Parish Search Background

Since a few years back there is quite an intense debate on how geneaologists best describe where a parish is situated. Some have suggested the counties (and county letters), others the old provinces. The drastic changes that has taken place the last few years (especially with the creation of Västra Götalands län) has made more people plead for the stable and in the general knowledge well-known provinces. Parish-Search is a good aid for every one who wants to use the provinces, since the province belonging of different parishes hardly ever are stated in other similar lists.

Parish-Search consists of presently existing parishes and the ones that has ceased to be during the period of church registers, since the middle of the 17th century. Of the ones that are no longer existing the following have not been included: Church register districts that have changed over to now fully existing parishes or non territorial parishes such as military parishes or foreign congregations. Parishes with names that very clearly show their geographical origin might have been left out, such as certain countryside parishes. The crosses show what year they ceased to exist.

For more detailed information about the different parishes, see the list from The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) from 2006 here.