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The earliest Norwegian church records date from 1623, though information about individual ministers may date to the 1500s. Most christening records began in the late 1600s after King Christian's law of 1686, which made the registration of christenings mandatory for all of Norway.  At this time a separate copy of the parish registers were kept by the church warden/sexton.  The priest and the church warden woould get together at the end of the year and compare their books.  If one parish register is difficult to read make sure you check the copy since the handwriting could be much better in the copy!  
The earliest Norwegian church records date from 1623, though information about individual ministers may date to the 1500s. Most christening records began in the late 1600s after King Christian's law of 1686, which made the registration of christenings mandatory for all of Norway.  At this time a separate copy of the parish registers were kept by the church warden/sexton.  The priest and the church warden woould get together at the end of the year and compare their books.  If one parish register is difficult to read make sure you check the copy since the handwriting could be much better in the copy!  


 
   


==== '''What You Are Looking For'''  ====
==== '''What You Are Looking For'''  ====
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If you have the name of a '''place''' in Norway, but don't know if it is a parish (record keeping jurisdiction), see the Norwegian Gazetteer '''{{FHL|403519|title-id|disp=Norsk stedsfortegnelse 1901}}''' or {{FHL|22316|title-id|disp=Norsk stedsfortegnelse 1972}}.  Instructions for using these '''gazetteers '''are found in '''How to Use the Norwegian gazetteer'''.  
If you have the name of a '''place''' in Norway, but don't know if it is a parish (record keeping jurisdiction), see the Norwegian Gazetteer '''{{FHL|403519|title-id|disp=Norsk stedsfortegnelse 1901}}''' or {{FHL|22316|title-id|disp=Norsk stedsfortegnelse 1972}}.  Instructions for using these '''gazetteers '''are found in '''How to Use the Norwegian gazetteer'''.  


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When looking for your ancestor's christening or baptism record, remember:  
When looking for your ancestor's christening or baptism record, remember:  


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*Christening records are arranged chronologically.  
*Christening records are arranged chronologically.  
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For more information on determining places of origin, see [[Norway Emigration and Immigration|Norway Emigration and Immigration / How to Find the Ancestor's Town of Origin]].  
For more information on determining places of origin, see [[Norway Emigration and Immigration|Norway Emigration and Immigration / How to Find the Ancestor's Town of Origin]].  


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===== '''Tip 2.''' '''''How do I find the entry for my ancestor?'''''  =====
===== '''Tip 2.''' '''''How do I find the entry for my ancestor?'''''  =====
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Eliminate entries that contradict what you know about your ancestor. Check death records to see if any of the children died before your ancestor did. Check marriage records to see if any of the children married someone other than your ancestor's spouse (but remember that your ancestor may have married more than once). Try to make sure the christening entry is of your direct line ancestor. Because names are so common, you must be sure you have the correct entry.  
Eliminate entries that contradict what you know about your ancestor. Check death records to see if any of the children died before your ancestor did. Check marriage records to see if any of the children married someone other than your ancestor's spouse (but remember that your ancestor may have married more than once). Try to make sure the christening entry is of your direct line ancestor. Because names are so common, you must be sure you have the correct entry.  


For help with name variations, see [[Norway Names Personal]].
For help with name variations, see [[Norway Names Personal]].  


===== '''Tip 3.''' '''''What if I can't read the record?'''''  =====
===== '''Tip 3.''' '''''What if I can't read the record?'''''  =====
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Also, prior to the 1900s, records were written in a form of Gothic script.  
Also, prior to the 1900s, records were written in a form of Gothic script.  


For publications that can help you read the languages and Gothic script, see [[Norway Word List]], [[Latin Genealogical Word List]], and [[Germany Handwriting]].
For publications that can help you read the languages and Gothic script, see [[Norway Word List]], [[Latin Genealogical Word List]], and [[Germany Handwriting]].  


===== '''Tip 4.''' '''''How do I find the record for each brother and sister?'''''  =====
===== '''Tip 4.''' '''''How do I find the record for each brother and sister?'''''  =====
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When more than one set of parents has the same given names and surnames (for example, two couples with the names Lars Jensen and Maria Pedersdatter), use the following identifiers and records to separate the families:  
When more than one set of parents has the same given names and surnames (for example, two couples with the names Lars Jensen and Maria Pedersdatter), use the following identifiers and records to separate the families:  
*The place of residence of the family
 
*The father's occupation
*The place of residence of the family  
*The witnesses or godparents
*The father's occupation  
*The witnesses or godparents  
*Other sources like census and probate records that list family members as a group.
*Other sources like census and probate records that list family members as a group.


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Check 5 years on each side of the supposed christening year, and copy the entry of every child with the same given name(s) and patronymic surname as the ancestor. <br>If one or more entries exist, check church burial records to eliminate those entries of children that died before your ancestor. <br>If burial records do not exist or you are not able to eliminate all of the possible entries, check marriage records to eliminate those who married someone other than your ancestor's spouse. <br>If you still cannot eliminate 2 or more possibilities, find the families in the nearest available census, then the next. Also, find the possible ancestors in confirmation records, and see if the listed vaccination dates help eliminate one of the possibilities. <br>If you eliminate all the possibilities, check the surrounding parishes and repeat the above process until you find the christening entry for your ancestor.  
Check 5 years on each side of the supposed christening year, and copy the entry of every child with the same given name(s) and patronymic surname as the ancestor. <br>If one or more entries exist, check church burial records to eliminate those entries of children that died before your ancestor. <br>If burial records do not exist or you are not able to eliminate all of the possible entries, check marriage records to eliminate those who married someone other than your ancestor's spouse. <br>If you still cannot eliminate 2 or more possibilities, find the families in the nearest available census, then the next. Also, find the possible ancestors in confirmation records, and see if the listed vaccination dates help eliminate one of the possibilities. <br>If you eliminate all the possibilities, check the surrounding parishes and repeat the above process until you find the christening entry for your ancestor.  


=== '''Norway Church Records'''  ===
The Lutheran church records are the primary source for genealogical research in Norway.&nbsp; Church records (kirkebøker) provides excellent information on names, dates, and places of births, marriages and deaths.&nbsp; Almost everyone who lived in Norway was recorded in a church record.
Records of births, marriages, and deaths are commonly called Vital records because critical events in a person's life are recorded in them.&nbsp; Church records are vital records made by the pastor or his assistant.&nbsp; They are often referred to as parish registers or church books and include records of christenings, marriages, and burials.&nbsp; In addition, church records may include lists of members, confimations, marriage banns,&nbsp;and accounts of people moving in and out&nbsp;of the parish.&nbsp;
Church records are crucial for Norwegian research.&nbsp; The Evangelical Lutheran church became the state chruch (''Statskirken''), or national church (''Den Norske Kirke, lit. ''The Norwegian Church), after the Reformation in 1536.&nbsp; As such, it is an arm of the national government.&nbsp; The church keeps the vital records for the government.
==== General Historical Background  ====
Christianity came to Norway during the 11th century through the kings Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf II Haraldsson. The church was not orgainized nationally, however, until 1152 to 1153 in the form of the Catholic church.&nbsp; The church was organized with an archbishop in Nidaros (now Trondheim), with ten bishop seats under him: four in Norway, two in Iceland, one in Greenland, one in the Faeroe Island, one in the Orkney Island, and one in the Hebrides Islands and Isle of Man.
From the time of the Reformation in 1536, Norway became a Lutheran nation.&nbsp; From then until 1843 it was against the law to practice the Roman Catholic religion in Norway.&nbsp; Notable exceptions include Catholic congregations in Fredrikstad (since 1682), Kristiansand (since 1686), and Oslo (Kristiania) (since 1843).&nbsp; A few Quakers were also allowed to live near Stavanger in 1826, provided that they did not move out of the area.
The Norwegian government recorgnized only the state church prior to 1845, when it became legal to organize churches of other denominations.&nbsp; St. Olav's Catholic congregation in Oslo was organized that year.&nbsp; Its church building was completed in 1856, the same year Catholic missionary work was started in Northern Norway, with Alta as its seat.&nbsp; This work, also called the North Pole Mission (''Nordpolmisjon), ''was abolished in 1869, and resumed its seat in Oslo.
There are no church records from the pre-Reformation times in Norway.&nbsp; Therefore, the earliest church records available are the Lutheran church records.
At a Congress of Deans held in April 1668, a resolution was adopted to introduce keeping parish records in Norway.&nbsp; However, it was not until 1688 that record keeping was required by law.&nbsp; Some pastors began keeping records much earlier.&nbsp; The earliest parish records dates from 1623.&nbsp; Church records for the state church are available in most areas beginning about 1700.
In 1845 the Nonconformist Act recognized Chrisian dissenter churches: however, the act required that everyone from all denominations notify the pastor or&nbsp;their local Lutheran parish of all births and marriages.&nbsp; The Nonconformist Act did not apply to Jews until 1851, when a constitutional provision repealed the exclusion.&nbsp; Few Norwegians belong to nonconformist religions.&nbsp; in 1989 only six percent of the population listed their religion as other than Lutheran.
A uniform system for keeping church records was introduced by royal ordinace in December 1812.&nbsp; The use of a standard form began during the winter of 1814.&nbsp; This form was replaced by a new one in 1820 and another in 1870.&nbsp; The form adopted in 1870 is basically the same one still in use today.
Because of concerns over the possible destruction of church books by fire or loss, the Ordinance of 1812 required that a duplicate register be kept in a separate place.&nbsp; These records, called ''Klokkerbøker (''clerk books), were kept by the parish clerk.&nbsp; The clerk books are disignated as such in the Family History Library Catalog by the use of&nbsp;"kl" to the left of the volume and time period of the records.
==== Information Recorded in Church Records  ====
At first the record-keeping requirement was limited to baptims, marriages, and burials.&nbsp; Confirmation registers of many parishes date from as early as 1736.&nbsp; Until a standard form was established in 1814, no directions were given on how to keep church records, so the records before that date vary greatly.
==== Norway Church Records Baptisms (''Døpte'')  ====
Prior to 1814, usually only the date of christening was listed.&nbsp; Children were generally christened within a few days of birth.&nbsp; Christening registers usually give the name of the infant and father and the place of residence.&nbsp; In some cases the mother's name is listed, and often the names of godparents and withnesses were recorded.&nbsp; You may also find the child's birth date and the father's occupation in the baptismal records.&nbsp; Baptism records may also include records of stillbirths.
The spelling of a name was determined by the recorder, so many variations resulted.&nbsp; For example, the given name Sivert might be spelled as Syver, Sjur, Siver, Sifuer, or Siffuer.
After 1814 a standardized form was generally used in recording the event.&nbsp; On this form was listed both the birth and christening date, borth parents' names and place of residence, the child's legitimate or illegitimate status, and the names of godparents and witnesses.&nbsp; In larger cities, street addresses were also listed.
=== Norway Church Records Confirmation  ===
(Konfirmasjon)
Although a person's first communion was important, berfore 1736 little formal religious instruction was given regarding it.&nbsp; However, in that year the Lutheran state church requiered that young people be instructed in catechism and pass a test before taking the first communion.&nbsp; This test and the first communion was called confirmation.&nbsp; No one was permitted to marry in the Lutheran church unless he or she was confirmed.
Confirmation usually took place when a young person was between the ages of 14 to 20 years old.&nbsp; The canditate was usually nearer 19 years of age in the period close to 1736 and 14 to 16 years of age later.&nbsp; In pre-1815 confirmation records the age and place of residence were often recorded.&nbsp; After 1814 the name of the head of household where the youth lived, the age, birth and/or baptism date, and the place of residence and birth were listed.&nbsp; Since the 1830s the parents' names were also listed.
==== '''Norway Church Records&nbsp;Marriages (''Viede, Copulerede'')'''  ====
Marriage registers give the bride's and groom's names, marriage date, and sometines their place(s) of residence.&nbsp; Usually the record also indicates whether the bride and groom were single or widowed before marriage and gives the names of bondsmen (two men who knew that the bride and groom were eligible to be married; in later records these were often the fathers of the bride and groom).&nbsp; Sometimes a separate record of a couple's engagement (trolovelse) appears in the earlier records.
Records after 1814 often include other information about the bride and groom, such as their ages, place of residence, and occupations.&nbsp; After the 1830s the records also include the names of their fathers and birthplaces.
Marriage registers sometimes give tthe date of the engagement and the three dates on which the marriage intentions were announced.&nbsp; These announcements, called ''banns or Lysning,'' allowed anyone who knew of any reason why the couple should not marry to come forward.&nbsp;
Couples were usuallly married in the bride's home parish.&nbsp; Typically, the bride and groom were in their twenties when they married.
==== Norway Church Records burials (''Begravede)''  ====
Burials were recorded in the parish where the person lwas buried.&nbsp; The burial usually took place in the parish were the person died, one to two weeks after the death occurred.&nbsp; In the wintertime the actual time between death and burial could have been weeks of even months.
Burial registers list the name of the deceased and the date and place of burial.&nbsp; After 1814 the deceased person's age, place of residence, and occupation were listed.&nbsp; For young children the name of the child's father is usually given.
Burial records may exist for individuals who were born before birth records and marriage records were kept.&nbsp; Stillbirths were usually recorded in church burial registers.




==== Norway Church Records arrivals and&nbsp;removals&nbsp;(Tilgangslister - Afgangslister)  ====
'''Tilgangslister''' (Arrivals) are records where you will find the name of each person arriving.&nbsp; It lists the name of the person moving into the parish, date he or she arrived, age, reason for&nbsp;arrival, name of the&nbsp;parish&nbsp;he or she came from,&nbsp;place of birth, place of residence in the parish, and certificates.
'''Afgangslister''' (Removals)&nbsp;are records where you will find the the date&nbsp;of departure,&nbsp;name of each&nbsp;person,&nbsp;age,&nbsp;name of&nbsp;parish they moved to.
These records are usually available from 1814-1875, but you may find records as early as late 1700's to late 1800's.&nbsp; They are valuable because you may follow each person as they move from one parish to another.&nbsp; When a family left a parish to emigrate to America&nbsp;often you may see whole families listed.


=== '''Norway Church Records Marriage''' 1814 - Present  ===
=== '''Norway Church Records Marriage''' 1814 - Present  ===
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For more information on church marriage records, see Background.  
For more information on church marriage records, see Background.  


==== Background<br> ====
==== Background<br> ====


'''Norway, Church Record Marriage 1500-1813 '''<br>The earliest Norwegian church records date from 1624, though information about individual ministers may date to the 1500s. Most marriage records began in the late 1600s after King Christian's law of 1686, which made the registration of marriage mandatory for all of Norway.  
'''Norway, Church Record Marriage 1500-1813 '''<br>The earliest Norwegian church records date from 1624, though information about individual ministers may date to the 1500s. Most marriage records began in the late 1600s after King Christian's law of 1686, which made the registration of marriage mandatory for all of Norway.  


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=== What&nbsp;You Are looking For  ===
=== What&nbsp;You Are looking For  ===
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=== Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Norwegian Mission  ===
=== Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Norwegian Mission  ===


&nbsp; Annual genealogical report, Form E, 1907-1951<br>
&nbsp; Annual genealogical report, Form E, 1907-1951<br>  


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&nbsp; 1907 Norwegian Mission: Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 1 <br>1908-1918 Scandinavian Mission: Norwegian Mission Danish Mission Swedish Mission (a few records) FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 2-12 <br>1920 Norwegian Mission Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference . Samoan Mission Savaii Conference, Palauli Branch . FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 13 <br>1921 Norwegian Mission Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 14 <br>1922 Kristiania Conference Includes all branches in Norway FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 15 <br>1923-1924 Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 16-17 <br>1925 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference (formerly Kristiania Conference) Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 18 <br>1926-1931 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 19-23 <br>1931 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference (formerly spelled Trondhjem) FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 24 <br>1932-1933 Bergen Conference Olso Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 25-26 <br>1934 Bergen Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 27 <br>1936 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 28 <br>1935 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 29 <br>1936-1939 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference. NO REPORTS TO 1946. FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 30-33 <br>1947 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference . Palestine-Syrian Mission Aleppo Branch FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 34 <br>1949-1950 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 35-36 <br>1951 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference <br>
&nbsp; 1907 Norwegian Mission: Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 1 <br>1908-1918 Scandinavian Mission: Norwegian Mission Danish Mission Swedish Mission (a few records) FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 2-12 <br>1920 Norwegian Mission Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference . Samoan Mission Savaii Conference, Palauli Branch . FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 13 <br>1921 Norwegian Mission Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 14 <br>1922 Kristiania Conference Includes all branches in Norway FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 15 <br>1923-1924 Bergen Conference Kristiania Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 16-17 <br>1925 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference (formerly Kristiania Conference) Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 18 <br>1926-1931 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondhjem Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 19-23 <br>1931 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference (formerly spelled Trondhjem) FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 24 <br>1932-1933 Bergen Conference Olso Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 25-26 <br>1934 Bergen Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 27 <br>1936 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 28 <br>1935 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 29 <br>1936-1939 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference. NO REPORTS TO 1946. FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 30-33 <br>1947 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference . Palestine-Syrian Mission Aleppo Branch FHL International<br>Film 123198 Item 34 <br>1949-1950 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference FHL International<br>Film 123198 Items 35-36 <br>1951 Bergen Conference Oslo Conference Trondheim Conference <br>  
 
Film&nbsp;123198 Item 37


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Film 123198 Item 37
 
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[[Category:Norway]]
[[Category:Norway]]
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