Virolahti Parish, Kymi, Finland Genealogy

Guide to Virolahti parish, Finland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

History
Virolahti is the southeastern-most municipality of Finland on the border of Russia. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The Vaalimaa border crossing, which connects the municipality with Russia, is located in Virolahti. Virolahti lost some of its area which was over 39 sq miles to the Soviet Union in Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 after World War II.

Villages
As of 1939 the following villages were found in this parish: Alapihlaja, Klamila, Orslahti, Pihlaja, Pyterlahti, Ravijoki, Sydänkylä, Vaalimaa, Virojoki, Virolahti, Yläpihlaja.

Place Names
• 3 To see what kind of place it is you will need a Finnish gazetteer.

Online Church Records: A Major Source for Birth, Marriage, and Death Information
Different collections cover different parishes, so it is important to check every collection.
 * The HisKi Project. Choose a specific parish or click on "All" to search the entire country. This collection is a partial database of indexed births, marriages, and deaths. It does not have data from the communion books and pre-confirmation books.
 * Finland's Family History Association--SSHY (Suomen Sukuhistoriallinen Yhdistys). Click on "Church Records" in the left sidebar.  Select your parish from the list that comes up. Some of the features of this website are available at no cost. It appears that the paid subscription version (which is very reasonable) gives access to additional records not found with the free version.
 * Digihakemisto (Digital Directory). In the left sidebar, select your parish. This is a partial directory to parish records found in the Finnish National Archives. The index changes between the Finnish version and the English version. If you cannot find a parish, switch to the original Finnish.
 * The parish records are available online at the National Archives of Finland. This is the most complete collection, but it is more complicated to use. Use it when the records you need are not in the simpler indexed records above. Choose the parish you need from the "Tree View", which is a list of parish archives.

Online Communion Books (Rippikirjat/Kommunionböcker) and Preconfirmation Records (Lastenkirjat/Barnböcker)
Perhaps the most important genealogical record, Communion Books list the inhabitants of a parish by village, farm, and household. They are called communion books, because a person's records are added to them beginning with their confirmation and first communion. These records greatly simplify the research process by grouping individuals into family units. These records make it possible to follow the lives of ancestors from birth to the grave by providing, in one place, references to birth, marriage, and death dates, as well as moving information and other personal items. Pre-confirmation Records list each residence, the parents, and the children who had not yet been confirmed (usually all children younger than about age 14). After their confirmation, the children were transferred into the communion book. These records list each residence, the parents, and the children at the residence who had not yet been confirmed with their birth dates and, ultimately, their confirmation dates. Vaccinations are also noted. If a child died before confirmation, the death date is given. The records often include notation of blindness, disabilities, or other personal data.


 * MyHeritage.com: Finland Church Census and Pre-Confirmation Books, 1657-1915. "Census books" here refers to communion books.
 * Digihakemisto (Digital Directory). In the left sidebar, select your parish. A menu for the parish will show these records, in addition to births, marriages, and deaths.
 * Finland's Family History Association--SSHY (Suomen Sukuhistoriallinen Yhdistys). Click on "Church Records" in the left sidebar.  Select your parish from the list that comes up. Some of the features of this website are available at no cost. It appears that the paid subscription version (which is very reasonable) gives access to additional records not found with the free version.
 * In the Finnish National Archives these records are in the church books for each parish.Choose the parish you need from the archives listed in the "Tree View".

Writing to the Local Parish
If you have not found your parish records in the above collections, the next step is to write to the parish. Also, the FamilySearch Library does not have recent church records, due to privacy. But private information can be given to family members who write to the local parishes in Finland. If you do not speak Finnish, you may write your letter in English. In your letter, include a statement that you are willing to pay for the services you request. You will be billed when the research has been completed. Response time will vary, so be patient.


 * For addresses of parishes throughout Finland: Parish Contact Information
 * For details on writing to Finnish-speaking or Swedish-speaking parishes, discontinued parishes, payment methods, etc., consult this Finland Letter Writing Guide
 * A [[Media:Finland_Form_Letter.pdf|convenient printable form letter is provided here]] for writing to Finnish speaking parishes.
 * A [[Media:Sweden_Form_Letter_.pdf|convenient printable form letter is provided here]] for writing to Swedish speaking parishes.
 * You should copy the letter and fill in the appropriate blanks. A separate request form should be used when requesting detailed information on a spouse or child. Make sure you type or neatly print your letter and, when necessary, add any diacritical marks and special characters (such as å, ä, ö) with a pen.
 * If the form letters do not cover the records you want, you can write your request in English.

Taxation

 * 1809-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Finland.
 * Finland Guided Research
 * Finland Research Tips and Strategies
 * Finland Record Finder
 * Finland Handwriting
 * Finland Letter Writing Guide