Kemi Parish, Lappi, Finland Genealogy

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

History
Kemi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. It was founded in 1869 by decree of the Russian Emperor Alexander II because of its proximity to a deep water harbour. Kemi is situated by the Bothnian Bay, at the mouth of river Kemijoki. The first mention of the village is in 1329. According to tradition, the parish's first church was located in the village of Valmarinniemi. The Russians looted the church in 1473 and burned it in 1517. The current church in Keminmaa village was built a few years after the old church was burned. The church is the northernmost medieval stone church in Finland. In 1931 the rural municipality was annexed to Kemi city.

Villages
As of 1939 the following villages were found in this parish: Alapaakkola, Hirmula, Ilmola, Kemi, Koroiskylä, Koskenkylä, Laurila, Liedakkala, Maula, Pajusaari, Ritikka, Taivalkoski, Törmä, Ylipaakkola.

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

Surrounding Parishes
Alatornio, Keminmaa, Simo

Church Records
FamilySearch has records from both Kemi city parish (Kemin kaupunkiseurakunta, Swedish: Kemi stadsförsamling) and Kemi rural parish (Kemin maalaiskunta, Swedish: Kemi landsförsamling).
 * 1577-1890 (*); Kemin maalaiskunta at FamilySearch Catalog &mdash; images
 * 1610-1908 (*); Kemin kaupunkiseurakunta at FamilySearch Catalog &mdash; images
 * 1657-1890 at FamilySearch &mdash; How to Use This Collection; index
 * 1657-1915 at FamilySearch &mdash; How to Use This Collection; index & images
 * 1660-1852 (*); Kemin maalaiskunta at FamilySearch Catalog &mdash; images
 * 1682-1892 at FamilySearch &mdash; How to Use This Collection; index
 * 1693-1864 (*); Kemin maalaiskunta at FamilySearch Catalog &mdash; images
 * 1725-1909 at FamilySearch &mdash; How to Use This Collection; index
 * 1865-1905 (*); Kemin maalaiskunta at FamilySearch Catalog &mdash; images
 * Kemin maaseurakunta - Kemi landsför at HisKi, Genealogical Society of Finland (Suomen Sukututkimusseuta) &mdash; index. More information about the church

Emigration and Immigration Records

 * 1900-1920 at FamilySearch &mdash; How to Use This Collection; index

Taxation Records

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