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Where Did My Swedish Ancestor Come From?

Your family has probably told you a few things about your Swedish ancestor. Did they say she came from Storegården, Äspered Parish, Älvsborg County? I would guess not. (If she did, please say hi!) Chances are that the name you have for your ancestor’s home in Sweden needs to be interpreted in some way. It is a key part in answering the question where did my Swedish ancestor come from.

Statistics on Swedish emigrants

Some regions are more likely than others to be where your Swedish ancestor came from. So if you are stuck on where to search, it might be a good idea to start where most of the migrants came from.

The table below is from the Continue Reading

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10 Free Tools for Swedish Genealogy

Let’s face it. Genealogy isn’t cheap. Between the database subscriptions and the family tree software it adds up. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting out and not ready to spend the money, or if you are on a budget for any other reason. It is still possible to research your ancestry in Sweden with these free tools.

(SWE means the interface is only in available in Swedish.)

1. Continue Reading

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How old Swedes celebrated Lucia. Or not.

Swedes celebrate Luciadagen, St Lucy’s Day on December 13. It is an event in memory of the catholic saint Lucy, Lucia. Originally, St Lucy’s Day fell on winter solstice. This was when Sweden followed the Julian calendar. Sweden shifted to the Gregorian calendar in 1753 [1].

This description of the Lucia celebration is from the 19th century. It is from the ...
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Traditional Swedish Christmas Food

There are many different traditions surrounding Swedish Christmas food. Here is a selection of some of the most common dishes and snacks served.

Julbord

Julbord is a Swedish Christmas buffet. It is a Christmas version of the smorgasbord served at Swedish holidays. Christmas parties for organisations are often held at restaurants serving Christmas smorgasbord. The main event for the ...
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Geographical Terms in Sweden

Landskap 2010, län 2018, län 2018 and församling year 2008 [1] [2] [3].

The way to identify a place in Swedish genealogy is to specify the parish (socken) and the county (län). But there are many other regional divisions. Here is a brief look at the most common ones. Please note that the exact borders vary over time. The most ...
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Swedish winters

Guldskäret, Östhammar, Uppland 1908. Photo: Skötsner-Edhlund, 1908, Upplandsmuseet ED10110 PDM

Did you know that only about 15% of Swedes can expect a white Christmas? I grew up with the risk of snow between October and May, so this was a surprise to me. My childhood winters looked like in the photo above from Continue Reading

Newspaper clippings are a useful source in Swedish genealogy.

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Swedish newspapers

A call for help from Church of England in Götheborgs Allehanda 30 December 1807.

Newspaper clippings are a great resource in family history. The easiest way to find them in Sweden is through the National Library of Sweden. Its collection of digitalized daily newspaper is free to search at https://tidningar.kb.se/. It allows for w*ldcard searches, in case ...
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Croft in Småland.

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The Top 5 Reasons Why Swedes Emigrated to America

In our times, when Sweden has been among the top in various global rankings for half a century, it may seem odd that so many Swedes emigrated to America in the 19th century. For instance, in 2017 Sweden was number 8 on the OECD Better Life Index, while the US was number 10 [1].

Why would someone travel across the globe to settle down, with the risk of never coming back? What would have been an adventure today was something different 140 years ago. ...
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When Alma Kjellander immigrated to the US from Sweden

Arriving in Hull

Alma Kjellander was on her way to immigrate to the US from Sweden. This is the second and last part of her story. Read the first part here.

Alma had departed from Gothenburg, Sweden at 1 pm on Friday 11 October 1895. With her was her brother Oscar Lönnqvist, Sven Åsberg and Betty Andersson. Roughly one day later they landed in Hull, England. The steamship ...
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When Alma Kjellander Emigrated From Sweden to America

Alma Kjellander and her family

On 11 October 1895, Alma Kjellander set off on a journey to emigrate from Sweden to America.

Alma Kjellander lived on Storegården (The big farm), Äspered Parish, Älvsborg County in the south of Sweden. The rest of the household was:

  • Alma’s mother Anna-Lisa Lönnqvist
  • Alma’s brother Oscar Lönnqvist
  • Alma’s sister Continue Reading