Location: [unknown]
The purpose of this page is to list what will be covered by Nordic Trail, Sweden - Step 1 and where to find the tools and resources to work on these tasks for Swedish profiles.
![]() |
Contents |
What will be covered in Step 1
- Data Fields: How to correctly fill in a profile's data fields.
- Names and Spelling: Nordic name customs, person names and place names, using Nordic "special letters".
- Categories: Adding categories to profiles and finding categories to use.
- Formatting: The use of headings and lists to make the profile easier to read. Adding templates and stickers.
- Biography Writing: Adding structure to the biography section, adding links to other profiles.
- Finding Sources: What sources are available for each country and where to find them.
- Adding Sources: How to add sources so others can locate them and using inline citations.
- Critical Analysis: Have I found a fact about the correct person?
Tools and Resources
Please note that you can work on a profile in a way that suits you. It is not required that you follow the order in which these tools and resources are listed.
The Sweden Project has already covered many of the subjects below within the help page called Swedish Profile Standards. That resource is a good place to start. Some of the links from that page are repeated in multiple sections below. They are repeated so they will be easy to find when you need to read about a specific subject. You are encouraged to work with these tools and resources in a way that suits you when working on profiles.
Data Fields
A data field is the form field where you can enter information, for example a date or a name. How to correctly fill in the data fields of a profile may differ from one country to another depending on their specific customs (it even differs slightly between the Nordic countries).
The following help page has been designed to explain how to properly complete the person and location data fields for Swedish profiles:
Names and Spelling
The link provided in the section above, Name and Location Fields, also covers some of the naming and spelling customs and guidelines. That page does not explain everything in detail, so if you did not follow all of the links discussing names on that page, you may find these additional links helpful:
Categories
The purpose of categories is to group profiles (and/or freespace pages) together. It can be profiles of people who lived at a certain location, shared a specific occupation, were buried in the same church yard, or something else.
The main use of categories on Swedish profiles is the location categories. These categories are primarily used for the locations of births, marriages, and deaths. For Sweden, that is usually the parish category, but is sometimes a smaller place like a village or a farm. Preferably, a location category should only be added once there is a source to support the use of that specific location category.
When you have added a location category, especially if you found a smaller one than the parish level, make sure to follow the link to the category/categories added (found at the bottom of the profile). Sometimes you can actually find a family member someone else has added and connect them to the profile you are working on (especially if they are using a family name that might stand out).
Formatting
Headings
The use of headings and lists on profiles can make them easier to read. Using the Research Notes heading to leave information for yourself and future researchers is an improvement to any profile. Sadly, the Research Notes heading is sometimes ignored.
You can also translate the headings into Swedish if the profile biography is only written in Swedish. While most of WikiTree is in the English language, it is not necessary that a biography be written in English. However, if there are already sections written in English (or you prefer to write biographies in both English and Swedish), you should likewise add the headings in both English and Swedish. This is an example of a profile written in two languages: Astrid Lindgren.
These are the accepted translations for the Headings on a profile for the Nordic languages: BioCheck App Translations. However, when using two languages for the headings on a profile, the heading == Sources == needs to be kept in English (instead of translating to "Källor").
Lists
Lists can be used on both profiles and freespace pages. For example, the bulleted list has been used multiple times on this page. You can also make numbered lists and lists including sub-lists.
An example of using a list in a profile could be when a couple had may children. Adding them as a list might benefit the biography text and make a good presentation for the reader.
Or you can create a single item list, like below, to make a point ;-)
Links
Using links in the biography, either to other WikiTree profiles, and/or other websites, gives the reader even more value. Therefore, you are encouraged to use them.
An example of a link to an external website could be a Wikipedia page for a specific location, a parish, or an interesting occupation that relates to the profile you are working on.
Links to original sources, like church book images, should always be provided when available. Some web pages, like Riksarkivet and the Swedish National Library provide source citations and link information that is easily available to copy and paste. Therefore, there is really no reason to not add these links to a profile. See the section below on how to cite sources for examples of how to do this.
Linking to another profile on WikiTree might also be useful for the reader, especially if it is not one of the family members already listed on the profile. It could, for example, be a link to the profile of an ancestor a bit further back than the parents, a witness at a baptism, a father or mother-in-law, or someone else who already has a profile to link to.
Templates and Stickers
It is sometimes difficult to understand the difference between what is called a "Sticker", a "Template", or a "Research Note Box". These terms often confuse WikiTree members when they first learn about them.
The Research Note Box is something you have surely seen already. It is always an orange box with some text in it. The one most often used on profiles is the one stating that a profile is unsourced. There are also boxes for an "estimated date" and an "uncertain existence", although these might not be seen quite as often.
Stickers are much smaller "information boxes" used by projects. They can, for example, state that a person was born in a specific country, or that they were a notable or an aristocrat.
Further information on how to use templates and stickers on Swedish profiles, as well as details about Research Note Boxes can be found at the following links:
Biography Writing
A biography could be short or long; it depends on the writer. Either way, the text should be relevant to the profile, preferably using inline sourcing to clearly identify the facts presented (see the sources section below), written in the third person, and using the past tense.
It is important that no large amount of text or information in a biography be copied directly from any other website (or another medium, for that matter) due to copyright issues.
- WikiTree help page for Biographies: More about Biographies
- WikiTree help page about using and creating Lists: More about Lists (Other good editing tips are on this page, too.)
- WikiTree help page about adding Links: More about Links
Finding Sources
Original Sources
Original sources, such as church records, can be found at Riksarkivet, the Swedish National Archives. A good starting point would be the Digital Research Room where you can search for the correct parish records. You can change the preferred language at the top right side of these pages. This page will tell you a bit more about Riksarkivet - the Swedish National Archives.
A 30-minute introductory video to Swedish research, that walks you through how to do research on the Swedish Archives webpage, is also available. It was originally created to help new researchers during one of the WikiTree Challenges where all of the guest's ancestors were from Sweden. Video: Swedish Research 101
- Original sources
- Realiable Swedish Sources, both for pre-1700 and after.
- Riksarkivet - the Swedish National Archives
- Info on Arkiv Digital, a subscription web site. (They usually offer free searches a couple of times each year, usually 2-3 days in connection with large holidays.)
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources can be used if you evaluate them and find them trustworthy.
As an example, we can evaluate if using a grave search site should be trustworthy or not. If no picture of an actual gravestone is attached to a post, that would make the information cited much less trustworthy than a post with a picture showing the gravestone.
Some secondary sources may be deemed trustworthy, primarily because they are published by someone trustworthy. Sveriges Dödbok, by The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies is an example of that. While it is a "good source", even a rather trustworthy one, it can still contain errors due to it being a transcription from original sources. Original sources are always preferred.
That is also true for other transcribed records found on websites like FamilySearch. If you cannot view or link to the original source image on FamilySearch, then you should not consider it an original source.
- Examples of where to find Secondary sources
- List of online genealogical books (Nordic related)
- Nordic Project, Image resources online Where to find images of gravestones, portraits, newspapers.
- Centrala Soldatregistret Online search of Swedish soldiers. (Not yet complete, updated twice a year.)
Adding Sources
The main reason for adding sources is so other people can know where the information comes from. Therefore, it is important that sources be added in an understandable way and that we are as precise as we can be.
Please check out Sweden Source Citations for some examples and to get a better understanding of how to cite Swedish sources.
See also:
Critical analysis
Are you sure you found the correct person?
The patronymic naming system can be confusing. It also means that there could be multiple people with the same name in a single location - even in a smaller parish. One way to be sure you have the correct person is to do a thorough search and to locate as much information from the original sources as possible. Following a person through all of the different household books would be one example to this approach.
It is also important to ask for help if you are not familiar with the Swedish language and you come across a note, a page heading, or some other information in a record that you need explained.
Navigation: Nordic Project > Nordic Project - Sub Projects and Teams > Nordic Project - Nordic Trail Team > Nordic Trail Info > Nordic Trail - Sweden, Step 1
- Login to request to the join the Trusted List so that you can edit and add images.
- Private Messages: Send a private message to the Profile Manager. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
- Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)
- Public Q&A: These will appear above and in the Genealogist-to-Genealogist (G2G) Forum. (Best for anything directed to the wider genealogy community.)