Tuna and Ryd parishes

[Manuel Aguilar Hendrickson]

Hello
 
I am somewhat confused about these two parishes.  
According to what I have been able to discover, two of my  
great great grandparents were Erik Abraham Eriksson  
Nystedt, born in Tuna parish, Uppsala in 1830 and his wife  
Anna Kajsa (Sherman or Andersson according to different  
sources) born in 1848 in Ryd, Skarab. län according to her  
Lutheran church listing in Minnesota.
 
I've found Ryda but I don't know if it's the samne as Ryd,  
and Tuna appears as part of Sigtuna or Samtuna, but I think  
the name is Tuna.
 
Do these parishes exist nowadays? And where exactly?  
Thanks a lot in advance

[Anders Andersson]

Ryd and Ryda are two different parishes in (former) Skaraborg county. Ryda is located a few kilometers northwest of the town Vara, south of lake Vänern. Ryd is found adjacent to the town Skövde, between lake Vänern and lake Vättern (the two largest lakes in Sweden).
 
Ryd used to be the smaller of the two, with a mere 200 inhabitants in the 1920's, compared to 1,200 for Ryda parish. Today however, Ryd has grown to nearly 7,000 (thanks to the expansion of Skövde, I suppose), while Ryda has shrunk to 500.
 
The original church in Ryd was abandoned and left as a ruin for centuries, while the parishioners relied on Skövde church for their services.

[Bo Johansson]

You can find them with Rötter's Socken-Sök (parish Search)
 http://www.genealogi.se/blekinge/english/landskap.htm
 
There is a Ryd parish in Skövde kommun, and a Ryda  parish in Vara kommun, both in Västra Götalands county (earlier Skaraborgs county).
 
There is a Tuna parish in Uppsala kommun, Uppsala county.
 
// Bo Johansson

[Anders Andersson]

Tuna parish in Uppsala county is found about 30 kilometers northeast of the city of Uppsala, adjacent to Stavby, Alunda, Faringe and Almunge parishes. Population has decreased since the 1920's, from 1,200 to 800.
 
The word tuna (or tun) is very common in Swedish placenames, and is related to the English town. For this reason, there are parishes named Tuna also in Södermanland, Kalmar, and Västernorrland counties, plus numerous smaller places. The word is also found as part of names such as Sigtuna (which is located further south of Uppsala, in Stockholm county).

[Manuel Aguilar Hendrickson]

Thank you very much for your help.  
I'll try to locate the places on a map, since I'm planning to  
travel there from Spain next summer.  
 
The old parish church in Ryda was abandoned. Would that  
be the church that was used in the 1850's and 60's or an  
older one?
 
Best regards and thank you.

[Anders Andersson]

No, the Ryda church wasn't abandoned (as far as I know). In medieval times, there was a church in Ryd parish (built in the 12th century), but for some reason it was stopped being used (I don't know when that happened; my reference to centuries above was a very vague approximation). The ruin was eventually excavated in 1955. A chapel was built in 1972.
 
Therefore, 19th-century residents of Ryd parish had no church of their own, but went to church in the nearby town of Skövde instead.
 
If you can be more specific as to where your ancestors lived (what villages or farms), we may be able to help you pinpoint those locations as well in advance of your visit. Tuna is an entirely rural parish, and you won't find much in terms of tourist information once you arrive on location.

[Anders Andersson]

In case you come equipped with a GPS unit, you will appreciate that Tuna parish is located close to the intersection between 60? N and 18? E (which is found in Stavby parish)...