Geirangerfjord - Norway
The Kingdom of Norway is small. A narrow strip of land in the cold North with just 5 million inhabitants. But despite our county’s small size, we have spread across the globe.
– so if you, like Richard Ayoade, Sophie Dahl, and the British Royal Family, have Norwegian relatives: Here are some tips to how you can find them!
– so if you, like Richard Ayoade, Sophie Dahl, and the British Royal Family, have Norwegian relatives: Here are some tips to how you can find them!
Norwegian emigration in a nutshell
Over the centuries, Norwegians have settled all over the world. It all started with the Vikings, who settled mainly in the UK, Ireland and France, but also populated areas as far as Sicily, Turkey, Russia and the USA.
In the 1500s and 1600s, the timber trade with the Netherlands lead a second wave of Norwegian emigrants. And in the 19h century, over 800 000 Norwegians – meaning almost 25% of the population at the time - emigrated to the USA. With the exception of Ireland, no other country sent a larger percentage of its people to the US than Norway.
In the 1500s and 1600s, the timber trade with the Netherlands lead a second wave of Norwegian emigrants. And in the 19h century, over 800 000 Norwegians – meaning almost 25% of the population at the time - emigrated to the USA. With the exception of Ireland, no other country sent a larger percentage of its people to the US than Norway.
Are you a Viking?
In the UK, the Norwegian Viking heritage is visible in buildings words that are still used in the English language today. And you will also find that many Brits, especially in Shetland, Orkney, South of Scotland Yorkshire and the North of England, have Norwegian ancestry.
But as all genealogists know, when tracing back relatives as far back as to the Vikings, we are more or less all related. And documents and sources back then were sketchy at the best. Luckily, the Norwegian archive methods have improved since then.
But as all genealogists know, when tracing back relatives as far back as to the Vikings, we are more or less all related. And documents and sources back then were sketchy at the best. Luckily, the Norwegian archive methods have improved since then.
Discover your Norwegian relatives
MyHeritage is Norway’s most popular platform for building family trees online. The site currently has over 500 000 registered Norwegian users, which means that 1 in 10 Norwegians have an account or a family tree on the site.
This again means that if you are of Norwegian descent, and you know the name of your ancestors, you are very likely to be able to find clues – and maybe even be able to connect to an existing family tree – on MyHeritage. If you haven’t tried it already - Go to www.myheritage.com to register.
This again means that if you are of Norwegian descent, and you know the name of your ancestors, you are very likely to be able to find clues – and maybe even be able to connect to an existing family tree – on MyHeritage. If you haven’t tried it already - Go to www.myheritage.com to register.
As a special offer, all Ancestry Hour readers will be given a 30% discount on all MyHeritage products, including annual Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions.
Enter the code AncestryHour to claim your discount. But be quick! The offer is only valid until the end of October!
Enter the code AncestryHour to claim your discount. But be quick! The offer is only valid until the end of October!
Church records and census data
The first thing to look into when searching for Norwegian ancestors, is in the Kirkebøker. These parish registers were kept by parish clergymen, and provide information about, among other things, baptisms, confirmation, marriage, and burials in the parish.
As early Norwegian law made membership in the Lutheran State Church mandatory, these records cover close to 100% of the population, and are hence invaluable when searching for Norwegian relatives.
Some parish registers date from the 1600s, but most begin after 1700. – and as Kirkebøker were updated regularly, it is often easier to trace movements in these compared to census data. Just make sure you search in the correct parish – they might have merged or changed name over time!
National Censuses were conducted in Norway in 1769, 1801, and every tenth year from 1815 up to and including 1875. From 1890 (1891) a population census has been taken every tenth year. From a genealogical point of view, the best census is from 1801, because it lists the individual's name, age, occupation, and family status.
As early Norwegian law made membership in the Lutheran State Church mandatory, these records cover close to 100% of the population, and are hence invaluable when searching for Norwegian relatives.
Some parish registers date from the 1600s, but most begin after 1700. – and as Kirkebøker were updated regularly, it is often easier to trace movements in these compared to census data. Just make sure you search in the correct parish – they might have merged or changed name over time!
National Censuses were conducted in Norway in 1769, 1801, and every tenth year from 1815 up to and including 1875. From 1890 (1891) a population census has been taken every tenth year. From a genealogical point of view, the best census is from 1801, because it lists the individual's name, age, occupation, and family status.
Where to find Norwegian records online
MyHeritage.com includes a lot of Norwegian first tier-records, as well as family trees created by its Norwegian users. Search for your Norwegian relatives here.
The Norwegian National Archive (link http://arkivverket.no/eng/content/view/full/629 ) is currently in the process of making all census data and Parish Registers available online.
But please note that the work is currently ongoing, and that not all records are complete or indexed yet. So it you don’t find a hit in the links below immediately, don’t despair!
But please note that the work is currently ongoing, and that not all records are complete or indexed yet. So it you don’t find a hit in the links below immediately, don’t despair!
In addition to these, you can also find clues in Real Estate Registers, Emigrant registers, Probate records, Property tax records, Legal Proceedings and Sanctions, as well as in Accounts and Tax lists. When searching for people in Oslo from 1903 to 1950, have a look at the Address Books for Kristiania/Oslo and Aker.
And if you’re stuck - contact the local archive where your ancestors were from. Or send MyHeritage in Norway a message on Facebook. Maybe we can find someone who can point you in the right direction!
Good Luck! Or as we say in Norway: Lykke til!
- and don't forget to claim your discount! Enter the code AncestryHour to receive a 30% discounts on all MyHeritage products!
This blog post is written by Trine Knudsen Dabbadie, who is an advisor for MyHeritage in Norway.
Good Luck! Or as we say in Norway: Lykke til!
- and don't forget to claim your discount! Enter the code AncestryHour to receive a 30% discounts on all MyHeritage products!
This blog post is written by Trine Knudsen Dabbadie, who is an advisor for MyHeritage in Norway.
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