Åland Islands
Kökar
Land & Livelihood
“It is believed that the islands were first inhabited by seal hunters over 3,000 years ago.” “In the past, the economy was based almost entirely on fishing and hunting. Most important was the seasonal fishing for the Baltic herring that took place at the outmost skerries Ören and Mörskär. Every year in August the men moved there for six weeks, in order to fish enough herring to sell at the autumn markets in Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn.” 1
The villages of Finnö, Hellsö and Karlby take the names of the islands they are located on. They are the three largest islands in the parish.
This map of the Kökar Parish in 1938 displays on the HisKi project website, made available by the Genealogical Society of Finland.10
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Parish Records
Because parish Communion records are listed by village and 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. HisKi project findings were used as a starting point to identify parish villages. 10 Then Parish Communion Records of 1843 – 1880 and Land Records were used to confirm village and identify farm names.11, 12
To open a printable list of villages and farms (pdf), click here.
Parish History
- In 1544, Kökar was mentioned as a parish chapel under the Fölgö parish
- It became an independent parish in 1905 or 1908.
Villages & Farms
To open a printable list of villages and farms (pdf), click here.
- Huseans
- Hanna
- Niskans
- Jönsas
- Kessa
- Vestergård
- Norrstu
- Söderstu
- Klås
- Påvals
- Kille
- Trunsö
- Els
- Smeds
- Joss
- Lass
- Tommos
- Stans
- Jäppa
- Larpis
- Micks
- Bengts
- Jönsa / Johans
- Simons
- Matta
- Jönna
- Heika
- Södergård
- Ollas
- Pellas
No farms listed
- Lans
- Hanfalls
- Skinnars
- Mattfols
- Nemmans
- Österklis
- Vesterklis
- Grägers
- Ståns
- Vesternäs
- Killefors
- Öfvis
- Ers
- Storhanna
- Briggs
- Bonds
- Jorpes
Parish Church
St. Anne’s Church 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Church of St. Anne was built between 1769 and 1784 during the reign of King Gustav III
- Located on the island of Hamnö (a smaller island, but with an important medieval harbor)
- A stone church
- Built next to the ruins of a Franciscan monestary, ‘Conuentu Tiokkakarlensis’
- Monestary built at the end of the 14th century
- The monastery closed in the 1530’s, after the reformation of the Catholic church
- Became abandoned and fell into ruins
To read more detailed information on the history of the Kökar church, click here.
Attribution: Anna Rydin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) 8
Folk dress
Each parish has a unique folk dress. Parish folk dress can be recognized by its style, colors, and patterns.
Kökar folk dress photo used with permission of the Brage costume agency. 9
Resources:
- Kökar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6kar
- Kökar, https://kokarkultur.wordpress.com/kokar-guide/
- Kökar Church, https://www.kyrkor.ax/churches/kokar-church/
- Kökar Church, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6kar
- Kökar Church, https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/8/kokar-church/
- Kökar Church, https://wikitravel.org/en/K%C3%B6kar
- Kokar Church: https://www.alandssodra.fi/kyrkor-och-lokaler/kokars-kyrka
- Kökar Church image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B6kar_Church.JPG
- Kökar Folk Dress image, Brage costume agency, https://www.brage.fi/sve/draktbyra/draktbyran/folkdrakter/view-163648-16
- Kökar Parish, Genealogical Society of Finland, HisKi project, http://hiski.genealogia.fi/hiski/fr4lat?en+0268
- Kökar Parish communion records, https://app.arkivdigital.se/volume/v199322?image=4
- Åland landkapsarkiv, Land Records, https://www.arkivet.ax/en/digital-material/search-land-register
