Vehkalahti Parish, Kymi, Finland Genealogy

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

History
Vehkalahti is a former municipality surrounding the town of Hamina in south-eastern Finland. At the beginning of 2003 Hamina and Vehkalahti combined to form a new town of Hamina. The southern parts of Karelia are known to be the oldest parts of modern Finland with settlements. First markings of Vehkalahti as a continuous settlement or village are dated in 1336, when it has become a major place for east/west trading.

Villages
As of 1939 the following villages were found in this parish: Hillo, Kannusjärvi, Kolsila, Kuorsalo, Metsäkylä, Mäenlahti, Mäntlahti, Neuvottoma, Paijärvi, Pyhättö, Reitkali, Summa, Turkia, Vehkalahti, Vilniemi.

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".

Microfilm and Microfiche of Records for Finland
The original records used for developing the online databases are also available on microfilm and microfiche. 'You will also find additional records that have yet to be digitized. Eventually, all of the microfilmed records will be digitized, reportedly by 2020. In the meantime, some records might be found at a FamilySearch Center' near you. To find a record:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Finland, Kymi.
 * b. Click on "Places within Finland, Kymi" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the parish you need.
 * d. Click on "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct type of record and time period for your ancestor. Births=syntyneet. Baptisms=kastetut. Marriages=vihityt. Deaths=kuolleet. Communion books=rippikirjat or pääkirja. Pre-confirmation books=lastenkirjat.
 * f. Some combination of the icons shown below will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record.
 * FHL icons.png Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

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