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Polmanarkivet is a digital archive and museum dedicated to the cultural history, genealogy, and stories of the Polman, Påhlman, and von Pohlmann families. It is the only institution of its kind — home to hundreds of curated digital objects and original research spanning six centuries of family history across Sweden, the Baltic states, Germany, and beyond.

The simple answer: Because no one else has done this work.

The Polman, Påhlman, and von Pohlmann families were active participants in Swedish history across six centuries: present in the wars, the courts, the local administrative structures, and the correspondence networks that connected provincial Sweden to the wider world. Much of that history remains scattered across archives in Sweden, Germany, and the Baltic states, recorded in early modern Swedish and German, and unexamined as a connected body of evidence.

Polmanarkivet exists to assemble that evidence for the first time. The research draws together sources that have never been read alongside each other — and in doing so, reveals a prominence and reach that existing scholarship has not captured. The goal is to make that record accessible: to researchers, to institutions, and to the many descendants who share this history.

Polmanarkivet exists entirely online, which means it is always open and accessible to anyone, anywhere. We hold a small but growing physical collection of manuscripts and objects, but we have no permanent building. Operating digitally is a deliberate choice: it removes barriers to access and allows us to serve an international community of descendants, researchers, and historians without the constraints of a physical space.

Polmanarkivet is led by its founder and Director, Jake Påhlman Peterson, and Editor Kriti Bajaj. Jake is a direct descendant of the Polman and Påhlman family lines and has been researching this history since 2022. We are a small operation with serious intentions: building partnerships with archives, museums, and research institutions in Sweden and internationally, and working toward formal recognition as a research institution. Interested in collaborating? Get in touch. Get in touch.

Polmanarkivet is for anyone with an interest in this history. Our primary audience is descendants of the Polman, Påhlman, and von Pohlmann families, along with genealogists and researchers actively working on these surnames. But the archive is equally relevant to historians and researchers of Swedish history, the Great Power era, Baltic German nobility, and early modern Europe — and to anyone drawn to the intersection of family history, archival research, and cultural heritage. You do not need a family connection to use or benefit from the site.

Membership is open to everyone. Polmanarkivet welcomes descendants of the Polman, Påhlman, and von Pohlmann families, but also historians, genealogists, and anyone with an interest in Swedish history, noble family history, or archival research. You do not need a family connection to join. Full details on membership tiers and benefits are on our Membership page.

The best starting point is our Biographical Lexicon and family tree research, which documents known lines of the Polman, Påhlman, and von Pohlmann families. If you have a specific ancestor or family line you would like us to investigate, Members and Stewards can submit research requests through our membership programme — Stewards receive priority consideration. You are also welcome to get in touch directly if you are unsure where to begin.

Our research is grounded in primary sources drawn from reputable archives and libraries in Sweden, Germany, Estonia, and elsewhere, and situated within the broader secondary literature on Swedish history, genealogy, and the relevant periods. All sources are documented and cited, and you will find full footnotes at the end of every article. We follow the professional standards of the archival and museum communities we work within. We welcome corrections and new information from the community. If you have found something we've missed or got wrong, please let us know.

Yes. Stewards of the Archive can submit Priority Research Requests — specific ancestors, family lines, or topics they would like Polmanarkivet to investigate. Members can also submit requests for consideration. Research is conducted according to Polmanarkivet's own schedule and priorities, but community input genuinely shapes what we work on. Details are on the Membership page.

Polmanarkivet publishes in English. Our primary source research draws on documents in early modern Swedish, Latin, and German; translations are acknowledged and cited throughout. For Swedish-speaking visitors, automatic translation is available via the menu, which will redirect the page through Google Translate. We are working toward a native Swedish edition of the site as a longer-term goal.

We welcome contributions of genealogical information, family stories, and high-quality digital copies of relevant documents or photographs. If you have a physical object you believe may be of interest, we are happy to discuss a potential donation or a digital loan — where we create and preserve a high-quality digital record of an item while it remains with you. All contributions are reviewed for relevance to the collection before acceptance.

Original research and writing published by Polmanarkivet may be cited with appropriate attribution. Images and objects from our physical collection require permission before use. Many of the digital objects in our collections originate from other cultural institutions and carry their own licenses which are noted on each item. For detailed guidance, please consult our Copyright page.

Polmanarkivet is a not-for-profit archive and museum, funded through the Director's own resources and the contributions of our Members and Stewards. We have no fixed grant or operational income. Every membership directly supports the archive's research activities, digital collections, and long-term preservation work. We are actively pursuing grant funding and institutional partnerships to sustain and grow our operations.

Please do tell us. Whether it is a factual error, a mistranscription, or a broken link, we want to know. Accuracy matters to us and we treat corrections seriously. You can reach us through the contact form here.