It’s not easy being a genealogist if your ancestors lived in Finland. The records are hard to find, especially online. It appears the situation has now changed.
MyHeritage announced yesterday it has released a new collection of 33 million Finland church records online.
The records in the Finland Church Census and Pre-confirmation Rolls, 1657-1950 collection were maintained by the Lutheran Church in Finland and cover nearly 300 years, providing insights into the entire population of Finland during this period.
MyHeritage chief genealogist Daniel Horowitz said, “It is the most significant collection of Finnish historical records ever published online, . . . and it is available only on MyHeritage.”
The collection includes clerical surveys (rippikirjat) and pre-confirmation books (lastenkirjat) starting in 1657.
According to MyHeritage, almost everyone with Finnish roots will be able to find their ancestors in this collection, follow them over time and across various locations in Finland.
As for why it is difficult to research Finnish ancestors, it is in large part because most of Finland was part of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809, when the majority of Sweden’s Finnish-speaking areas were ceded to the Russian Empire. It was only in 1917 that Finland gained its independence.
Many more details about the Finnish church records are available in MyHeritage’s news release.
Library and Archives Canada’s Finnish Immigration section on its website is also a good resource.
