Jan Fredmans släktforskning | www.fredman.se | Rötter

Tips on your way

Starting genealogy research...

When I eventually realized I wanted to examine my origins the questions “what and how” appeared. I decided to start with confirming the verbally dictated family legends. I found the Genealogical Society of Skellefteå, Skelleftebygdens Släktforskare, on the Internet and paid the member fee. It was okay to become a member of a genealogical society, but at the same time it felt a bit troublesome travelling to Skellefteå to research. After that nothing much occurred except that I ordered a couple of interesting books, which turned out to be very valuable. Later, of pure chance, I asked the personal of the municipality library of Piteå about genealogy research. They could inform me that it actually was a Genealogical Society in Piteå, but that they operate out in Sommarro, Framnäs. I was given an e-mailaddress and that’s how it all started. When I was welcomed by Olof Andersson and shown what the society had collected I felt I had come to the right place, and that feeling has not yet left me. The society had what I needed and now it was only to roll up my sleeves and get started. I had become member in two genealogy researchers’ societies in a very short time! Of course it’s best to start researching in a study group, but I didn’t have the patience. I started by looking at all the available microfiches from different registers and parishes within the province of Västerbotten, by intuition and by asking more experienced genealogy researchers. That’s how I came to start out seriously. Hitherto I’ve guided a number of students within the frames of the project work in third grade and I don’t feel foreign to help new or experienced researchers. I’ve frequently answered on research inquiries, (efterlysningar på nätet).

The Genealogical Society of Piteå, Pitebygdens Forskarförening, has today microfiches that cover all of the two provinces Norrbotten and Västerbotten until the secrecy timelimit 1937. Observe that I started with first-hand sources and not transcripts made by other members of the society. It’s time consuming but deeply satisfying to see if the verbally dictated information agrees with the primary sources. It’s often an insufficient critic of sources that leads to errors in the family and the genealogy circle. Therefore, be patient to look up the primary sources (birth records, court records etc.) before publishing your information, of course with the source stated where it’s possible.

Sometimes it seems information is lacking, for an example when a child is born outside the marriage, a so called snapper. You won’t find any information in the court records about fatherhood acceptance or in the priest’s accounts about penalties, before 1860. Those are difficult times and it’s easy to give up, but it’s not impossible to find a likely father to the child, before you find a source that confirms your assumption. Check out who was present at the baptism. You might find a connection to the father, or if the mother attended to the Sacrament in the late stages of her pregnancy with a man who seldom showed himself there, you might find a connection. If not, you might find the information in the midwives’ protocol, if such have been saved to the after world. The midwives sometimes heard who the father was at the birth of a snapper

Well, in the beginning I made my notes with paper and pen, but now a certain problem occurred. All too many papers to keep organized and too many sources and connections to too many persons. Since I was early a part of the computerization in the early 1980’s, the question whether it was any database program available for my registration? I examined all the available programs that were on the Internet; videlicet I bought licences and tried them out. I got caught by MinSläkt and I’ve stayed with that program until this very day. My laptop has been with me when visiting Sommarro and the advance by doing so is that I don’t have to write my information more than once.

Since my research database now comprises more than 114.100 persons with sources, notes and pictures, the time to save my work when I’m done with today’s work consumes too much time for my taste. The program doesn’t save after I’ve edited information on some person. Dannbergs Data, whom is responsible for MinSläkt has only recommended me to work with smaller databases. But I don’t want that so I’ve decided to use Disgen 8 and Holger 8 in the future. It’s no problem, because it’s simple to create and transfer ged-files (The Mormons standardised genealogy files, since they’re number one in genealogy database management) and then import them to whatever genealogy researchers’ program you want to use.

Every program has its pros and cons. Disgen 8 and Holger 8 don’t appear to have lesser limits when it comes to manage very big databases and besides, every edit in any post is saved when it’s done. I will gladly go back to MinSläkt if Dannbergs Data fixes the database management, but…??? Check my links for the mentioned programs.

Good advice on this link...

The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies , Sveriges Släktforskarförbund has an excellent homepage, which you absolutely should visit if you’re a beginner, but I’d also advice more experienced researchers a visit too. Click on this link and take part of all the good advice about what you should think of.

The frontline of culture, Kulturens frontlinjer...

Intuition can often serve as good use. I early ordered two books without really knowing why. Just because I felt that it was sufficient and it has meant unbelievably much for me, when it comes to find ancestors in the parish of Skellefteå. The books contains a lot of information from sources that are not very easy to find for a beginner, such as registers of bowtax, the fee of Älvsborg, tax records, court books, county acts etc. from 1539-1790. These books are published by the University of Umeå, Kulturens Frontlinjer with Ulf Lundström as the editor: “Bönder och gårdar i Skellefteå socken 1539-1650” second edition, 672 pages., “Skellefteå socken 1650-1790” 987 pages. These two fat volumes are gold mines for the one who has his roots in the parish of Skellefteå 1539-1790. Here you can order "Skellefteå socken 1650-1790"!

In the end of the later volume is a complete description of every wards, rotar, in the parish of Skellefteå - i.e. who was a soldier, for how long and in most cases from where they came and what happened after the military service was over. Sometimes the soldier doesn’t return from a war in a foreign country. The name of the ward, rote, is sometimes changed to another and is connected to the soldier. There’s no soldier register in the book with page directive, so I’ve made a compile in MS Excel and saved it as a pdf-file, which is on the house. The soldiers are sorted by number, nr-ordning as well as the name of the ward, rote, a-ö-ordning (pdf-file) that can be read with AdoberReader.I created the file to simplify the search of soldiers. Get AdobeReader if you lack the program!

Are there priests in your ancestry...?

If the priests in addition served within the diocese of Härnösand, from the fourteenth century until approximately 1920, there’s for an example, Vicars memory in the diocese of Härnösand, Herdaminnen i Härnösands stift, for all parishes, with their priests. Besides it’s a gold mine when it comes to priests of different levels, there are also often genealogy information regarding the children and their marriages. In Sommaro, Framnäs, you will find a big number of binders in the member’s room, very high up in the book case with all the information. The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies, Sveriges Släktforskarförbund, is selling this material.

To research

I hope that you, like me, will become interested in finding your roots. It’s a real detective’s work and who knows what you will find!

Start with interviewing your closest relatives! A good start is to write down all information on your closest, such as your parents, siblings and grandparents.

Anna, David(s), Maria(d), Peter(s), Jan

For how long time back is it possible to research...?

The following is a fact about Scandinavia. If you have ancestors in Sweden and Finland, you are almost without problem to research back to the end of the 1700th century.

If you have farmers in your ancestry, you can continue further back at least another 150 years. The critical time is 1539 when the King Gustav I Vasa started registering all farmers and their households for taxes.

Maybe you have ancestors in the top of that society (for example noblemen and royalties), then it is possible to go further back in time. The nobleman often had connections within European royal families and as a result of that you can search back to 700th century. It’s said to be a stop there, even if some have found traces further back ...

Why start researching your ancestry...?

The interest for searching one’s roots has as a matter of fact increased the last few years, even though some people has been interested since their school time in the 80’s. 1983 genealogy research was free choice in school. At that time not many was interested, but as I’ve understood there were a few enthusiasts.

I’ve happily put a light at genealogy research and it has once again become a course in school. Pupils at the upper secondary school of Strömbacka in Piteå and Norra Reals upper secondary school in Stockholm can now choose the subject within the frames for the project work, 100p.

Today when the tempo is high and when the development is rapid people lose track of where they belong. Back in the times it was common for people to live together for two till three generations and they had knowledge of where they came from. Today we move away more frequently, further away from each other and thus lose contact. With this we lose our verbal tradition and we know less about our closest family.

What genes do I actually carry? Will I grow old? What did my ancestors die of, what diseases etc.? Your parents carry a lot more information than you believe. I mainly thought of the physiological parts: who you’re today, who you will become – like heart, lungs, brain and stomach. I know through my son’s (David Fredman) research that our genes are transmitted through the generations and that even our way of living is an important part, for an example if they had food for the day, heavy work or a life in luxury. Everything affects us.

If you’re really ambitious it may be good to buy a small tape recorder (for interviewing your relatives). Eventually it might be time for a computer and a genealogy researchers’ program.

Your history and family tale actually begins with your closest relatives. They probably have something interesting to tell you, something you won’t find in the church books! What they know will otherwise die with the respective person.

You probably have a lot of photos that lay scattered without a note on their backs (I had too). How interesting will a bunch of nameless photos be in a couple of years? Spend a weekend visiting your relatives, bring the photos or ask if they have any. Then you sit down together and work your way through them, you will be pleased and glad when you leave. You will have the names of the people on the photos and probably also a whole lot of information to add to your collected works.

You or your relatives probably also have some old letters in an old, forgotten box somewhere, that’s only brought to daylight at family parties or when someone asks. You might also find letters from America, and perhaps an address on the back page.

You can also ask your relatives about diaries, newspaper cuttings and almanacs.

Important when you start...

What you need to ask your relatives about is in which parish the persons were born, what county it belongs to and of course also the year of birth and all the names. Then you have a good start to continue your research from in church books of different kinds. As an example: parish – Skellefteå lfs, in the county of Västerbotten or Piteå lfs, in the county of Norrbotten from October 1810.

Decide also in what branch you want to start your research – on your mother’s mother or father, or your father’s mother or father – because when you’re started you will have a lot of names to keep order on.