Finland Handwriting

Background
Finnish was not an official language in Finland until 1863, and 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.

Reading the Records
Key words and a glossary of somewhat less common words are found in the Finnish Genealogical Word List and Swedish Genealogical Word List. The Swedish Genealogical Guide's Swedish Historical Dictionary Database, SHDD is an interactive tool based on a dictionary published in 1814 that allows you to enter a word in the search box and see the translation.

FamilySearch Resources
FamilySearch offers free online lessons about reading old Swedish handwriting:
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available

Swedish Genealogical Guide
The Swedish Genealogical Guide has a series of YouTube videos to help you reading the records. Additional videos to help you understand record content are also 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
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1717
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1752
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1771
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1792
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1803
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1834
 * Reading Swedish Birth and Christening Records 1854

See also: Scandinavian Handwriting