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Chapter 2 Sweden Profile A. Divisions The Newquist Swedish ancestors were born in Nykulla, a village in Tjureda parish (socken). It is located in the Växjö municipality (Kommun), which is part of Kronobergs County (län) in the Småland province (Landskap). The following are definitions of this structure. Region - administrative group of provinces (Landskaps) Province (Landskap) - administrative group of Counties (Läns) County (Län) - administrative group of municipalities that are part of the national government system. A län is headed by a landshövding (old title länsherre or fogde). He acts as the extended arm of the national government. For special coordination, mainly medical care and cultural development, the country is divided in landsting. For local law enforcement there is a härad - the area for a district court, and fögderi - a police/taxation district. Municipality (Kommun) - for local government, Sweden is divided into Kommuner since 1862. Those are self-governed bodies within a national framework of rules. A special form of Kommun is the koping. Parish (Socken, Forsämling) - A geographic area from which people used the same church. Defines the area of local government. Division was done before the Middle Ages. There is usually a Forsamling with same name, referring to the same area. Often translated to parish but strictly speaking the word Socken refers to the worldly organization. When referring to church matters the word Forsamling is more correct. Socken is the old local government body, before the creation of Kommuner in 1862. Among the 2500 parishes in Sweden, several have identical names. With the advent of computer databases a unique, short code was needed, so the Central Bureau of Statistics (SCB) created the so-called "SCB ID". In genealogy you need this six-digit number to make a unique identification. The first two digits identify the County (Kronobergs = 07). The next two digits identify the municipality (Växjö = 80), and the final two digits identify the communities. The official SCB number usually has the last 2 digits set to "00" for parishes that no longer exist (usually assimilated into another parish). Four coded locations in the Växjö municipality of Kronobergs County in the province were significant to our research: 078001 Växjö - The possible parish in John's bio. 078004 Hornaryd - The parish birthplace of Louise. 078019 Tjureda (shur-eed-ah) - The parish that includes the village of Nykulla (078000) B. Maps Following are four maps of contemporary Sweden. Figure 1 is a map of the country and its 23 provinces that make up three regions: North Sweden (Norrland) = lies above the 61st parallel, consists of 9 provinces and includes about 50% of the landmass. It's inhabited by only about 15% of the population. Central Sweden (Svealand) = in the middle 1/5 of Sweden, 87 000 sqkm, with 3 million inhabitants (Stockholm has about 1 million) It consists of six provinces. Ancient Svealand often is called the cultural heart of Sweden. Some 20,000 islands lie along its eastern coast. South Sweden (Götaland) = in the southern 1/5 of Sweden, with about 4 million inhabitants This is the most populated part of Sweden, and includes eight provinces - Östergötland, Småland, Västergötland, Skåne, Dalsland, Bohuslån, Halland, and Blekinge--plus the islands of and Öland and Gotland. The Småland Province (in 1998 the name changed from Kronobergs) is in the southeastern part of the Götaland Region. It is the largest province in Sweden, and contains parts of Jönköpings, Kronobergs, and Kalmar counties. 
Figure 2 is a map of the Kronobergs County located in the southwestern 1/3 of Småland. It has mainly unchanged borders since 1687. It consists of about 86 communities It has an area of 9,914 square kilometers. The population in 2000 was 177,000 people. Its regional center is the municipality of Växjö. 
Figure 3 is a map of the northern part of Växjö Municipality. At the lower left is Nykulla, which is about 15 miles north of the city of Växjö. In the upper right is Hornaryd, about ten miles northeast of Nykulla. 
Figure 4 is a map of Nykulla. The village covers about a one-half square mile area. 
C. History There are dates in Swedish history that reflect the wars, land reforms, and social changes that are important to our Newquist genealogy research. The link below provides a comprehensive listing of these dates. Important Years In Swedish History.
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