Volume II is a big book, 388 pages of standard manuscript. It is the reference book of the two volumes.
First of all, I have all, or almost all, of the surnames listed in records in the Tornio Valley. I have listed which parishes the name has been used and a few people who had the surname.
The names are of Swedish, Finnish, Meänkieli, Sámi, German and Belgian Walloon, and I have the meanings of a large share of them. If the name has been used by a different group, say a Finn with a Swedish name, I have listed that fact with many of them.
Often we have only part of a location, and It’s often misspelled to boot! I’ve listed the villages in the Tornio Valley and the parishes to which they belong. Right after that there is a section with the parishes as the search item. You will need parish records to research so this is important.
Next are terms that are so much a part of the culture that you should really know them before you start working. An example in the life of our ancestors is the term “birkarl”, which is a very specialized trader.
The next section is about names, first, patronymic and surnames/farm names. I love language, and I especially love names of different cultures. I’ve included the name days or saint days for quite a few of them.
Next there a glossary of Finnish, German, Latin, Meänkieli, Old Norse, Romani, Sámi and Swedish.
The last section is facts about various groups, families and individuals who came to America from the Tornio Valley. It could not possibly tell about every immigrant’s past, but this is the next best thing.
