Beyond Parish Registers:A Case Study

Following is a case study which used a combination of information found in Swedish births, marriages and deaths, communion records, catechism records and tax lists to extend a pedigree line 3 generations beyond the parish registers.

• Asmund Jönsson was born 11 Sep 1718 in Barsebäck parish, Malmohus County, Sweden to Jöns Jönsson and his wife Elena Asmundsdotter.  Asmund fathered 11 children and died in Barsebäck on 4 Feb 1768, age 50. 
• A 10 year search thorugh the birth records either side of 1718 produced no siblings for Asmund.
• His parents, Jöns Jönsson and Elena Asmundsdotter were not married in Barsebäck, though the records existed for the probable time period that would have taken place.  That could mean Elena was from another parish since it was the custom to marry in the bride's home parish.  It could also mean that they both originated from another place.

⇒First research step -  find the deaths of the parents to obtain ages and possible other information

Since no clues existed as to whether Asmund was the last of 12 children, or the only child, searches through the death records looking for his parents had to begin with his birth date. 

Elena Asmundsdotter's death was found 30 years after her son Asmund was born, on 23 Apr 1745.  The age at death was given as 64. That means Elena was born @1681.  The death entry also stated.... "barnfödd i Henckelstorp."  That place did not show up in the parish listings of Sweden, meaning it was a smaller place.  

A search of Svensk Ortforteckning, a major Swedish gazetteer, listed Hänckelstorp as a farm area belonging to Västra Karaby parish, also in Malmohus county.

A quick search of the Family History LIbrary Catalog showed the parish registers for Västra Karaby did not begin until 1688.  Maybe we weren't going to be able to go back further after all.

Searches in the death records continued, looking for Jöns Jönsson, Asmund's father. He died 20 Mar 1768, at age 83 = born @ 1685.  Unfortunately, a new minister had moved into Barsebäck parish by that time, and birth places were no longer being listed in the death records.  The presumption had to be made that he had at least lived for a short while in Västra Karaby parish to meet his wife Elena, even if he wasn't born there.

⇒Second research step - look for the marriage of Jöns Jönsson & Elena Asmundsdotter in her birth parish,  Västra Karaby

Searches began in those records in 1705, when Jöns Jönsson would have been about age 20.  Males normally wouldn't have married much before that, though some exceptions have been found.

In 1712 the entry finally showed up i.e.  "the 4th Christmas Day (29 Dec 1712) married the farm hand (and bachelor) Jöns Jönsson of Henckelstorp, and "the female person" Elena Asmundsdotter."

Normally, when a "never before married" Swedish female marries, she is referred to as a "Piga" in the records.  The phrase the minister used to describe Elena, "female person", indicated something had happened in her life previous to her marriage to Jöns.  Experience said that "something" was probably an illegitimate child.  Subsequent research proved that to be the case.