are lists maintained by parishes that record information about the lives of parishioners and their participation in church activities.
Contents of Parish Registers:
- Personal information: Name, date of birth, occupation, marital status, place of residence.
- Family information: Names and relationships of family members.
- Participation in church activities: Baptism, confirmation school, confirmation, marriage, funerals.
- Migration information: Moving into and out of the parish.
- Other notes: Literacy, knowledge of Christian doctrine, possible punishments or other noteworthy matters.
Purpose of Parish Registers:
- Population monitoring: Parish registers helped parishes keep track of the population in their area and their movements.
- Monitoring of church life: Parish registers show how parishioners participated in church activities and fulfilled their religious obligations.
- Genealogy: Parish registers are an invaluable source for Finnish genealogy, as they contain detailed information about individuals and their family relationships over several centuries.
Preservation of Parish Registers:
- Oldest parish registers: Are kept in the National Archives' various locations.[2]
- Newer parish registers: Are in the possession of the respective parishes.
- Digital copies: Many parish registers have been digitized and are available, for example, in the National Archives' Digital Archives or other genealogy services.
Significance of Church records in Finland
Parish registers are an important source for Finnish population history and genealogy. They provide information about people's lives, movements, and even social conditions over hundreds of years. The keeping of parish registers in Finland ended in 1962, when a new card-based system was introduced.
Explore more about church records in Finland
- Finland, Baptisms, 1657-1890 record collection at MyHeritage
- Finland, Karelia Births and Baptisms record collection at MyHeritage
- Finland, Karelia, Pre Confirmation Rolls record collection at MyHeritage
- Research Finns – Finnish not required; Internet is! webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Finding Your Nordic Parish of Birth webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References
- ↑ Record keeping. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
- ↑ What materials do we have? The National Archives of Finland