Swedish Genealogy News, Nr. 3

Posted on March 6, 2026March 6, 2026 by GFröbergMorris

Riksarkivet Restores U.S. Access to Swedish Archival Databases

Researchers in the United States can once again access the online search tools of the Swedish National Archives, Riksarkivet, following the completion of a major system maintenance effort in late February 2026.

The restoration of access quickly became welcome news across the Swedish American genealogical community, where many researchers rely on Riksarkivet’s extensive digital collections to trace family histories. For several months, users outside Sweden experienced difficulties reaching the archive’s databases and images.

According to Riksarkivet, the temporary disruption was the result of a large-scale maintenance project designed to improve both the stability and security of its digital services. Software engineers spent the final week of February upgrading core systems and implementing new safeguards intended to prevent automated scraping and other misuse of the site’s data.

As part of the update, the archive has added a simple Captcha verification step to confirm that users are human rather than automated programs. The additional step—typically required only once per research session—is intended to reduce spam activity and automated extraction of records while keeping the databases broadly accessible to legitimate researchers.

Despite the added security measure, the process for locating parish records remains largely unchanged.

How to Access Records in the Digital Research Room

Researchers can begin their search from the Riksarkivet homepage:

Select “Explore archives and collections”, then choose “Search the collections.”
In the search interface, enter the name of the parish in the “Archive/parish” field on the left side of the screen and click Search. Alternatively, users may go directly to the Digital Research Room and enter the name of the parish under the heading Sök arkiv.
A Captcha prompt will appear asking users to verify that they are human. Check the box labeled “I’m not a robot.” This step is generally required only once per session.
After verification, the name of the parish will appear next to the word “kyrkoarkiv” (parish archive), marked with a small monitor icon—for example, Dunkers kyrkoarkiv. Click the link.
A list of available record types within the parish archive will appear on the left side of the screen. Select a record series, such as AI Husförhörslängder (household examination records).
Choose the relevant volume by clicking the green “Bild” (image) icon next to the volume covering the desired years.
The image viewer will open, allowing users to navigate the digitized pages and search for individuals within the records.

Searching Through National Archives Database (NAD)

Another path to the records is through Riksarkivet’s online catalog, the Nationell Arkivdatabas (NAD).

Researchers can search by entering the name of a parish or other administrative jurisdiction in the “Sök arkiv” field. After running the search, locate the parish archive link—similar to the kyrkoarkiv entry described above—and proceed to the digitized records from there.

For genealogists with Swedish roots, the restored access marks the return of one of the most important online resources for Swedish family history research. The new security measures, while adding a small extra step, are designed to ensure the long-term stability and availability of the archive’s extensive digital collections.

Swedish Genealogy News, Nr. 2

Posted on March 6, 2026March 6, 2026 by GFröbergMorris

RootsTech 2026: Spotlight on

Essential Databases for Swedish and Finnish Research

SALT LAKE CITY — The first morning of RootsTech 2026 began early for hundreds of eager genealogists, as about 200 attendees gathered at 8:00 a.m. MT for a session led by Swedish genealogy specialist Geoffrey Fröberg Morris. His presentation, Essential Databases for Swedish and Finnish Research, introduced researchers to key digital resources for tracing family lines in Sweden and Finland.

The class, sponsored by FamilySearch, was not broadcast or recorded during the conference session, but interest was strong despite the early start on the event’s opening day. Morris structured the presentation around the class handout, guiding participants through what he described as the most effective databases available for Swedish and Finnish genealogical research.

For Swedish research, Morris highlighted several major platforms, including ArkivDigital, Riksarkivet (the Swedish National Archives), FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage. He also pointed attendees to several specialized resources valuable for local or targeted research. Among them were DISByt, the Stockholm City Archives databases, historical newspapers from the National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket), and Sweden’s Central Soldier Register.

Turning to Finland, Morris introduced attendees to the newly updated website of the National Archives of Finland, including its research interface, Astia. Additional resources covered included Finnish census and pre-confirmation records available through MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and Ancestry, as well as databases maintained by the Finland’s Family History Association.

Audience participation was a highlight of the session. Attendees posed a steady stream of questions throughout the presentation, leading to a lively and informative discussion about research strategies and database strengths.

Registration remains open for RootsTech 2026, which offers hundreds of recorded classes available through the conference website. Registration for RootsTech 2026 is available for free at RootsTech Registration. Morris’s presentation is expected to be recorded at a later date and added to the conference’s online library for those who were unable to attend the live session.

The class syllabus for Essential Databases for Swedish and Finnish Research is available at: Essential Databases for Swedish and Finnish Research.

Swedish Genealogy News, Nr. 1

Posted on February 23, 2026March 6, 2026 by GFröbergMorris

Riksarkivet Not Accessible from United States

For years, historians and family researchers in the United States have used the Digital Research Room of Riksarkivet, the Swedish National Archives. The online portal provides access to a vast collection of parish registers, censuses, estate inventories, and other primary records essential to tracing Swedish ancestry.

Sometime in late 2025 — likely November or December — that access abruptly disappeared for American users.

Instead of the familiar search interface, visitors encountered a simple and frustrating browser notice: “This site can’t be reached.” The outage quickly became a topic of conversation across genealogy forums and social media groups, where researchers began comparing notes and asking the same question: What happened to Riksarkivet?

I contacted the archives directly by email to ask whether they were aware of the problem and if access from the United States might soon be restored. A representative confirmed that the digital publishing team knows about the issue. However, no timetable has been provided. Software engineers are working on a solution, but the archives could not say when American users will again have direct access.

In the meantime, researchers have been sharing a workaround.

Several U.S.–based genealogists report that the site can still be reached by using a virtual private network (VPN) or a browser extension that changes the user’s apparent geographic location. By connecting through another country — commonly Denmark, Norway, or Finland — the digital research room becomes accessible again.

Setting up the workaround is straightforward: create an account with a VPN provider, activate the connection, select a Nordic country as the server location, and then visit the Riksarkivet website. Under those conditions, the database loads normally.

Numerous services offer this capability, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, IPVanish, and Proton VPN among others. Some free versions are available, though they often have limited features or slower connections. Many researchers instead opt for low-cost monthly subscription.

For now, the VPN solution has allowed researchers to continue their work, but it is clearly a temporary measure. Researchers on both sides of the Atlantic are hoping the technical team at Riksarkivet will soon restore normal international access to one of the most important resources for Swedish family history.

Two New Resources from the Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies

Posted on November 20, 2020November 21, 2020 by GFröbergMorris

The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies (Sveriges Släktforskarförbund) announced 2 fantastic resources will be available through their online bookstore on Nov. 25, 2020. The 1st is the Sweden 2000 Census (Sveriges befolkning). This database will contain everyone who was registered in a Swedish parish at the end of 2000, almost 8.9 million people. Perhaps your wondering how they can publish the 2000 census? It’s because the privacy laws in Sweden are focused on protecting sensitive information and a persons name and address are not deemed sensitive. The 2nd is a new book called Stockholmsforska (in Swedish) that will be focused on the records and strategies for research in Stockholm City. For more information see https://www.rotter.se/senaste-nytt/3409-tva-efterlangtade-nyheter-slapps-snart-i-rotterbokhandeln

Birth and Christening Records for Swedish Genealogy

Posted on May 1, 2015 by GFröbergMorris

Are you looking for the birth information of an ancestor in Sweden? The kingdom of Sweden has some of the most comprehensive records for genealogy in the world. Beginning in 1686 every birth and christening was to be recorded by the local parish regardless of religious affiliation. By law all infants were to be christened within 8 days after birth. An emergency christening could be performed if they thought the child might die before getting to the church.

How do you find a birth / christening date?

1. Choose an online provider to access the Swedish church records. The following providers have birth and christening records online:

Arkiv Digital: http://www.arkivdigital.net/ subscription, free access in a FamilySearch Center, images in color, easy navigation

Riksarkivet SVAR: http://sok.riksarkivet.se/ subscription, images in greyscale from microfilm, easy navigation

FamilySearch: https://familysearch.org/ lds account access, images in greyscale from microfilm, less easy navigation

Ancestry: http://www.ancestry.com/ subscription, images in grayscale from microfilm, less easy navigation

2. After you find the online collection for a parish, choose the record type called Födde or Födelse och dopbok (Birth Record.)

3. Browse to the table of contents and find the page number for the births. Navigate to the desired page.

4. Get used to the format and look for key words (see key words list below.)

5. If you know the date, look for the year, month, and date.

6. If you don’t know the date, search each entry looking for the names of the child, or the parents.

What will you find in Swedish birth / christening records?

Should Include:

Date of birth (depending how the record was kept)
Date of christening (depending how the record was kept)
The first and last name of the father
The first and last name of the mother (depending how the record was kept)
The parents place of residence at the time of the birth
The first and last names and residence of the godparents (who may or may not be related to the child)

May Include:

Entry number
The name of the woman who held the infant over the baptismal font
Date of the mothers re-introduction into society (usually about 6 weeks after the birth)
The mothers age ( beginning about 1750)
A running total number of males and females born in a given year

Additional Information

See the Swedish Genealogy Guide video on Swedish Birth and Christening Records (YouTube)

There was no standard format of how the record was kept until 1894. Sometimes the father’s name is given and the mother’s was left out. You may find the record shows a christening date but no birth date.

Birth and christenings were generally kept in the same book as the marriages, and burials. Most of the time there is a specific section of a book. Other times the priest kept an ongoing record of all services (births, marriage, deaths) in a chronological order.

If you do not find the birth entry:

– Check the birth records of the other parishes in the same pastorat.
– Check the parish accounts book. Usually the father paid a fee at the time of the christening. The fee might be recorded in the donations/income record.

Swedish archive letter for birth records: C

The dates were usually recorded in the order of: day, month, year

Sometimes the christening date was recorded according to the religious “feast day” such as Ascensionis Domini (in latin) or Kristi himmelsfärdsdag (Swedish) which converted to May 9 in 1771. If you need to convert a feast day see: Moveable Feast Day Calendar for: Sweden in the FamilySearch Wiki.

Key Words

Here are some common words that are seen in Swedish birth and christening records. The birth entry will also include the marital status of the parents, place names, and maybe the occupation of the father. If the word is not on this list, try to find it in the Swedish Historical Dictionary Database, SHDD

Swedish	English
absolution	receiving forgiveness of sins
af	of, from
anteckningar	note, annotation
barn (barnet)	child, infant (the child)
christnades	(was) baptized, christened
dag	day
den	that, the
dess	possessive of den, det
dito	ditto
Dom., Dominica (latin)	Sunday (the Lord’s day)
dop, döpelse, döpt, döptas, döpte, döptes	various uses of the word “dop” = baptism
dopbok	baptismal book (record)
dopnamn	christian name
dop-vittnen	witness to christening
ett, en	one
fader, far, faderen	father, sire, (the) father
fadder, faddrar, faddrarne	various uses of the word ”fadder” = godparent
födas, född, födde, föddes, födelse, födt	various uses of the word ”födelse” = birth
församling	parish, congregation
föräldrar, föräldrarne	parents
heta, heter	to be called
Hustru, Hu.	Wife, spouse (abbrev. Hu. )
i	in, at, to, upon
kalla, kallat	to call, to name, was called
kyrkotagning	churching (received to the parish)
kön (man-, qvin-)	sex, gender (male, female)
med	with
moder, moderen	mother, (the) mother
månad	month
namn, namnet	name, (the) name
nöd-döpt	baptism in case of necessity, or emergency
och, ock	and
oäkta barn	Illegitimate child, bastard child
piga, pigan, pig.	maid, maidservant (abbrev. Pig.)
stånd	state, class, rank
susceptrix (latin)	person who held the infant over the baptismal font
testes (latin)	witness
uti	see i
vittne, vittnen	witness, (the) witness
år, åhr	year

Vaccinations in Sweden

Posted on January 13, 2015 by GFröbergMorris

Variolation or inoculation against smallpox began as early as 1756 in Sweden. The technique was to rub powder from smallpox scabs or fluid from pustules into small cuts to create a controlled exposure to the disease. The hope was that a person’s immune system would develop resistance through small exposure.

Dr. Edward Jenner (of England) published his analysis of smallpox vaccination in 1798. By 1800 Jenner’s work had been translated into Swedish and Dr. E. S. Munck af Rosenschöld practiced the technique in Lund in 1801. Vaccination against small pox was quickly recognized as an effective practice to prevent epidemics of the disease. By 1810 the practice of small pox vaccination was wide spread in Sweden and was performed by doctors, priests, and church wardens. Because the church assisted with vaccinations, you may find vaccination records in the ministerial book, household examinations, or in a book of its own. Beginning in 1816 all children in Sweden had to be vaccinated for smallpox by law. The disease still had outbreaks in the 1800’s in Sweden but effected mostly elderly people who had never been vaccinated. The public requirement for smallpox vaccination in Sweden was discontinued in 1976.

Source: Nordisk familjebok. Uggleupplagen 2, ”Vaccination”, Stockholm 1921, page 205

Image from ArkivDigital, Tuna (C), C:3 (1716 – 1766) bild 214/sid 454

Torps in Sweden

Posted on November 26, 2014May 20, 2015 by GFröbergMorris

In the middle of the 1800’s there were about 100, 000 torps (small farms) in Sweden with roughly 500,000 people living on them. At that time there were about 3.5 million people in Sweden, so about one seventh of the population was living on torps.

Torps in mid- and southern Sweden were usually leased from a larger farm. Torps in northern Sweden were often owned (as there was no large scale farming in the north.) Either way the torps generally did not have the best plots of land for farming. Sometimes they were used to break a new section of ground for farming next to a large farm, or from government owned land such as the Kronotorps in northern Sweden.

The Renting Torpare

If the Torpare (farmer who ran one of these small farms) rented the torp from a larger farm, then there was no property tax on the torp. The property or production taxes were associated to the larger farm. Rent for the torp could have been paid in goods or labor such as the day labor torp (dagsverkstorp.) Other terms for this kind of torp were Jordtorp or Stattorp. The day labor torps were abolished in 1943 when the Stattare system was dismantled.

Förpantningstorp meant it was a torp with possession rights for generally 49 years. As part of the contract the Torpare made a payment at the beginning in exchange for fewer obligations in day labor. Another type of torp was the undantagstorp which was in consequence to an inheritance or sale.

The Soldier Farm

Maybe you have heard of soldier farms? This was another form of torp. You might see the title Soldattorp, Ryttartorp, Båtmanstorp, or even Knekttorp in the records. These were small farms used for the soldiers of the Allotment System starting in the 1680’s. Primarily these farms provided residence for the soldier / or sailor (in the navy) and their family. The farm was too small to be self-sustaining so the local farmers with large farms were obligated to provide agricultural products and use of draft animals. In some parts of Sweden the soldier farm was given to the soldier at the end of military service. More commonly, the soldier and his family had to move after the discharge (or death) of the soldier.

Torps in the 1900’s

In the late 1800’s there was a massive emigration from Sweden, plus migration to the cities due to the industrial revolution, and the practice of the military Allotment System and its soldier farms was discontinued. With so much change in society, many of the torps were converted into summer cottages in the early 1900’s. Other summer cottages were built in the early 1900’s as the population grew. The newer cottages were given newer names, while many of the older torps were re-named by new owners to dis-associate from the social stigmas of the old torps. This re-naming can be one reason why you have a hard time finding the location of an older torp on a modern map. Gratefully there is an abundance of historic maps for Sweden. You can use historic maps to find the location of an older torp and then try to find the same place on a modern map.

Source: Börja forska kring ditt hus och din bygd by Per Clemensson and Kjell Andersson, Natur & Kultur, Stockholm, 2011 pages 80 – 90.

You can learn more about historic maps of Sweden at: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Historical_Maps_of_Sweden

Photo by GFröbergMorris, Soldiers cottage at Skansen outdoor cultural history museum, Stockholm 2008.

Types of Farms in Swedish Records

Posted on November 18, 2014November 26, 2014 by GFröbergMorris

While reading Börja forska kring ditt hus och din bygd, I learned some interesting things about farms in Sweden. In the middle of the 1700’s there were about 187,000 farms in Sweden. By 1870 there were 234,000. On every farm you had the family who owned or leased the farm along with servants (usually from the younger working class who probably came from nearby.) Often the farms had smaller leased torps or backstugor associated to them.

Each farm had a ownership status ranked in a system called “jordnatur”. There were 3 types of farms within jordnatur:

Skattegård – were independently owned farms. The owner paid taxes directly to the government.

Kronogård – were owned by the government and leased to the farmer.

Frälsegård – were owned by the nobility and leased to the farmer.

In 1700 each group was about the same size, 1/3 Skatte, 1/3 Krono, and 1/3 Frälsegård. Over time the government sold Kronogårds to independent farmers using transactions called Skatteköp. This continued so by the late 1800’s about 60% of the farms were Skattegård. At that time the Frälsegård still made up about 1/3 of the farms especially in Mälardalen, Östergötland, and Skåne.

Knowing this helps to understand the social standing of your Swedish ancestors. The household examinations show the occupation of the head of household. If your ancestor was listed as a Skattegårdsman (or Skattebonde), the farm was privately owned. The Kronogårdsman (or Kronobonde) had a lease to a government owned farm, and the Frälsegårdsman (or Frälsebonde) had a lease to a farm owned by the nobility.

Source: Börja forska kring ditt hus och din bygd, by Per Clemmensson and Kjell Andersson.

Picture: from Skogaholm manor at Skansen in Stockholm, taken by GFröbergMorris in 2008

Swedish Genealogy in Cities

Posted on May 9, 2014March 16, 2015 by GFröbergMorris

Chances are at some point you will find a Swedish ancestor that lived in a city. You’ll find that genealogical research in cities is different than in rural areas. The parish was still responsible to keep the vital records of birth, marriage, and death, but there are unique differences due to city life. This article will help you understand those differences and offer some resources to find your ancestors in the cities.

Historically the largest cities in Sweden have been Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, and Norrköping. When you rank the cities by size, you’ll find the order of largest to smallest varies according to time period. Stockholm was the largest city beginning in the late 1500’s and has been ever since. Before 1850 Stockholm and Göteborg were the only cities with a population over 20,000. Between 1850 and 1930 the population of Stockholm increased to 500,000, and Göteborg to about 250,000. In the same time period Malmö breaks 100,000 and Norrköping hits about 70,000.

Life in the Cities

Life in cities is built upon manufacture, distribution, and trade. In Sweden the government controlled the privileges of a town or city to participate in these activities. All the larger cities were ports for trade. These cities also had a stronger military presence.
The cities had a wider diversity of people from other countries. These people brought other languages, traditions, naming customs, and religions. Although Sweden had the Lutheran state church, they allowed other groups of people to practice their respective faith. As the natural resources and opportunities vary by location, you find that towns and cities became known for certain products.

Challenges of Research in Cities

There are many challenges to finding your ancestor in the cities. Here are some of the big ones:

Population Size

Simply put, the larger the community.. the harder to find the person that you’re looking for. Sometimes in the larger cities, it can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Migration
Every city started out as a small village. Over time people moved to the cities for opportunities. Once in a city, a person might move for a better job or better housing. Workers in cities were not tied to the land. There was job stability and in-stability. Many workers had to renew an annual contract. Relocation was common, and just like today having connections was important. All these situations lead to the questions of “where did this person come from?” or “where did they go to?”

The Church in the Cities
A priest in the Swedish Lutheran church was responsible for keeping birth, marriage, and death records for all the people that lived within their parish boundary. These are called Territorial parishes because they have a geographic boundary. In the larger cities, there are congregations that gather for other reasons such as language, or the military. These parishes are called Non-territorial parishes because there isn’t a geographic boundary within the city. In most cases there is a city parish (Stadsförsamling) for people who lived in the city, and a rural parish (Landsförsamling) for the people who lived near the city.

Because there were so many people to keep track of, the parish priest and his staff struggled to keep accurate household examination and moving records. As the population increased and the number of members within a parish increased, the diocese would split the older parish to create a new parish. Statistically there were higher rates of illegitimate births in the cities. This was especially true between 1778 and 1917 when a mother could give birth anonymously. Residency in the records is listed by Rote (like a neighborhood), streets, or even households within a building.

Naming customs
After moving to the city, many people changed their surname for practical reasons. There were too many people with similar names. To change a surname was easy, just start using it. Over time your new surname would become what you’re known by with your friends, family, employer, on the church records, and with tax authorities. The challenge is finding what the patronymic surname was before moving to the city. Also, there was a wider variety of given names in the cities, many of which came from other countries.

Orphanages
There were many situations that led a child to the orphanage. It could be the death of parents, a single parent unable to provide for a child, or a temporary situation of failing health, or imprisonment. Whatever the case, children were taken to orphanages for care. All cities were required to have an orphanage according to the law of 1624. There were public and private orphanages. See the article Orphanages in Sweden on the FamilySearch Wiki.

Military

The larger cities had an increased military presence made up of professionals, and non-professionals in the army or navy. They lived in military quarters and belonged to military church congregations. The question is “where did they come from” and after their service “where did they go to?”

Records in Cities

There are many records available to search for your ancestor in a Swedish city. Here is a short list:

Here are some resources for genealogical research in Swedish Cities:

Stockholm

Tidigmoderna konkurser 1687 – 1849, see Tidigmoderna konkurser databas

Mantalslängder 1760 (Stockholm City Archive)

Mantalslängder 1810 (Stockholm City Archive)

Mantalsuppgifter 1835, 1845, 1860, and 1870 (Stockholm City Archive)

Mantalsregister 1800-1884 (Stockholm City Archive)

Indexes for parishes in PDF, through Stockholm Stadsarkiv website at: Kyrkoarkiv

1878-1926 Roteman database (Stockholm City Archive), also available for purchase on DVD through Sveriges Släktforskarförbund.

1926-1939 Överståthållarämbetet, available through Arkiv Digital.

For orphanages see the article: Orphanages in Sweden on the FamilySearch Wiki.

Göteborg

Index of Marriages for Kristine parish 1624 – 1774, FHL Intl book 948.69/G1 H2b v.3

Rådhusrätt register 1719 – 1798, FHL microfilm Intl 216069 – 216070

Göteborg tomtägare 1637 – 1807 at: Göteborgs tomtägare 1637 – 1807

Malmö

See Demografisk Databas Södra Sverige (DDSS)

Norrköping

Tax records index for all tax obligated 1727-1945 at the Norrsköping Stadsarkiv. Contact the archive for assistance.

Resources for Other Cities

1. PLF (Person-och Lokalhistoriskt Forskarcentrum) on CD for all cities in Småland (Jönköping, Kalmar, and Kronoberg Counties.) These include: Borgholm, Eksjö, Gränna, Huskvarna, Jönköping, Kalmar, Oskarshamn, Vimmerby, Västervik, and Växjö

2. Demografisk Databas Södra Sverige (DDSS) for Skåne (Malmöhus, Kristianstad), Blekinge, and Halland Counties. These include entries from birth, marriage, and death records of: Båstad, Helsingborg, Höganäs, Karlskrona, Kristianopel, Kristianstad, Malmö, Ronneby, Vä, Ystad, Åhus, and Ängelholm. Within DDSS there is the Halland Marriage Database that will help for the cities of Falkenberg, Halmstad, Kungsbacka, Laholm, and Varberg.

3. Indiko (Demografiska databasen Umeå universitet) for Linköping, Skellefteå, and Sundsvall.

4. Födda, Vigda, Döda i Ådalen, CD available at FHL or can be purchased through Riksarkivet for Härnösand and Sollefteå.

5. Register of births, marriages, and deaths in Jämtland 1642-1860 on FamilySearch.org, 1686-1875 on microfilm INTL 1644180 for Östersund.

DDSS Website for Swedish Genealogy

Posted on May 1, 2014October 7, 2014 by GFröbergMorris

Background of DDSS

The DDSS database was started in 1996 by the staff at the Regional Archive of Lund. It is a product of 3 databases called the Demographic Database of Southern Sweden (DDSS), the Skåne Demographic Database (SDD), and the Malmö City Archive Birth Register Database. The goal is to create one database that has all the birth, marriage, and death information (up to 1894) for the parishes within the geographical area that the archive is responsible for. The regional archive of Lund has responsibility for the counties of Skåne (Malmöhus 1669-1997, and Kristianstad 1719-1997), Blekinge, and Halland. Although Halland belongs to the area jurisdiction of the regional archive of Lund, the data for Halland is being registered into the Svensk Lokalhistorisk Databas.

The DDSS database was created by volunteers (many of which are unemployed or unable to get employment), genealogists, and the staff at the regional archive of Lund. Because the data is also for academic use, every entry is reviewed by an experienced genealogist. Although this ongoing project has had economic challenges at times, the database has continued to grow. As of April 30, 2014 the database has over 1.5 million searchable entries from about 400 parishes. Over 23.6 million visitors have visited the website since 2003.

About the DDSS Website

The DDSS website offers many useful and interesting databases. The largest database is the Demographical Database for Southern Sweden. It has:

A birth and christening database which includes data from the DDSS, Malmö City Archive Birth and Christening Database, and the Skåne Demographical Database (SDD.)
An engagement and marriage database which includes data from the DDSS and SDD.
A death and burial database which includes data from the DDSS and SDD.
A migration database that is created from the parish moving-in and -out records of 9 parishes. This data came from the SDD.

The DDSS website allows you to search data from the three sources (DDSS, Malmö City Archive, SDD) at the same time. There are some restrictions to the data which are:

No birth or christening entries are listed that are younger than 100 years
No engagement or marriage entries are listed that are younger than 70 years
No death or burial entries are listed that are younger than 70 years
No causes of death are listed that are younger than 100 years

Other features include:

First names, last names, titles, place names, and causes of death can be searched using a standard or non-standard spelling. If you want to search using a non-standard spelling type a quotations mark (“) before the word. The DDSS website offers a good page of search tips, see DDSS Search help.

One of the great search tools is the wildcard. You can use the asterisk symbol (*) to replace one or more characters of a word. It can even be used multiple times in the same word.

There are 2 ways you can find what parishes are included in the database. 1. You can click on the county that is shown on the DDSS home page. Then click on the Härad or City on the next map, and then browse down the list of parishes. 2. You can click on Databases, choose a birth, marriage, or death database and then use the drop down menu to see if a specific parish in included.

The registration for a parish always begins with the records of the late 1800’s, and then progressively works back earlier in time. The earliest parish records are done last.

You’ll find there is some inconsistency to the extracted data, for example some birth entries include godparents and others do not. This is because the birth data has been contributed by multiple organizations that had different rules in the extraction process.

The website also offers:

A database which includes most of the marriages in the county of Halland, called the Vigselregister Halland which is available on the DDSS website. This database was created by the Hallands Släktforskarförening (Hallands Genealogical Society.)

A database called Sveriges Skepplistor, which is a database of Swedish ships between the years of 1837 and 1885. The data is from published ships lists that are in the Regional Archive of Lund.

The Karlskrona Sjömanshusdatabas (Karlskrona Seaman’s Home) is a collaborative effort by ArkiVara in Karlskrona, the Municipality of Karlskrona, and the Regional Archive in Lund. They are extracting the registration records from the Karlskrona Seaman’s Home between the years of 1871 and 1937. This pertains to all seamen who registered and donated money to their future care, and retirement.

The Öknamnen i Örkened database (Nicknames in Örkened) which is a database built upon the nicknames that were associated to the people and place names in Örkened parish in Skåne County. Historically many people had nicknames in their local parish. The goal of this database is to register the different nicknames used in Örkened parish, discover their origin, and associate these names to the people and places they belonged to.

A transcription copy of the ministerial book of Osby parish (C:1) from 1697 – 1690 in PDF.

Another option on the DDSS website is the Temasidor (Theme pages.) This part of the database offers tools, and presentations (in Swedish) on various subjects including:

Given names in a historical context
Last names in a historical context
A list of place names in Skåne and Blekinge
Occupations and Titles
Demographic Statistics

Use for Swedish Genealogy?

Search for birth, marriage, or death information for about 400 parishes in Skåne (Malmöhus and Kristianstad), and Blekinge Counties.

The DDSS is especially useful in the cities where there are parishes without a specific geographical boundary (non-territorial parishes.)

Search for migration information from 9 parishes in Skåne.

Search for a marriages in Halland County.

Search place names of the villages and farms in Skåne and Blekinge Counties.

See maps of the Härads in Skåne and Blekinge Counties.

A transcription copy of the Osby ministerial book from 1647 – 1690.

Database Information

Swedish Name: Demografisk Databas Södra Sverige, DDSS

English Name: Demographical Database for Southern Sweden

Purpose: To create a database of birth, marriage, and death information for all the parishes in Skåne (Malmöhus, Kristianstad), Blekinge, and Halland. It was created for genealogists, local historians, educators, historical societies, academic research in demography, and medical research.

Created by: The Regional Archive of Lund (Landsarkivet i Lund)

Format: Online at http://www.ddss.nu/

Cost: Free

Language: Swedish, English

Sources:

The Demografisk Databas Södra Sverige (DDSS) website
Haskå, Guno. Släkthistorisk Forum: Person- och lokalhistoria i undervisningen. Sveriges Släkforskarförbund, no. 2, 2004