Death Entries Crossed Out?

Ellen Zaifnejad

I see death and burial entries that are crossed out sometimes. I doubt that means the person rose up out of their coffin and miraculously "came back."

 

Why would there be crossed out death entries?

 

 

Carol Hennum Kendall

I have seen records crossed out when recorded in the wrong place/year. It is uncommon.

Ellen Zaifnejad

Sure enough, I came across this one and noticed it was for a birth in Färingtofta parish, when the record book was for Riseberga parish.

 

So, I guess I shouldn't envision a priest standing there writing the entry right at the time of the event? They write it somewhere and copy it into the record book later? And somehow have notes of events that happened in other parishes sitting around?

 

Gordon Collett

I can't answer for Sweden, but I read an article a couple of years ago about the Norwegian parish registers that I wish I had kept the link to. This article stated that when there was more than one parish in a clerical district and each parish had a church but there was only one priest for the entire clerical district, as he traveled from church to church he would leave the parish register home and record events on loose pieces of paper. When he got back to his main church, he would record events in the parish register then. This would occasionally lead to mistakes.

Ellen Zaifnejad

That explains it--- Good to know.

Thank you!