Sweden Death and Burial Records

BURIAL AND DEATH RECORDS

At the time of death, the deceased’s body was brought to the churchyard for burial. The churchyard was considered sacred ground and the belief that the remains of a deceased Christian should be interred into sacred ground was universally held. Burial took place within days of death, unless the death occurred in the winter. It is likely that a person whose death occurred in December may not have been buried until the following March or April. In the event that the ground was frozen solid, the corpse was wrapped and taken to the icehouse to await the spring thaw.
Unlike in the United States where graves may be hundreds of years old, the Swedes believe they are more practical with respect to death. In Sweden, a corpse is buried for a maximum of twenty years. At the conclusion of the time period, unless someone is paying for perpetual care, the body is exhumed and the bones are discarded. The gravesite is then made ready to be reused by someone else. In most Swedish parishes today (2006), birth dates on tombstone date from 1870 or later. Few, if any, graves exist for persons born prior to 1870.

Death in infancy and childhood was common among children born prior to 1900. Infant mortality in pre-1900 Sweden stood at about 40-50%. It was commonplace among families of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to name a newborn for a deceased older sibling. However, before deciding that this is what actually happened, make a diligent effort to find the death record of the older sibling. Perhaps, some parents just enjoyed the sound of certain names and assigned the same given name(s) to multiple children. In a family with five sons each named “Olof”, the parents, and hopefully the intended child, knew who was wanted when his name was called.

In a Swedish Church Record of death you can expect to find:
• The name of the deceased
• The date of burial and/or death
• The residence of the deceased
• The age of the deceased (usually estimated)
• Sometimes, the cause of death

When working with Swedish Church Records of Death
REMEMBER
• Ages at death are highly suspect
• Causes of death are suspect because of uncertain diagnosis
• The interval between death and burial could be an extended time
• Do NOT assume because two children in a family have the same given name(s) that the older child died