Portti is Finland’s National Archives research guide. It explains creators and series before you seek descriptions and images in Astia. Guidance and an archival record serve different roles.
Prepare your research
Dated county and parish; village and property; series and volume; original columns; years compared; recorded names; hypotheses; checking record.
The method, step by step
- Record historical parish or municipality, village, period and household or property name. Read the series guide, then locate county and volume in Astia. Compare years and a parish register before assigning relationships.
- Read Portti guidance and follow its Astia links. Descriptions can exist without accessible images; check conditions and consultation location in the record description.
Choose the right repository
County, parish and municipality are distinct levels. Boundaries and arrangement can change with date; retain the recorded place separately from your identification.
Choose a route from the record you have
- You know a village: establish its parish and administrative affiliation at the date concerned. Then seek the series; a modern municipality name alone does not identify an old volume.
- You know a household in a tax list: transcribe the members as recorded, including omissions. Compare preceding and following years; test relationships with independent records without inferring death from disappearance.
Find archives
Kansallisarkisto — Arkistojen Portti →
Portti is Finland’s National Archives research guide. It explains creators and series before you seek descriptions and images in Astia. Guidance and an archival record serve different roles.
Portti is not a comprehensive name index. Tax-list inclusion varies by period and administrative practice; absence does not prove departure. Check digitisation for the series you need.
Sources & references
- Kansallisarkisto — Arkistojen Portti ↗ (Resource review date : )
- Kansallisarkisto — Henkikirjat ↗ (Resource review date : )