Anna Andersdotter b. 28 Jan. 1781 Lungsund parish

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Anna Andersdotter was b. in Lungsund parish 28 Jan 1781.  She married Nils Nilsson. I am looking for her parents and siblings.  Any info greatly appreciated.  Pat

[Don Tuthill]

Hi Patricia,
Here is information I found on Genline.
 
Anna Andersdotter b jan 28, 1781.
Father: Anders Halwarsson b 1755
Mother: Lena Persdotter b Jan 1759
 
Regards,
 
Don

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Hi, Don, thank you so much, I appreciate the info but I also have a question. I just subscribed to genline for a month to try it out and I think maybe it was a mistake spending the money.  It so far is a little overwhelming to find what I am looking for.  For instance I cannot find the birthrecord that you just sent.  Can you give me some hints.  I found the births for lungsund in 1781 but I cannot pick out Anna Andersdotter.  Help!   Pat

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

I did not mean to suggest that genline is not worth subscribing to, just not for me because I do not know much Swedish or very much about reading and understanding the records.   Pat

[Bo Johansson]

I imagine you have found the Lungsund, Värmland birth book for 1774-1829 page 53 (GID 504.40.22300).
 
This is harder to read than most, but otherwise it has a format reasonably similar to most birth records.
 
To the left you have month, birth date, babtism date.
 
Then a big box for parents and witnesses. In some records the parents are in one box and the witnesses in another.
 
And finally the child's name. In some records the childs name is before the parents' box, and in some old records the child's name is in the text after the parents' names, without a box of its own.
 
The age of the mother is usually noted, in this case it seems to be below the birth date.
 
 
In this case there is an Anna second from last on the left page. The birth date is 28, the month Jan, baptism date 29 and mothers age(?) 22.
 
In the big box is first the placename (very difficult to read), then the father's title Bergsmannen(?) (miner?) the father's name Anders Halwardsson, och h.h. (and his wife) Lena Pärsdotter. Then Testes (witnesses) and their names.
 
In some records the placename may come after the father's name, or after both parents' names, or be placed under the child's name, or in a box of its own.
 
Since the placename is so difficult to read, it is a good idea to look in the HFL (household examination record) for the time around the birth and check the village/farm index. In this case the Lungsund HFL 1778-1784 has a typewritten index first in the volume, and the original handwritten index last. In the handwritten index (GID 504.16.37200) it looks like Flottuvan (page 120) might fit with what is written in the birth book.
 
And on page 120 (GID 504.16.34600) you find the family:
- Anders Halwarsson b 1755  
- wife Lena Persdotter b Jan 1759
- son Johan b 1779
- daughter Anna b 1781
- son Petter b 1783
Also maids and farmhands lower down on the page.
 
 
Perhaps you should look at younger and more legible records first to train yourself in reading Swedish church books.
 
// Bo Johansson

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Bo, thank you so much.  That is the record that I had printed off but could not read it so I wasn't sure.  I have only had genline for 2 days and am slowly getting the hang of it.  Didn't I see somewhere that there is an online dictionary for Swedish?  But of course that does not help with the old writing.  Your suggestion to try the younger records was a great one.  I will do that.  Thanks again.  Pat

[Kristin Moyer]

Hello, Patricia,
 
I have taken a Genline subscription for 90 days (almost up.) It is very worth while but not easy! Most of the records I have used have no table of contents or index of villages, etc. I have learned a lot about my family (make that a tremendous amount), plus I have received help from kind Swedes in deciphering records that I just could not figure out. I think Genlines really is worth the money, at least for a 60 or 90 days subscription. For example, my family moved from parish to parish, and if I were to order the microfilm from the FHC it would have taken me months to cover what I have done in 2 months.  
 
Here are some practical suggestions:
 
1. Buy the books Cradled in Sweden and Your Swedish Roots--the latter is relatively new and very helpful. I know you can get the latter from Ancestry.com. Both books will give you help in learning how to use the parish records, with samples, etc.; study them before you begin. I keep them near the computer while I am working.  
 
2. When you are searching for a particular family, focus on a particular birth year-- for the father, for example, and scan the records looking for that date. I find it very confusing sorting through the names, and much faster looking for the dates. The numbers are easier to figure out than the names. Then I can visually scan to the left and check out the names.
 
3. Once you locate your family in a household examination record, note the page number. You should be able to find your family in that approximate page number or vicinity in the next set of records, so you will not have to scan through the entire set-- just go to that page number and then go forward and backward until you have found your family. Always make a record of the GID number so you can go back to it, especially if you are quitting for the day! (Hard lesson learned.)  
 
4. Pay attention to the headings on the columns. I wasted time/made mistakes the other night, not realizing that what I thought was a date of death was the date of widowhood. Fortunately, I caught my error and went forward in time to find the date of death.  
 
5. In the household records, pay attention to the columns where information is given for families/individuals leaving the parish. Dates and page numbers will be given. If page numbers and date are given, the family has moved within the parish. You should be able to find them again. If they moved to another parish, the name of the parish should be given, and the date of departure. You should be able to find them in their new parish; you will not know exactly where in the new parish, but you will know the date.  
 
6. These searches are much harder than searching the census records in Ancesty.com. Some are very hard to read, others relatively easy. It just depends on age of document, etc. They are not indexed, they are hard on your eyes, and they are tedious--but triumphs await! I wish you could have heard my cries of joy when I found my long-lost family, about whom I knew virtually nothing. Don't try to do much at a time. I would recommend at least a 60 day subscription. I am thankful for all the work that went into scanning these records.  
 
7. Ask for deciphering help when you really get stuck. There are many wonderful people who give aid.
 
I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and to others in unraveling the mysteries of our Swedish families. I cannot begin to count the number of people who have helped me, so hope I can return the kindness in some measure.  
Kristin

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Kristin, thank you so much for all of that info.  I have the book Cradled in Sweden and just reread some of it this morning.  That was a big help.  I have also received so much help from so many people in all of my research, especialy this site. I will trudge on.  The info that Bo sent on the birth record was also very helpful. I was so hesitant to start research in Sweden and had put it off for several years while doing the rest of my family in the US  and it has been a joy! Pat

[Jeff Benson]

Hi Patricia,
 
Kristin gave you some excellent advice. I can't improve on any of it. I went through the same difficult learning curve with researching Swedish church records and came to many of same the conclusions. But I have two additional pieces of advice.
 
1. Persistence pays off. Don't give up because you can't read a particular record. Go to some other research then come back again another time. You'd be surprised how quickly your ability to decipher things improves if you keep practising. If you keep at it you will eventually train your eyes to recognize words and phrases even when the handwriting is poor. And don't give up because you didn't find something in the records the first time. Be open-minded and try lots of ideas, even if they don't always seem promising. Remember, the records aren't always accurate, especially the further back you go in time. But with Genline you have the flexibility to go anywhere in the records at any time.
 
2. Get a good notebook and use it! Or, if not a notebook, then whatever method works best for you. My experience is Genline lets you gather so much information so quickly that it is perilously easy to lose track and become confused. Don't take shortcuts. If you find some piece of information that seems promising, write it down. You will often want to come back and look at the same record many times. It wastes your time to have to rediscover a particular record (or maybe it will become lost and unrecoverable). And, if you print out pages, be sure to write down on the hardcopy who and/or what is on that page so you don't forget that either.
 
Good luck,
 
Jeff

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Jeff, thank you, this is all a little bit addictive.  I can't seem to stay away from the computer for very long.  I wonder if someone can help me decipher a record.  I have been searching for Lovisa Carlson's marriage.  I knew she married an Emil Juhlin, and guessed it was about 1885.  So I found the record 504.43.35500 but I can't decipher the text.  I am trying to find out where she went next after her marriage.  Are there any clues to that here? Does it state where Johan came from?  If I am making a pest of myself somebody just let me know.  Thanks Pat

[Bo Johansson]

You seem to have bad luck with unreadable records!
 
But in this case you can cheat, the marriage records after 1860 are also in _scb Värmland volumes. So look in the 1885 birth-marriage-death book (GID 100017.50.1200) where you find the 1885 marriage records for Lungsund parish.
 
Marriage no: 4
Date: 22 Mar 1885
Groom: Johan Emil Julin, Stationskarl (railway station worker?), from Kristinehamn, born 23 Feb 1860
Bride: Lovisa Karlsdotter, Hemmadotter (daughter at home), from Askkärn(??), born 23 May 1863
 
Again, you can look in the Lungsund HFL for a placename that fits, and there is an Askkärn in the village/farm index of HFL 1881-1885. And on page 163 (GID 504.6.51900) she is just below the middle of the page, although she is a piga (maid), not hemmadotter. She moves to Kristinehamn 4 Apr 1885.
 
// Bo Johansson

[Kristin Moyer]

Hello, Patricia,
Yes, it is addictive! But in a good way. I would like to emphasize Jeff's advice to take lots of notes and track all of the interesting GID #s, because sometimes you just keep questing on like a hunting hound and forget to take notes. And then you have to do it all over again, if you did not record your steps.  
 
Also, Cradled in Sweden is good but I recommend buying Your Swedish Roots, because it is newer and gives you information about Internet resources. Cradled was written pre-Internet.  
 
Bo and our other Swedish friends are wonderful.
Kristin
(I would guess that next you will want to look in the household examination records in Kristinehamm for your family.)

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

I just want to thank all of you for your help on genline.  I think I will close this discussion for now and do some more searching and wait until I get the book Your Swedish Roots, which I just ordered, and if I have any more questions I will get back to this site with a heading Genline Help so others can also benefit from all of this fabulous info. If anyone can suggest a good Swedish-English dictionary I would be grateful.Pat

[Chuck Mäki]

Hi,
I wouldn't give up just yet.  If you keep studying your copies, eventually the facts come alive.  I had trouble when I first viewed microfiche for Kronobergs län at Swenson.  But now when I view those early records, they mean a lot more so just keep plugging away at it.  Look at pages on this site and read other ppls stuff and you will learn a lot from that.
Keep having fun
 
Chuck

[Laura Bonde]

Hi Pat,  
 
I've found The Swedish Genealogical Dictionary very helpful.  There is information about it here:
 
http://home.netcom.com/~v31ry/
 
This is an online dictionary for modern Swedish here:
 
http://www-lexikon.nada.kth.se/skolverket/swe-eng.shtml
 
Laura

[Patricia Carlson Killoran]

Laura, thanks I had considered that dictionary so now I have ordered it.  I am really enjoying  genline and am pretty sure I will renew for a couple more months.  Does anyone know if SVAR is something that I should also get?  
Chuck I won't give up, this is all just a little more confusing than when I first got the census records before they were indexed, went through page after page and although they were sometimes easier to read it was still a challenge, not anything like it is today. And I have this WONDERFUL site to ask questions and learn more.   Pat