Ulvila Parish, Turku-Pori, Finland Genealogy

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

History
Ulvila is a town and municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest in the country. Its position as city was taken over by the Pori in the 16th century. The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Swedish name is Ulvsby.

A parish that belonged to Kokemäki, mentioned in 1355 or already in 1311 when the first wooden church was built on the river island of Liikistö. Ulvila's name comes from the second St. Olav's church built in 1332, around which the town of Ulvila formed, which received city rights in 1365. The city was later moved in 1558 to the current site of Björneborg, i.e. the former royal mansion. This Pori was ordered to be separated from Ulvila in 1877 as its own parish; the separation had to wait a long time, vicar K. E. Stenbäck died only in 1919 and the first vicar of Pori, Stenbäck's son Kaarlo Jooseppi Kivekäs, took over in 1922. Reposaari was separated from Ulvila in 1602 into the harbor area of Pori, which was formed into the Pori prayer house in 1876.

Merikarvia, who was separated from Ulvila's main congregation, was separated as his own pastor in 1639. Ahlainen was founded as Ulvila's chapel in 1691 and was moved to Noormarku's chapel in 1861 together with Pomarku, which had been Ulvila's preaching house in 1802-34 and then as a chapel. Noormarkku was founded as the prayer room of the Ahlaiten chapel in 1736, it became Ulvila's chapel in 1771 and the parent congregation in 1861. Nakkila was founded as Ulvila's preaching house in 1763 and the very next year as a chapel and became independent in 1861. Kullaa became Ulvila's chapel in 1766 and was separated from 1901-20. Kaarmarki's prayer room is located in Ulvila.

The stone church was rebuilt due to a fire, for which prayer books were published in 1429. The medieval documents in the parish's possession, 10 of which were taken by Ulvila's vicar Professor Gabriel Erici Fortelius to copy, were burned in the Pori rectory in the city fire of 1698. The copies prepared for Professor Enewald Svenonius are in unknown locations, perhaps destroyed in the Turku city fire of 1827. The rectory burned in 1715 and 1761. bells and church clothes from the church. The prayer room of the rectory burned down on 1/12 1934 due to arson (Kalle Johannes Mattsson). [O. Durchman: The destruction of church archives, and supplement II. Genos 3(1932). Supplement VII. Genos 6(1935), Supplement VIII. Genos 15(1944), Fires in Church Buildings. Genos 5(1935)]

Villages
As of 1939 the following villages were found in this parish: Friitala, Haistila, Kaasmarkku, Trumeetari, Ulvila, Vanha-Ulvila.

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

Surrounding Parishes
Kullaa, Luvia, Nakkila, Pori - Björneborg, Noormarkku - Norrmark

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, Turku-Pori.
 * b. Click on "Places within Finland, Turku-Pori" 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.

Related Sources
Finland Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

Reading the Records

 * Since Finnish was not an official language in Finland until 1863, most records were written in Swedish. To do research in these records, you will need to know some Swedish and Finnish key words and phrases (such as born, died, mother, father, etc.), but you do not have to be fluent in the language.


 * Key words and a glossary of somewhat less common words are found in the Finnish Genealogical Word List and the Swedish Genealogical Word List. This interactive dictionary allows you to enter a word in the search box and receive the translation: Swedish Historical Dictionary Database, SHDD.
 * Online lessons are available to teach you how to read old Scandinavian handwriting:
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available


 * 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


 * Instructions, document examples, and translations are given for Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1717, 1752, 1771, 1792, 1803, 1834, 1854.

Search Strategies
When you begin using church records, it is usually best to first verify the information you already have before you try to find new information.

The following steps may be helpful as you use Finnish church records:


 * 1) Find a person’s birth record. Write down the name of the parents and the place where the family was living. You will then be able to find the person in more records.
 * 2) Search the communion records and pre-confirmation rolls of that parish for the date when the family was there for the birth you just located. Note all information about the family, including names, birth dates, birthplaces, marriage and death dates, and moving information. You will now have much more information about the family.
 * 3) Search the birth, marriage, and death records to verify the information you found in the communion and pre-confirmation books.
 * 4) Search the communion records and pre-confirmation rolls for all the years the family lived there. Start with the year of the parents marriage and go until the family dies out.

Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the person’s parents, siblings, or other persons of interest.

If you do not find earlier generations, search neighboring parishes. These step-by-step case studies with illustrations show how to apply these strategies:
 * Finland: A Case Study Using HisKi and Digitized Online Church Records


 * Finding Records of your Ancestors, Part A Finland Before 1900
 * Beginner’s Guide to Finnish Family History Research

Taxation

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