Malmöhus County, Sweden Genealogy

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

How to Do Research in Malmöhus, Sweden
Most of your genealogical research for Malmöhus will be in online church records.  Methods for locating and reading them are given here.

History
In 1658, the Kingdom of Sweden fought Denmark and took back the Province of Skåne. It was ruled as a territory of the Kingdom of Sweden, by an appointed governor. The Province of Skåne was divided up into several counties. In 1669 the counties of Helsingborg and Landskrona were combined to create Malmöhus County. From 1675 to 1678, Denmark tried to reclaim the area, but was forced through political intervention to give up its claim. In 1720, Malmöhus became a county of the Kingdom of Sweden. In 1997 the counties of Malmöhus and Kristianstad were combined into Skåne County.

Malmöhus County belongs to Skåne Province.

The county letter for Malmöhus is: M

Knowing Your Locality
To search effectively, it will help if you know the farm, parish, and county where your ancestor lived. The Wiki articles Gather Family Information and Finding a Place of Origin in Sweden describe many strategies you can use to find this. Sweden 1951 Place Names Register and the Swedish Parish Pages list in this Wiki will give you searchable lists of places, particularly parishes and the farms within those parishes.

Parishes
The map below is based on 1890 county/parish boundaries. Click here to see a larger map, and parishes by number.

Miscellaneous

 * Kronoarbetskåren

Patronymics and Naming Customs
Historically, most Swedish surnames were patronymic. Patronymic surnames changed with each generation. Don't expect family names before the 20th Century. For a variety of reasons, Swedish surnames changed from one generation to the next or even within one person's lifetime. Understanding surname changes is more important in Swedish research than in United States or Great Britain. To prepare yourself to cope with these changes, carefully study Sweden Names, Personal.

Church Records
Church records from the county of Malmöhus contain the following types of records. Click on the Swedish name of the record to link to important facts and clues that can be found in each record.
 * Clerical surveys (Husförhörslängder)
 * Registers of birth, marriage, and death (födda, vigda, döde)
 * Move-in and move-out lists (in- och utflyttede)
 * Confirmations (konfirmation)
 * Church accounts (räkenskaper)

Household Examination Records (Husförhörslängder)
The Household Examination Records are a key source in Swedish genealogical research, not found in many other countries. Perhaps their greatest value is that they gave detailed data organized in families for each year. This is particularly helpful in sorting out the duplication of names created by the use of patronymics. The contents of a Household Examination Book varied according to time, place and the minister. As you search the books you might see:

Online Records
 * 1880-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records
The easiest way to access the Swedish Church Records is through the internet, using these sites:
 * Arkiv Digital ($),
 * ($),
 * MyHeritage.com ($) and
 * SVAR, ($). Malmöhus was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County in 1997; in SVAR the records are found under Skäne.
 * SVAR, ($). Malmöhus was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County in 1997; in SVAR the records are found under Skäne.

Note: ArkivDigital, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage.com  are available free of charge at a FamilyHistory Center near you)

FamilySearch Historical Records Online Databases for Sweden
The original copies of the church records before 1895 are preserved by the Naional and Regional Archives in Sweden. FamilySearch has partnered with The National Archives of Sweden to create indexes of the Swedish church records. For more detail on the contents and coverage of these records, see: Sweden Church Records, 1308 – 1940 Images Published on FamilySearch.


 * 1541-1918; index 1646-1860 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1611-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1630-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1649-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Malmöhus Index and Images

 * 1880-1893 Sweden, Selected Indexed Household Clerical Surveys, 1880-1893, index and images, ($). To browse this image set, select Malmöhus County, the parish, the records type, and the year range in the search boxes in the right sidebar.
 * 1451-1943 Sweden, Church Records, 1451-1943, index and images, ($). To browse this image set, select Malmöhus County, the parish, the records type, and the year range in the search boxes in the right sidebar.
 * 1860-1941 Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1860-1941, index and images, ($). To browse this image set, select Malmöhus County, the parish, the records type, and the year range in the search boxes in the right sidebar.

Sweden Including Malmöhus

 * 1783-1991 Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, index and images, ($)
 * 1611-1920 Sweden, Select Baptisms, 1611-1920, index, ($).
 * 1901-2006 Sweden, Births from the Swedish Death Index, 1901-2006, index. ($)
 * 1630-1920 Sweden, Select Marriages, 1630-1920, index, ($)
 * 1649-1920 Sweden, Select Burials, 1649-1920, index, ($)
 * 1840-1860 Sweden, Selected Indexed Death Records, 1840-1860 and 1878-1942, index, ($)

MyHeritage.com Online Databases for Sweden

 * 1880-1920 Sweden Household Examination Books, 1840-1947, index and images, ($).
 * 1611-1920 Sweden, Baptisms, 1611-1920, index, ($)
 * 1630-1920 Sweden, Marriages, 1630-1920, index, ($).
 * 1649-1920 Sweden Burials, 1649-1920, index, ($).

ArkivDigital Online Databases for Sweden
These lessons will teach you how to use ArkivDigital:
 * ArkivDigital: Explore Your Swedish Heritage

Here are links for registering, buying services, installing the software, a direct link to Malmöhus records, the main search page, and a library of instructional articles on Swedish genealogy methods.

SVAR

 * SVAR digital archives for parishes in Malmöhus. Malmöhus was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County in 1997; in SVAR the records are found under Skäne.

2. Catalog of Microfilms for Records of Malmöhus county, Sweden
Family Search does not rent microfilms any more, therefore strictly speaking the catalog is obsolete. But the catalog continues to be listed in Family Search because it contains some useful information. Look thru the catalog for records of Sweden, Malmöhus to find the following:
 * The microfilms are gradually being digitized and added to collections of records in Family Search. This will be completed about 2020.
 * The digitized microfilms are gradually being indexed and added to the search functions in Family Search.
 * The microfilms that have yet to be digitized. This is the only place where they may be identified.
 * The microfilms that have already been digitized. A link is provided to take you to those records.
 * The microfilms that have already been indexed. A link is provided to take you to those records.
 * The location of microfilms owned by any Family History Center.

Reading the Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Swedish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use the Swedish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. This interactive dictionary allows you to enter a word in the search box and receive the translation: Swedish Historical Dictionary Database, SHDD.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * 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
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available
 * 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, and 1894.
 * Dates are frequently written using feast days. These charts will enable you to convert feast days to more normal dates:
 * Feast Day Calendar (Moveable)
 * Feast Day Lists (Fixed and Moveable)

Search Strategy and Tips

 * First find the birth and baptism record of your ancestor. Once you know his date and place of birth and his parents' names, you can locate the family in the Household Examination Records.
 * Search every Household Examination Record that your ancestor appears on (from birth to death). You will pick up valuable clues along the way, find children who died young, and establish correct family member relationships.
 * All birth, marriage, or death dates found in Household Examination Records need to be verified in the actual birth, marriage, or death records.
 * Pay attention to relationship titles, occupations, military status, and remarks. See word list for Vocabulary for Household Examination Records.
 * Dates are written in the European order of day, month, and year.
 * The Family History Library created a basic key words list to help with reading the column headings (for when they exist in the actual records.) This copy has been given out at the Nordic Reference Counter for many years. To print your own copy see: [[Media:Swedenish_Par_Reg_and_Exam_headings.pdf|Swedish Parish Register and Household Exam Roll Headings]]