Ostrobothnian
Replot
Land & Livelihood
Replot is an island in the Kvarken, the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia, in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. It is one of the largest islands of Finland; about 150 square kilometers (58 square miles). It is a part of a large archipelago and most of the surrounding islands have traditionally been used as fishing camps. 4
Traditionally, its people lived off of fishing, seal hunting, agriculture and crafts. 6, 7
This map highlighting the Replot parish from 1938 displays on the HisKi project website, made available by the Genealogical Society of Finland.
Of Interest
‘In older times, mainly sailboats traveled in the archipelago. In the winter, people used horse and sleigh, kicking support or skis. On land, people usually traveled on foot. It wasn’t until the late 1700’s that roads were built for horse drawn wagons. In the early 1900’s the first motorboats came to the archipelago. The first regular passenger boat service began in 1907 with the boat ‘Posten’ between Replot and Vasa.’ 3
Parish History
In the early 1700’s people in the archipelago began their struggle to get their own church. The trips to the church on the mainland were often difficult, especially when the weather was bad. In 1775 King Gustav III gave the rights to build a church in Replot. Work began in 1777. At this time Replot was a part of the Malax parish 3
- Replot received its chapel rights under the Malax parish in 1840 3
- In 1885, Replot was granted independent parish rights 3
- In 1932, Björkö, which is another good-sized island north of Replot, separated as an independent parish
Villages & Farms
The historical villages in Replot
People lived in the Replot area before Sweden had dominion over Finland. The first inhabitants likely were there before the 11th century. 4
The historical villages dating back to the 16th century include:
- Replot Kyrkoby (the church village is marked with a cross on Replot island)
- Vallgrund
Because parish Communion records are listed by farm name and because farm names often were used as a part of a person’s name, it is interesting to note the following farms.
The villages and farms of Replot were recorded in T.W. Karsten’s work, Svesk Bygd I Osterbotten: Nu Och Fordom. 2 Replot Parish Communion records were not used to confirm these findings.
To open a printable list of villages and farms (pdf), click here.
Note the villages on the 1900 map of Finland. Public domain
Historic Farms in Replot
- Lassila
- Nabb
- Korv
- Nygård
- Väst
- Kapell
- Nålls
- Björkas
- Gammal
- Rönn
- Öist
- Klavus
- Fågelklo
- Rosenlund
- Bengtas
- Mannas
- Näs
- Dal
- Kock – est. by 1606
- Norrgård
- Aspholm
- Nygård
- Östergård
- Backas
- Gammalgård
- Wästergård
- Stolpe
- Ström
- Johannesdal
- Nybonde
Parish Church
Construction of the church began in 1777. The church was built on a hill in Replot village. People from the other island villages also participated in building the church. The church was ready for use in 1781. The church is named the Gustov Adolf Church. It is a long church with a steep roof. 3, 7
In the 1840s, the church received its altar construction and pulpit from the Sankta Maria Church in Old Vasa, and so were saved from the great fire of 1852. 3, 7
The Gustov Adolf Church, view from the south. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en Attribution: Htm
Folk Dress
Until 1932, Replot and Björköby were one parish. As such, they are represented by the one parish folk dress. Parish folk dress can be recognized by its style, colors and patterns.
Replot-Björköby Folk Dress photo used with permission of the Brage costume agency.
References:
- Genealogical Society of Finland, HisKi project, Replot parish, http://hiski.genealogia.fi/hiski/a6nwzw
- Karsten T.W., Svesk Bygd I Osterbotten: Nu Och Fordom; Helingfors, 1923, Replot, pages 109 – 113
- Korsholm Archipelago; http://korsholmsskargard.fi/
- Replot,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replot
- Replot Church image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Replot_Church#/media/File:Replot_kyrka_06.jpg
- Replots Församling, https://www.replotsformaling.fi
- Replot Map from Karta öfver Finland, 1900, http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fd2015-00006716
- Replot-Björköby Folk Dress image, Brage costume agency, see Replot-Björköby, https://www.brage.fi/sve/draktbyra/draktbyran/folkdrakter/view-163648-96
