Övertorneå Parish, Norrbotten, Sweden Genealogy

Guide to Övertorneå Parish, Sweden ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

History
Övertorneå parish was broken out of Torneå parish (later Nedertorneå) in 1482.

The parish was originally called Särkilax but the name was changed to Övertorneå in the early 17th century. The name Matarengi also appears in the parish after the name of the church village.

From Övertorneå parish, the following parishes have broken out: - 1602 Tenoteki (Enonteki) parish - 1617 Hietaniemi Chapel Parish - 1655 Kengi's mill parish - 1725 Pajala parish - 1810 Alkkula parish (now Övertorneå in Finland) - 1856 Korpilombolo parish

On January 1, 1926, the parish was divided into two church accounting districts: Övertorneå church accounting district (Övertorneå church archives) and Svanstein's church accounting district (see Svanstein's church archives)

The division into church registration districts ceased in connection with Svanstein's parish, corresponding to the former district, breaking out of Övertorneå on 1 January 1962.

Övertorneå has belonged to the following pastorate: - 1482-1606 Övertorneå parish was part of a joint pastorate with Torneå / Nedertorneå parish (mother parish), with the exception of the years 1530-1538 when the parish constituted its own pastorate. - 1606-1617 the parish constituted its own pastorate - from 1617 the parish was the mother parish in a common pastorate with Hietaniemi parish which in 1655 was expanded with Kengi's mill parish, 1725 with Pajala parish and 1788 with Muonioniska parish and before 1812 Kolari parish - 1812-1836 Övertorneå, Hietaniemi, Pajala and Kengis - 1837-1842 Övertorneå, Hietaniemi and Pajala - 1842-1856 Övertorneå and Hietanlemi - 1856-1878 Övertorneå, Hietaniemi and Korpilombolo, - 1878-1920 Övertorneå and Korpilombolo - from 1 May 1920, Övertorneå parish was its own pastorate

When Svanstein's parish was added in 1962, a church community was established at the same time between Svanstein and Övertorneå with a common economy. The community was called Övertorneå and Svanstein's church community. On January 1, 1992, the community was expanded with Hietaniemi parish. The community was then called Övertorneå church community. However, the name had been used before. The documents of the church community are recorded in the Övertorneå church archives.

Until 1809, Övertorneå parish included areas on both sides of the Torne river. In connection with the peace, the part of the parish that lay east of the Torne River was transferred to Finland, which made up approximately half of the parish's population and area.

Östanskog no. 1 (Koivukylä 23: 2) and Utby no. 1 (Koivukylä 24: 2), which belonged to Hietaniemi parish but were located within Övertorneå parish, were transferred according to a royal letter in 1930 to Övertorneå.

Birth and baptism information for Raitajärvi, which is included in Övertorneå, can be found in Överkalix's birth book C: 2-4. The same applies to Pörtjärv (Pirtijärvi) and Hirijärvi where information can be found in Överkalix's birth book C: 3.

Accounts for hospital funds 1788-1837 regarding Puostijärvi and Orjasjärvi are included in Hietaniemi's communion book D II: 1.

For the archive list, there is a scanned place register for Övertorneå house examinaton books A I a: 1-5.

Place Names
Aapua, Aasa, Aho, Aidanpää, Aili, Alatalo, Antti, Assola, Aunis

Barsk

Dunderberg Gard., Grym

Haapakylä, Haapeniemi, Hangasjärvi, Hannu, Hannu Harju el. H, Hannukainen, Harju, Heikkilä, Heikkilä, Hietala, Hirvijärvi, Hirviävaara, Huhtapalo, Huhtasaari, Huru, Hurula, Härmä, Hätta

Inga(Mäki), Ivari

Jaukuri Lehto, Jatko, Jerijärvi, Johdet, Junt i, Juoksengi, Jupukkaniemi, Jussi, Jänkisjärvi, Järvernaita, Järvenpää

Kalliainen, Kangas Huru eller Kangas, Kannikko, Kannusjärvi, Kauma Clemo ell. K, Keikkala, Kentä, Kertu, Keskitalo, Kexi, Kieri, Kivijärvi, Klemo, Kohkoinen, Kommes, Korpi, Korpilombolo, Korvola, Kuivakangas, Kuivakangas, Kukkutieva, Kunnusjärvi,Kuopala, Kurajärvi, Kuusijärvi, Kuttainnen Kottainen, Kuusijärvi, Kyrkobordet, Käyräsvuopio Lahti, Laitamaa, Lampinen, Lanto, Laukkuvaara, Lauri, Lax, Laxo, Lehto, Lehto eller Jaukkuri, Lenning, Lukkari, Luttu

Maaherra, Matarengi, Matti, Mattila, Mattinenm Mella, Mettajärvi, Mikko, Mikkola, Mukkajärvi, Mukkavaara, Muotka, Mustaniemi Kannikko, Myllymäki, Mäki, Mäkipiha, Mäkitalo

Niemi, Nikki, Niska, Niva, Noppa, Nuoksujärvi, Nulu, Nätiboka

Ohtanojärvi, Oja, Olkamangi, Olli, Orjasjärvi, Outinen

Paha, Palo, Paskatieva, Paturi, Pavo, Pavola, Pekkala, Pelli, Pello, Pentäjä, Penä, Pertu, Perävaara, Petäjävaara, Piedi även kallat Pieti, Piekko, Piekkola, Pieti se Piedi, Pirtijärvi, Pirtiniemi, Pitkälahti, Planting, Pohjanen, Puostijärvenylipää, Pyhäjärvi, Pääkölä

Raidajärvi, Rantajärvi, Rantatalo, Raumaniemi, Raunavaara, Rautila, Rautio, Riekkola, Rova, Ruisniemi, Ruokojärvi, Ruskola, Rytiniemi, Råva, Rova, Råvainen, Rovanpää

Salmi, Savilahti, Sikkajärvi, Simo, Simu, Sompaisenoja, Suokolojärvi, Suaningi, Svanstein

Taavoniku, Takajärvi, Talo, Tapani, Tavola, Taavola, Tervaniemi, Tiensuu, Tolanen, Tolainen, Torakankorva, Tureholm, Turtula, Turunåja, Turuvaara, Töyrä

Uusitalo

Vanhaniemi Sompaisenoja, Vanhatalo, Vettäsjärvi, Viinika, Vuollo, Vyoni, Välitalo, Välivainio

Ylikuitasjärvi, Ylinenjoki, Ylinenjärvi, Ylinenpääi, Ylinenpää, Ylinenvida, Ylitalo

Övertorneå

To see what kind of place it is you will need a Swedish Gazetteer.


 * Surrounding Parishes

Census Records

 * Sweden Household Examination Records (Husförhörslängder)--explanation of this church record which is functionally the census of Sweden.
 * Sweden Household Examination Books, 1840-1947, ($), index and images. Also on Ancestry.com, ($), Arkiv Digital ($), and SVAR at Riksarkivet.

Online Database Church Records
The easiest way to access the Swedish Church Records is through the internet, using these five sites (see links to specific collections below). Four of these sites require a subscription for access. (ArkivDigital, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage.com  are available at a FamilyHistory Center near you free of charge.) at FamilySearch.
 * MyHeritage.com ($),
 * ($),
 * Arkiv Digital ($), and
 * SVAR at Riksarkivet.

Help Using ArkivDigital: Online Databases for Sweden

 * These lessons will teach you how to use ArkivDigital:
 * Use the Full Scope of Arkiv Digital for Swedish Genealogy
 * Use the Full Scope of Arkiv Digital for Swedish Genealogy

Family History Library Records
Click Sweden, Norrbotten Records for a full listing of microfilmed records (some digitized online) at the Family History Library, that may be digitized. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a Family History Center near you. Click on "Places within Sweden, Norrbotten" and then select your parish.

Military Records

 * Sweden Military Records
 * Central Soldiers Register InstructionsSearch Engine

Related Sources
Sweden Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

Help Reading Swedish Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Swedish to read these records! They have a limited vocabulary: mother, father, born, bride, groom, married, etc. The rest of the content will be names, dates, and places, which do not need translation.
 * This Swedish Word List covers typical terms found in the records.
 * Swedish Historical Dictionary Database, SHDD: This interactive dictionary allows you to enter a word in the search box and receive the translation.
 * Feast Day Calendar (Moveable) and Feast Day Lists (Fixed and Moveable) will help you translate dates written in feast day form.
 * Sweden surnames are patronymic and change every generation, so carefully study Sweden Names, Personal.
 * For help with reading the column headings found in more recent records, see [[Media:Swedenish_Par_Reg_and_Exam_headings.pdf|Swedish Parish Register and Household Exam Roll Headings]].
 * Instructions, document examples, and translations are given for Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1717, 1752, 1771, 1792, 1803, 1834, 1854.

Help Reading Old Handwriting

 * Reading Gothic Handwriting for Swedish Genealogy, Lesson 1
 * Spelling and Phonetics for Swedish Genealogy, Lesson 2 — Names, dates, and key genealogical words
 * Reading Gothic Handwriting for Swedish Genealogy: Put It All Together, Lesson 3
 * Birth and Christening Records for Swedish Genealogy
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available

Help With Research Objectives and Strategies
Sweden Research Strategies