Swedish provinces › Västerbotten
Swedish ancestry from Västerbotten
Västerbotten – also written Vasterbotten – is a coastal province around the cities of Umeå and Skellefteå. It is one of Sweden’s 25 historical provinces (landskap), in Norrland.
Its 18 parishes all belong to Västerbottens län today.
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All 18 parishes in Västerbotten
Names as they appear in Swedish church records. American records often leave out å, ä and ö, so a parish may be written as in the middle column. Records may also add socken or församling (parish) after the name.
| Parish | Often written | County (län) today |
|---|---|---|
| Bjurholm | Västerbottens län | |
| Bureå | Burea | Västerbottens län |
| Burträsk | Burtrask | Västerbottens län |
| Bygdeå | Bygdea | Västerbottens län |
| Byske | Västerbottens län | |
| Degerfors | Västerbottens län | |
| Holmsund | Västerbottens län | |
| Holmön | Holmon | Västerbottens län |
| Hörnefors | Hornefors | Västerbottens län |
| Jörn | Jorn | Västerbottens län |
| Lövånger | Lovanger | Västerbottens län |
| Nordmaling | Västerbottens län | |
| Norsjö | Norsjo | Västerbottens län |
| Nysätra | Nysatra | Västerbottens län |
| Skellefteå | Skelleftea | Västerbottens län |
| Sävar | Savar | Västerbottens län |
| Umeå | Umea | Västerbottens län |
| Vännäs | Vannas | Västerbottens län |
Finding your ancestor’s home parish
Swedish records are kept by parish, so the parish (socken) is the key to everything. American documents often name it:
- Naturalization papers. The Declaration of Intention (after 1906) usually gives the place and date of birth.
- Death certificates and obituaries. They often name the parish, or at least the province.
- Swedish-American church records. Augustana Lutheran and other Swedish congregations often wrote down the home parish.
- The 1900 and 1910 U.S. censuses. They give the year of immigration, which narrows the search in Swedish moving-out records.
- Passenger lists after 1906. They give the last place of residence in Sweden.
- Gravestones, letters and photographs. A photographer’s stamp on an old portrait often names a Swedish town.
Already have a family tree? Upload your GEDCOM file and the map shows every Swedish parish that is already in it – free up to five generations.
Where the church records are
Swedish church books – household examination rolls (husförhörslängder), birth, marriage and death records, and moving records – are photographed and online:
- The National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet) – free images of the church books, searchable by parish name.
- ArkivDigital – a subscription service with color photographs of the same books.
- FamilySearch – free indexes of many Swedish births, baptisms and marriages.
Other provinces
Skåne · Blekinge · Halland · Småland · Öland · Gotland · Östergötland · Västergötland · Bohuslän · Dalsland · Värmland · Närke · Södermanland · Uppland · Västmanland · Dalarna · Gästrikland · Hälsingland · Härjedalen · Jämtland · Medelpad · Ångermanland · Norrbotten · Lappland
Parishes, coordinates and counties: Wikidata (CC0). A few parishes on province borders are listed in both provinces.