Monday, 28 December 2020
Karelian Cavalry Regiment — General Muster Rolls 1643–1809
A collection of transcribed general muster rolls from the Karelian Cavalry Regiment, spanning from its formation in 1643 to the dissolution of the Swedish-era Finnish military in 1809.
The Karelian Cavalry Regiment (Karelska kavalleriregementet, in Finnish Karjalan ratsurykmentti) was one of the allotment cavalry regiments of the Finnish province during the Swedish era. This collection presents transcriptions of the surviving general muster rolls from 1643 to 1809, offering a crucial genealogical and military-historical source for anyone researching families from the regiment’s recruitment area in Karelia.
The Articles
The collection covers 20 muster rolls across the following years:
- 1643 — The earliest surviving muster roll
- 1646
- 1649
- 1660
- 1675
- 1676
- 1679
- 1685
- 1708
- 1710
- 1712
- 1713–1721 — The Great Northern War and Great Wrath period
- 1719
- 1758
- 1773
- 1778/1789
- 1806
- 1809 discharge muster (afmönstring)
- 1809
- Ammunition accounts (ammuslaskelmia)
Each article can be purchased separately for €4, or the entire collection for €60.
How to Use These Sources
General muster rolls (pääkatselmusrullat in Finnish, generalmönsterrullor in Swedish) were compiled during periodic inspections of cavalry units. They list soldiers by company, typically including name, age, place of origin, physical description and notes on service history. They are an essential source for anyone researching ancestors who served in or maintained allotments for the Karelian Cavalry Regiment.
Allotment cavalry (rusthållskavalleri) was different from infantry allotment service: a farmer who could provide a horse and rider — and maintain both — bore the allotment obligation, and these farmer-horsemen and their families appear in the rolls alongside their soldiers.