Scott's Research Corner

Extract from Vättlösa Clerical Survey, 1861-74

The data from the clerical surveys of Vättlösa Parish, Skaraborgs län, Sweden, covering the period 1861-74, has been transcribed. An analysis of the data also appears on the site.

Note that since each movement from one farmstead to another was supposed to be reported to the church office, many parishoners appear in the data more than once.

A sample of the data, with an explanation of each data item, appears below. The complete data file is available for inspection in ASCII text format.


Surname           Given Name(s)              Birthdate  Birthplace        Marriage   Death      In-Migration From              Out-Migration To                   Title         Locality        Ref. # D. Notes                
Abrahamsdotter    Christina                  1843-04-23 Bjärka            .          .          1867         Holmestad (Eneb.) 1868          Holmestad (Eneb.)    piga          Klenhult        84/ 8  x  .                    
Abrahamsdotter    Clara Charlotta            1849-05-12 Ransberg          .          .          1864         Kyrkofalla        1865          Kyrkofalla           flicka        Åsbotorps Kvarn 141/10 x  .                    
Abrahamsdotter    Greta                      1841-11-09 Forshem           .          .          1862         Ledsjö (Hägnads.) 1863-10-24    Forshem              piga          Skomakaregården 24/ 8  x  .                    
Abramsdotter      Gustafva                   1844-11-27 Binneberg         .          .          1863         Odensåker         1864          p. 10                piga          Frälsegården    13/14  x  .                    
  Abrahamsdotter  Gustafva                   1844-11-27 Binneberg         .          .          1864         p. 13             1865          p. 47                hustru        Svarvarebacken  10/ 4  x  .                    
  Abramsdotter    Gustafva                   1844-11-27 Binneberg         1864-12-02 .          1865         p. 10             .             .                    hustru        Stenstorp       47/ 9  .  .


Following is an exmplanation of the information in each column.

Columns 1 & 2, Surname & Given Name(s): Names are recorded exactly as written but are not presented in strict alphabetical order. Standard variants of surnames and given names are grouped together, regardless of the actual spelling. In addition, entries that obviously refer to the same person are grouped together, and are indicated by an indented surname. The Swedish letters Å, Ä, and Ö are sorted at the end of the alphabet.

Column 3, Birthdate: Indicates the date of birth (which is almost always noted in the clerical survey entry).

Column 4, Birthplace: Indicates the parish (socken) of birth.

Column 5, Marriage: Indicates the date of marriage, only if noted in the clerical survey entry.

Column 6, Death: Indicates the date of marriage, only if noted in the clerical survey entry.

Column 7, In-Migration: Indicates the date of migration to the locality, only if noted in the clerical survey entry.

Column 8, From: Indicates the date of migration to the locality (could be the name of another parish, or another locality within Vättlösa or a neighboring parish, or a page number).

Column 9, Out-Migration: Indicates the date of migration from the locality, only if noted in the clerical survey entry.

Column 10, To: Indicates the date of migration from the locality (could be the name of another parish, or another locality within Vättlösa or a neighboring parish, or a page number).

Column 11, Title: Indicates the Swedish title indicating the status of the person.

Column 12, Locality: Usually the name of the farmstead within Vättlösa Parish.

Column 13, Ref. #: The page and line number within the 1861-74 clerical survey.

Column 14, D.: An "x" indicates that the entry has been deleted (struck through). Generally this indicated that the person no longer lived at the locality (having either moved or died). In a few cases, the entry was struck after a marriage, and a new entry (together with the spouse) was created further down the page. Although the survey is generally accurate, some parishoners did manage to leave Vättlösa without being struck from the rolls.

Column 15. Notes: Miscellaneous notations that appeared in the survey, or notes to myself about the entry.