Two hundred and fifty four years ago a young Swedish couple celebrated the birth of my 5th great-grandfather Carl Tolf.

Carl’s birth was entered in the church record book with a quill pen – can you imagine? Unimaginable to the priest who recorded the event, I am able to admire his handwriting from the comfort of my home hundreds of years later and thousands of miles away.

There has never been a better time to do genealogy. Every day more records become available, images become clearer, and research tools become bigger and better.

These amazing developments inspire me to revisit my brick walls. What new information might be out there just waiting to help me solve the myriad mysteries lurking in the branches of my family tree?

Carl Tolf was born 06 January 1768 in Byarum parish, Jönköping, Sweden. His parents, Johan Carlsson Tolf and Ingrid Carlsdotter were married in October of 1766. Carl’s birth record is on the left-hand page of the record book above, just below the heading Födslar och döda i Byarum 1768 or Births and Deaths in Byarum in 1768.

BTW ~ Swedish records can be searched for free at Riksarkivet.