Swedish Parish Administration Records (Sockenstämmoprotokoll)

The Sockenstämmoprotokoll are administrative records for the parish. They contain decisions relating to the concerns of the parish, both of a spiritual and worldly nature. In earlier times the entries were part of the general church book. Eventually separate books were created just for administrative use. In these records you can also find appointments of positions such as:


 * Klockare


 * Kyrkvärdar (the church warden)


 * Sexman (parish constable: plural Sexmän, constables)


 * Rotemän (the men assigned to provide support for the military)


 * Sockenskräddare (parish tailor, could be employed by the parish, for the parish)


 * Sockenskomakare (parish shoemaker, could be employed by the parish for the parish)

Other matters in the sockenstämmen could be:


 * Maintenance of the church buildings


 * Repairs


 * Building a fattigstuga (a building used for the poor house)


 * Building a sockenstuga (parish community hall)


 * Building a sockenmagasin (a parish store house)


 * Matters of poor relief

All of these administrative matters involved many people of the parish. With so many local people mentioned in the sockenstämmoprotokoll, they can be a great source to your family history research. They offer insight to the day to day life in the parish. At the very least they help establish time and place of a person or family.