Karl Gustav Parish, Norrbotten, Sweden Genealogy

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

History
Karl Gustav's parish was formed as a chapel team by breaking out of Nedertorneå parish. The parish was then called Karungi to change its name to Karl Gustav's parish in 1783. The parish included an area on both sides of the Torne River. In connection with the peace after the war of 1808-1809, the part east of the river was transferred to Finland. The area formed a parish called Karungi parish, later called Karunki. The part of the parish that was transferred to Finland comprised a third of the land area and more than half of the population.

The church village Karungi was divided through the land transfer into two parts, a Swedish and a Finnish. On the Finnish side, a church was built in 1817, which according to the 1813 boundary regulations was allocated some of the equipment from the church in Swedish Karungi (see parish meeting minutes 19/1 1823 in K I: 1).

Karl Gustav's parish was part of the pastorate with Nedertorneå parish (mother parish) until 1783 to then form its own pastorate.

On January 1, 1992, Nedertorneå-Haparanda parish and Karl Gustav parish formed a joint church community, Haparanda church community.

Place Names
Aswejärwi Karhuwaara, Karungi, Koräsjoki, Koräsjänkä, Korpijärwi, Korpikylä, Kukkula  Lappträsk, Loipyiärwi  Pitkäjärwi  Tossa, Tjänstefolk Drängar (Men workers), Tjänstefolk pigor (women workers)  Lappar i församlingen (Lapps is the parish).

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. 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:
 * ArkivDigital: Explore Your Swedish Heritage

FamilySearch Library Records
Click Sweden, Norrbotten Records for a full listing of microfilmed records (some digitized online) at the FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch 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


 * FamilySearch Online Lessons - Reading Scandinavian Handwriting:
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3
 * No part 2 available

Help With Research Objectives and Strategies
Sweden Research Strategies