Abstract
This article presents a large-scale effort to create a structured dataset of internal migration in Finland between 1800 and 1920 using digitized church moving records. These records, maintained by Evangelical-Lutheran parishes, document the migration of individuals and families and offer a valuable source for studying historical demographic patterns. The dataset includes over six million entries extracted from approximately 200,000 images of handwritten migration records. The data extraction process was automated using a deep learning pipeline that included layout analysis, table detection, cell classification, and handwriting recognition. The complete pipeline was applied to all images, resulting in a structured dataset suitable for research. The dataset can be used to study internal migration, urbanization, and family migration, and the spread of disease in preindustrial Finland. A case study from the Elimäki parish shows how local migration histories can be reconstructed. The work demonstrates how large volumes of handwritten archival material can be transformed into structured data to support historical and demographic research.
Abstract (translated)
本文介绍了一项大规模的努力，利用数字化的教会迁移记录创建了1800年至1920年间芬兰国内移民的结构化数据集。这些记录由福音路德会教区维护，详细记载了个人和家庭的迁移情况，是研究历史人口模式的重要资料来源。该数据集包含超过六百万条从大约二十万张手写迁移记录图片中提取出来的信息。 数据提取过程采用了深度学习流水线自动化处理，包括版面分析、表格检测、单元格分类以及手写识别等步骤。整个流水线应用于所有图像后，生成了一个适合研究的结构化数据集。该数据集可以用于研究内部移民、城市化、家庭迁移以及工业化前芬兰疾病的传播。 通过艾利马基教区的一个案例研究展示了如何重建本地迁移历史。这项工作证明了大量手写档案资料可以通过转化为结构化数据来支持历史和人口学的研究。
URL
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.07960
