Finland Military Records
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In other languages: Resources[edit | edit source]
Online Resources[edit | edit source]
- 1565-1806 Pääkatselmusluettelot, 1565-1806(*); Puolustuslaitos at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1635-1809 Uudempi tilikirjakokoelma, läänintilit, 1635-1809(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1696-1830 Sekalaiset luettelot, 1696-1830(*); Puolustuslaitos at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1705-1808 Värväysluettelot, 1705-1808(*); Puolustuslaitos at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1914-1922 Finland, Military Casualties, 1914-1922 (in Finnish) at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1914-1922 Finland, War Victims, 1914-1922 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1938-1944 Finland, Second World War Casualties at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1939-1945 Finland, WWII Military Casualties, 1939-1945 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- Biografiska anteckningar öfver officerare och civile tjänstemän vid lifgardets finska skarpskyttebataljon(*); Schvindt, V. at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- Pääkatselmusluettelot, kopiokokoelma(*); Klemetti at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- Pääkatselmusluettelot, kopiokokoelma(*); Puolustuslaitos at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- Photograph Archive at Finnish Defense Forces - images
- See county level for more local military records.
Offices to Contact[edit | edit source]
National Archives of Finland - Astia
P.O.Box 258,
FI-00171 Helsinki
Finland
Telephone: +358 29 533 7000
Email: kirjaamo@kansallisarkisto.fi
Website
Sotilaslääketieteen arkisto
(Military Medical Archives)
PO Box 13
44501 VIITASAARI
FINLAND
Telephone: 0299 575 155
Website
Background[edit | edit source]
Finland has had a standing army since the sixteenth century. Military records identify individuals who served in the military or who were eligible for service. Most young men in Finland were required to serve in or register for military service at various times. Evidence that an ancestor served may be found in family records, biographies, censuses, probate records, civil registration, or church records. The earliest military records exist for the Swedish military in 1565. After 1809 Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire with an independent military until 1899. After independence in 1917 the Finns had their own military.
Military records establish individual identity and provide parentage and other relationships. These records are especially valuable in determining the place of birth or origin of a soldier ancestor. They include soldiers of Swedish, Baltic, German and Russian origin whose posterity stayed in Finland. Military service often resulted in name changes and these records can often resolve research problems involving change of patronymic to soldier surname.
Types of Records[edit | edit source]
Available military records include:
- Muster rolls
- Lists of officers
- Pay records
- Pension records
- Naval records
- Military service records
- Conscription registers
- Mercenary lists
You can find other military records in the Uudempi tilikirjakokoelma / New Collection of Accounts for each county (see Finland Public Records for more information).
Information Recorded in the Records[edit | edit source]
Military records give information about a soldier’s military career, such as promotions, places served, pensions, and conduct. In addition, these records usually include information about his age, region of birth, residence, enlistment and discharge dates, and physical description. However, many military records in Finland provide very few details about individuals other than officers.
There are muster rolls, lists of officers, pay records, pension records, and naval records. These generally provide the name of the soldier or officer, age, date and place of birth, names of parents or next of kin or guardian (if parents are deceased), occupation, residence, level of education, physical description, name of regiment, etc. Records are deposited at the National Archives (Kansallisarkisto) in Helsinki. A brief list of available records can be found at Puolustushallinnon aineistot Kansallisarkistossa (Defense administration materials in the National Archives).
Branches of Service[edit | edit source]
Over time many, if not all, military units have had their names changed. For example, the FamilySearch Catalog lists records for the Finnish Guard (FI: Suomen Kaarti, SV: Finska gardet). This unit was created in 1817 when a portion of the 3rd Jäger regiment was transferred from the Viipuri battalion to Vaasa and part to Parola. The unit stationed at Parola was renamed the Finnish Training Battalion (Suomen opetuspataljoon). In 1824 the unit was moved to Helsinki and renamed the Helsinki Training Battalion (Helsingin opetuspataljoon).
In 1827 the name was changed to the Helsinki Training Rifle Battalion (Helsingin opetustarkka-ampujapataljoonaksi). In 1829 the name was again changed, this time to the Finnish Guard (Henkivartioväen Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona). Another name change came in 1871, when the unit was renamed the 3rd Finnish Sniper Battalion of the Life Guards (Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkka-ampujapataljoona), which remained until the unit was disbanded in 1905.[1]
Strategy[edit | edit source]
To determine to which company and regiment a soldier in a given parish belonged during the Swedish Era, you can use the map found in Eino Jutikkala's, Suomen historian kartasto: Atlas of Finnish History FS Catalog book 948.97 E3j.[2] The map is #35, Sotaväenosastojen Rekrytointialueet n. v. 17 (Troop Recruiting Districts, c. 1700), is on Pages 42–43.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Suomen Sukututkimusseura (The Genealogical Society of Finland). Seurakunta: 712 - Suomen Kaarti. Accessed 22 March 2023.
- ↑ Jutikkala, Eino. Suomen historian kartasto: Atlas of Finnish History. Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö (WSOY), 1949. FS Catalog book 948.97 E3j; FS Library film 157159.