SWEDISH GENEALOGY
In many ways, family history in Sweden is easy. All Swedish residents were listed in Household records. In them are usually notes about moves, births, deaths, and other events. The earliest you will find start in the 17th century. So you can learn a lot about your Swedish family. At least as long
Where you find the mantal number Have you seen that number in the margins of the Household records? It’s usually a fraction. The number may also be written above the household. Sometimes it’s followed by the word mantal. Often it also says oförmedlade, förmedlade, or for short ofm mtl, fm mtl or
Medieval roots Glad midsommar! Midsummer in Sweden is an old tradition. Swedes often joke about it being our unofficial national day. Midsummer was first documented in Sweden in the year 1555. At the time it was celebrated with dancing in the light of bonfires in the fields or in the town
Maybe you have seen the word torp, croft, in your Swedish genealogy. An ancestor may have been a crofter, torpare. Or your ancestor was a soldier and lived at a soldier’s croft, soldattorp. But what is a Swedish croft? The modern Swedish Croft is an old cottage Today the word croft makes
Can you imagine being forced by law to leave the farm your family has lived on for generations? That was the reality for many Europeans in previous centuries. Sweden implemented land reforms in the 1700s and the 1800s. The last one was laga skifte. If you haven’t stumbled upon the term before, it
Almost every Swede has poor ancestors Most people with Swedish ancestors, have ancestors who were poor. Because every other Swede was poor in 1850. You will see it in the titles. They were crofters, backstugusittare or inhyseshjon, maids, farmhands, and day laborers. Sometimes there’s a
Lucia in memory of saint Lucy Swedes celebrate Luciadagen, St Lucy's Day, on 13 December. You have probably heard of it before, but what is it? 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
