We have delivered color images to researchers for an entire decade!
Ten years ago today, we founded ArkivDigital with the goal to facilitate and enrich the everyday lives of all Swedish genealogists. Since then, more than a hundred thousand family and historical researchers have made fascinating discoveries browsing in our color images.
Ten years of development
Within ten years, ArkivDigital has grown to a company with 37 employees and today the online digital archive contains 57 million newly photographed color images of historical records.
In the beginning, we sold images on CDs, but then after two years, we launched our first software program that enabled us to offer an Internet subscription service. Since 2007, all of our images have been available via ArkivDigital. We continue to go out to the archives and photograph records. About 600,000 new images are added each month.
As a result of the company’s rapid growth, ArkivDigital, has received the Di Gasell distinction, no less than two years in a row: 2013 and 2014. This award is given by Dagens Industri to the most rapidly growing companies within Sweden each year.
New program version with searchable databases!
Soon we will be launching a new version of ArkivDigital which includes a name searchable database of the 1950 Swedish population.
Looking ahead, we will be adding the 1960 Swedish population census. In addition, a searchable name index to the household records for the years 1880 to 1920 (approximately) will be added to the service. Not to mention, several other new features will be available within the new program in the future.
Photographing in the USA and Åland, Finland
Our photographing has not been limited to Sweden but we have also photographed records in Åland, Finland and in the state of Kansas in the United States.
The material from the USA focuses on the Swedish-American church books but we have also photographed protocols and account books of various types. Documents from more than thirty congregations in Kansas are currently available in ArkivDigital. More volumes will be added in the near future. Read more about USA records here.
Concerning Åland, currently we are photographing seamen house documents, but a massive amount of documents are already available in ArkivDigital. You will find church books for Åland’s sixteen parishes, estate inventories up to 1916, court records up to 1900, tax registers up to 1933 and village maps mainly from the 1700’s and 1800’s and much more. Read more about Åland records here.
We have also added records for a number of congregations outside of Sweden:
- Svenska Gustafskrykan in Copenhagen.
- Svenska Sofiaförsamlingen in Paris.
- Svenska Victoriaförsamlingen in Berlin.
- Ulrika Eleonora församling in London.
- Svenska Margaretaförsamlingen in Oslo.
- Svenska församlingen in Buenos Aires
Milestones Year By Year
2005:
- Arkiv Digital AD AB founded.
- Images sold on CDs.
2006:
- 1 million images in the archive.
2007:
- Program software for subscription service via the Internet is launched.
- 5 million images in the archive.
2008:
- Merger between ArkivDigital and DigiArkiv.
- Göta Canal Company’s archive’s most commonly used documents photographed.
2009:
- Main sponsor for Genealogy Days (Släktforskardagarna) in Falköping.
- ArkivDigital purchases IT-company KITE AB.
2010:
- Åland’s church books become available in ArkivDigital.
- 20 million images in the archive – 100,000 books photographed.
- Main sponsor for Genealogy Days (Släktforskardagarna) in Örebro.
2011:
- The first year the company reports a profit.
- 30 million images in the image archive.
2012:
- Sweden’s older church books (up to 1894) are available in ArkivDigital: household records, moving records, birth, marriage and death books.
- New logo symbol launched: the red shield.
2013:
- Received the distinct award, Di Gasellföretag 2013, from the financial newspaper Dagens Industri.
- App for IPad launched.
- Increased presence in the USA through a partnership with the genealogy expert, Kathy Meade.
- General muster rolls photography completed.
- Estate inventories (bouppteckningar) photography complete up to 1900.
- Main sponsor for Genealogy Days (Släktforskardagarna) in Köping.
- 40 million images in the image archive.
2014:
- Entered a research partnership with Blekinge Tekniska Högskola.
- Modern church books available up to 1935 (if the book does not extend into further years).
- Swedish and English blogs launched.
- Received the distinction, Di Gasellföretag 2014, from the financial paper Dagens Industri, second year in a row.
- Main sponsor for Genealogy Days (Släktforskardagarna) in Karlstad.
- 50 million images in the image archive.
2015:
- New service launched: ordering photographing of court books.
- Photographing of Swedish American church books in Kansas, USA.
- Many documents related to World War II photographed: Defense readiness, spy documents, documents from the so-called C-byrån (which covered military intelligence outside of Sweden), air crashes and much more.
- New logo symbol launched: the blue key.
- Main sponsor for Genealogy Days (Släktforskardagarna) in Nyköping.
Words from our managing director: Mikael Karlsson
Since its inception on October 26, 2005, we have had ten very eventful years where we have gone from a start-up small business into one of Sweden’s primary online destinations for genealogists and historians.
We are very pleased with our past successes but we are constantly moving forward. The company is in constant development and we have more news on the agenda. Many exciting years lie ahead of us!
We would like to thank all our customers for the great years that have passed, and look forward to many more rewarding years researching together.
Michael Karlsson, VD, ArkivDigital
ArkivDigital