Norway Church Records, 1815-1938

29,999,047 records

Change category or collection

Birth / Baptism

Day

Month

Year

Place

Marriage

Day

Month

Year

Place

Death / Burial

Day

Month

Year

Place

Add details

Spouse

Father

Mother

Keywords

Match all terms exactly

Clear form

All Collections

Birth, Marriage & Death

Church Records

Norway Church Records, 1815-1938

Norway Church Records, 1815-1938

29,999,047 records

This collection contains indexed records and associated images of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials kept by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norway. These parish records or “church books” (kirkebøker) are the primary source of vital records in Norway as the vital events are recorded of almost every individual who lived in Norway during the time period covered by this collection. Following current Norwegian privacy regulations, the records are of births and baptisms through the year 1919 and marriages through the year 1937. Deaths and burials are included up to and through 1938 with a limited number of deaths and burials thereafter. The Lutheran Church, the state church in Norway since 1536, and its pastors acted in an official governmental capacity in their work to collect and preserve these incredible records. Birth and Baptism (Fødte / Døpte) Records These records normally contain the birthdate and the baptism date, both parents’ names, marital status, and place of residence, the child’s legitimate or illegitimate status, and the names of godparents and witnesses. The child was often recorded with only his or her given name(s) without an expressly recorded surname as it was assumed the child would take a patronymic surname from its father or take a hereditary surname. Marriage (Viede, Copulerede, Ægteviede) Records Traditionally marriages occurred in the bride’s home parish if the bride and groom were from different parishes. Marriage records include the bride’s and groom’s names, birthplaces, marriage date, ages, and often their places of residence and occupation. The record also indicates whether the bride or groom were single or widowed before the marriage. After the 1830s the records frequently include the names of both the groom’s and bride’s fathers. Death and Burial (Døde / Begravede) Records Burials traditionally took place in the parish where the person died and burial records were recorded in the parish where the person was buried. Burial records include the burial date, the name of the deceased person, their age, place of residence, and cause of death. Records of Nonconformists and Dissenters The 1845 Nonconformist Act recognized Christian dissenter denominations but required those from dissenting denominations to notify the pastor of their local Lutheran parish of births and marriages for registration and inclusion in the Lutheran Church Records. However, relatively few people in Norway belonged to these nonconformist religions. This collection is provided through cooperation with the National Archives of Norway.

Related record categories:

Church Records

Norway

Sample record

Edvard GriegBuried: Sep 9 1907

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He became endeared to music and the piano at an early age. His breakthrough as a composer occurred in 1868 with his masterpiece Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 and led to a career of fame and wealth. He struggled with health challenges much of his life and died in 1907 at the age of 64.