The Swedish 1880 census
The Swedish censuses, from the first census year 1860 to the year 1945, were fundamentally different than censuses in other countries. In Sweden the censuses were not taken by census workers going out with a questionnaire and interviewing people in their homes. Instead the censuses were taken by vicars and parish priests who made extracts from the already existing catechetical registers (1860-1890) and parish books (1900-1945).
Catechetical register
(all counties in Sweden, except for the cities Stockholm and Gothenburg)
Example from Bjurholm parish, Västerbotten county, for the years 1876-1886
Column 1
Name in full of every person ____
Position in family for every person ____
Occupation (office, trade) ____
Nationality (mention if foreign nationality) ____
Disability (mentally ill, blind, deaf-mute) ____
Column 3
Birth month and day ____
Column 4
Birth place (parish in county or city) ____
Column 5
Married (year, day and month) ____
Column 6
Widower or widow (year, day and month) ____
Column 7
Vaccinated (smallpox vaccination) ____
Column 8
Moved in from another parish in county or city or transferred from another page in the catechetical register ____
Column 9
Moved in or transferred (year, day and month) ____
Column 10
Number on the attestation document used when moving into the parish (attestation needed when moving between parishes) ____
Column 11
Dead (year, day and month) ____
Column 12
Ability to read ____
Column 13
Knowledge of the Christian teachings ____
Column 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32
Attended catechetical examination (year, day and month) ____
Column 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33
Received Holy Communion within the Swedish church (year, day and month) ____
Column 34
Character and special notes ____
Column 35
Moved to another parish in county or city or transferred to another page in the catechetical register ____
Column 36
Moved out or transferred (year, day and month) ____
Column 37
Number on the attestation document used when moving out of the parish (attestation needed when moving between parishes) ____
Enumeration form for the 1880 census
(all counties in Sweden, except for the cities Stockholm and Gothenburg)
Instructions regarding the taking of the 1880 census were given in a statute of the 17th of April the same year. It states that the census information for the entire country, except the cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg, should be provided, in accordance with the announcement of the 4th of November 1859, by vicars and parish priests in the form of extracts from the catechetical registers of each parish. The instructions for the columns in the enumeration form were as follows:
Column 1
Household or consumption unit (within clearly visible brackets) ____
Column 2
Village or place of residence (block or ward in city) (Village name to be written on a special row and underlined) ____
Name in full of every person ____
Position in family (h. = wife, s. = son, d. = daughter etcetera) ____
Column 3
Occupation (office, service, trade) ____
Column 4
Disability (mentally ill, blind, deaf-mute) ____
Nationality (mention if foreign nationality) ____
Ethnicity (mention if foreign ethnicity, for example Finn, Sami, Roma etcetera) ____
Religious faith (mention if foreign) ____
Not baptized in the Swedish church ____
Absence (from the parish) ____
Column 6
Birth place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Columns 7? 14
[] Unmarried men
[] Unmarried women
[] Married men
[] Married women
[] Widowers
[] Widows
[] Divorced men
[] Divorced women
Enumeration form (ward list) for the 1880 census (Stockholm city)
For the city of Stockholm, the information that should be provided by the citizens of Stockholm for the 1881 tax census should also contain those special details that were necessary for the 1880 census. The information should thereafter by city officials be extracted and provided as census information.
Column 1
Household or consumption unit (within clearly visible brackets) ____
Column 2
Village or place of residence (block or ward in city) (Village name to be written on a special row and underlined) ____
Name in full of every person ____
Position in family (h. = wife, s. = son, d. = daughter etcetera) ____
Column 3
Occupation (office, service, trade) ____
Columns 4- 11
Persons who are tax census registered in the property ____
[] Unmarried women
[] Married men
[] Married women
[] Widowers
[] Widows
[] Divorced men
[] Divorced women
Columns 12? 19
Persons not tax census registered in the property ____
[] Unmarried women
[] Married men
[] Married women
[] Widowers
[] Widows
[] Divorced men
[] Divorced women
Column 21
Birth place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Column 22
Church registration place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Column 23
Disability ____
Nationality (mention if foreign nationality) ____
Religious faith (mention if foreign) ____
Absence (from the parish) ____
Column 24
Remarks about place of tax census registration, travelers etc. ____
Enumeration form (household list) for the 1880 census (Gothenburg city)
For the city of Gothenburg there was a special enumeration form for the 1880 census. In the year 1883 catechetical registers started to be used in Gothenburg city and from then on there was no longer any need for a special census enumeration form for Gothenburg.
Column 1
Continuous index of members in the household ____
Column 2
Name in full of every person ____
Position in family (h. = wife, s. = son, d. = daughter etcetera) ____
Occupation (office, service, trade) ____
Column 3
Number of men in the household ____
Column 4
Number of women in the household ____
Column 5
Code for unmarried, married, widower, widow or divorced ____
Column 7
Birth place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Column 8
Church registration place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Column 9
Tax registration place (parish in a particular county or city) ____
Column 10
Year when the person moved into the parish ____
Column 11
Disability (blind, deaf-mute, mentally ill) ____
Absence (from Gothenburg) ____
Nationality (mention if foreign nationality) ____
Religious faith (mention if foreign) ____
Travelers, etcetera ____