Study title

Marriages Contracted by the Savonian Gentry 1721-1865

Dataset ID Number

FSD4061

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4061
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4061

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Heinänen, Ilkka (University of Eastern Finland)

Abstract

The data contains information on marriages among the Swedish-speaking gentry in the province of Savo during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The data compiles information from parish records maintained by the clergy of Savo parishes on the marriages of members of the Swedish-speaking gentry, the backgrounds of their spouses, and the distribution of marriages across different social groups and geographical areas.

The data includes information on the age of the individuals entering into marriage, the order of the marriage (e.g. whether it was a first or subsequent marriage), the timing of the marriage, and age differences between spouses. In addition, the data contains information on the social status of spouses and whether marriages took place within the same estate group or crossed estate boundaries. Information is also provided on the fathers of the married couples, making it possible to examine the estate or social class into which the spouses were born. The data further contains information on the geographical scope of marriages and kinship relations between spouses. This includes information on the spouses' places of residence and whether marriages were contracted between individuals from the same parish or from different parishes. In addition, the data covers the prevalence of cousin marriages in different estate groups.

Keywords

divorce; families; family members; genealogy; marriage; social class; social history; social mobility; social origin; social status; spouses; upper class; vital statistics

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• History (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Family life and marriage (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social and occupational mobility (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (C) available only for research including master's theses.

Data Collector

• Heinänen, Ilkka (University of Eastern Finland)

Time Period Covered

1721 – 1865

Collection Dates

2019-02-01 – 2025-03-31

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Savo

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Event/Process/Activity

Universe

Swedish-speaking members of the gentry in Savo who were identified in the examined records for the period 1721-1865

Time Method

Time series

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The study includes all Swedish-speaking members of the gentry in Savo who were identified in the examined records for the period 1721-1865. The information was gathered primarily from parish registers maintained by the clergy of Savo parishes and from the student registers of the University of Helsinki, as well as, to a lesser extent, from other genealogical registers and family histories compiled according to scholarly principles.

Collection Mode

Compilation/Synthesis

Research Instrument

Data collection guidelines: Secondary data collection guide

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD4062 Savonian-born University Students and Social Mobility 1721-1865

FSD4063 Godparent Networks among the Rautalampi Gentry's Children 1790-1809

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Heinänen, Ilkka (University of Eastern Finland): Marriages Contracted by the Savonian Gentry 1721-1865 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2026-05-21). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4061; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4061

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Heinänen, Ilkka. 2026. "Savon ruotsinkielinen säätyläistö 1721-1865 : säätykierto, avioliitto- ja kummikäytännöt." Väitöskirja, Itä-Suomen yliopisto. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-61-5945-4 978-952-61-5945-4

Heinänen, Ilkka. ”Savon säätyläisten avioliitot 1721-1865” Ennen ja nyt: Historian tietosanomat Vol 25 Nro 2 (2025). Turku: Historiallinen Yhdistys ry, Suomen Historiallinen Seura ry ja Turun Historiallinen Yhdistys ry, 2025, 100-121.