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Genealogy Resources

Learn about the Swenson Center's extensive resources for Swedish-American genealogical research.

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About Our Resources

Our records are mostly Swedish-American (generated by Swedish immigrants in the United States). We also have access to many records from Sweden, including parish records. Most of our Swedish-American records end around 1930 and do not contain information about people still living. Our records are mostly on microfilm and computer databases (not online) and can be used on-site.

 

Our library includes countless books useful for genealogical research. The Nils William Olsson collection is especially helpful. Many of our library books are available to borrow via interlibrary loan.

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Below are some of our most-used sources.

Parish Records

If you know the name of the parish (church) that your ancestors came from in Sweden, you have the potential to trace them in Swedish parish records throughout their lives and back into the 1700s, or forward to look for living relatives. 

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Appointments

We have one computer dedicated to parish record subscriptions and it is available for the public to use only by appointment at least a day in advance. Appointments are available for an hour at a time or a whole morning (3 hours).

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Using Databases & Assistance

It is important that you know the name of the parish and county (län) or province (landskap) in which you plan to do research before you come.

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Because the Swedish parish records are in the pastor’s original handwriting and all in Swedish, they can be time-consuming to use and especially to learn to use. While many things are indexed in databases, one sometimes has to seek things in other parts of record books.

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If you are a beginner to Swedish parish records, appointments will be available to you on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings when our volunteers are available to assist you in using the parish records. Our capable volunteers will give you assistance and show you how to use the records and software.

 

If you have experience with any form of Swedish parish records, you may schedule an appointment for any other time during our morning open hours Monday through Friday.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to read all of the handwriting for you, especially in the older records, but we will give it the very best try. We are not responsible for time lost if the Internet happens to go down when you are here.

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Make an Appointment

Want to use these resources? See Genealogy Research Visits.

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Questions we will ask you on the phone or via e-mail:

  1. Have you used Swedish parish records before?

  2. Are you aware of our parish record subscription usage fees? Our daily entrance fee?

  3. Are you a Swenson Center annual supporter?

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We can also be hired to do research for you in parish records and other records. See our Genealogy-For-Hire page. 

Church Records

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Swedish-American and Swedish-Canadian church records are used frequently for family history research. Please see our indexes for specific microfilmed church records held at the Swenson Center:

 

We have records of congregations from the following denominations:

  • Augustana Lutheran

  • Mission Covenant 

  • Evangelical Free

  • Swedish Methodist

  • Swedish Baptist

  • Swedish Episcopal

 

Researchers should keep in mind that the quality of the individual church records varies. If the church books were complete and accurately kept, the following information can often be gained about members:

  • Date and place of birth and baptism

  • Year of arrival in America

  • Date of confirmation, marriage, death (not place of burial)

  • Previous and subsequent residences in the United States

  • Date received as a church member

 

To search the church records, one must know where one's immigrant settled in North America. In the case of a city with a large Swedish population like Chicago or Minneapolis, the name of a specific church, a street address, or even a neighborhood of residence is essential for search purposes. If your immigrant ancestors settled in an area that was not well populated with Swedish immigrants, it is possible that there was no Swedish church there. 

Swedish Passenger Indexes

Swedish passenger indexes are available on Swedish CD-ROMs (CD-Emigranten) and through some subscription sites. These indexes usually provide a passenger's age, last parish of residence, ultimate destination, and a contract number that can be used to find the name of the ship of departure. We have records of the following ports of emigration:

  • Göteborg (1869-1951)

  • Malmö (1874-1939)

  • Kalmar (1880-1893)

  • Stockholm (1869-1940)

  • Norrköping (1859-1922)

  • Helsingborg (1929-1950)

  • Hamburg (1850-1891)

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Index of Emigrants from Sweden

The Emibas CD-ROM contains nearly 1.1 million emigrants from more than 2,300 parishes (roughly three-fourths of all emigrants from Sweden).

U.S. Passenger Arrival Indexes

  • Olsson, Nils William. Swedish Passenger Arrivals in the United States, 1820-1850. Stockholm, Sweden: Schmidts Boktryckeri AB, 1995

  • Paper printout index of Swedes arriving in New York (1851-1860) (does not give person's origin in Sweden)

  • Microfilm index of Swedes arriving in New York (1861-1869) (does not give person's origin in Sweden)

  • CD-ROM index of New York port arrivals (1850-1891)

  • Castle Garden Records (New York) are searchable (1830-1892) (incomplete)

  • Ellis Island Records (New York) are searchable (1892-1924). You will be asked to register as a free user on the ellisislandrecords.org web page before it will allow you to use the database

  • Subscription sites that include these databases, such as familysearch.org and ancestry.com

Newspapers

If you are interested in obituaries, sometimes the Swedish-American and Swedish-Canadian newspapers listed deaths. To search them, one must know the date and place of death. Often there is a little more than the person's name and date of death. These newspaper microfilms are available via interlibrary loan, and we have many that are not yet online.

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See our Newspapers page.

City Directories

  • City Directories are available on microfilm and CD-ROM. These are helpful to locate a residential address, especially in large cities like Chicago and the Twin Cities. Similar to a telephone book, but without telephone numbers.

  • Chicago, Illinois (1839-1929 --with gaps)

  • Minneapolis, Minnesota (1861-1901)

  • St. Paul, Minnesota (1856-1901)

  • Moline, Illinois (1855-1860, 1882-1901)

  • Rock Island, Illinois (1855-1860, 1882-1901)

Lodge Records

Swedish-American lodge records often include minutes of meetings and some membership records from fraternal orders formed by Swedish immigrants in the United States. Orders include Independent Order of Svithiod (IOS), Independent Order of Vikings (IOV), Independent Order of Good Templars (IOGT), Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), and Scandinavian Fraternity of America.

 

Search our PastPerfect database.

Other CD-ROMs

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1880 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1890 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1900 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1910 (Census of Sweden) 

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1970 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1980 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Befolkning 1990 (Census of Sweden)

  • Sveriges Dödbok 1860-2016 (deaths in Sweden 1860-2016)

  • Begravda i Stockholm (480,000 people buried in Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Inhabitants of four parts of Stockholm City: Södermalm, Klara, Gamla Stan, and Kungsholmen 1878-1926

  • Begravda i Sverige (5,300,000 people buried in Sweden; most as recent as November 2008, very few dating back to 1500s)

Swedish National Archives

The Swedish National Archives' website includes a wealth of information and can be used completely free of charge. You just need a free logon. Click on "Other languages" for English.

  • Scanned images of Swedish parish records

  • Many other images and databases

ArkivDigital

This website includes scanned color images of original Swedish parish record books, as well as other types of records. You can also subscribe from home at ArkivDigital. 

EmiWeb

EmiWeb contains multiple Swedish emigration and immigration databases, index to Swedish-American newspaper obituaries (selected titles), and other very useful indexes. See the EmiWeb page for a list of databases.

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