May 9, 2024
If you have Norwegian ancestors, you may have found few, if any, good guidebooks to doing Norwegian research. That lack has now been filled by the new how-to Norwegian genealogy book, Exploring Norwegian Genealogy.
The book was written by two experienced genealogists – Liv Birgit Christensen and Margaret H. Strand. Liv is a native of Norway and Margaret is from Scotland but has lived for over forty years in Norway. Written in English, this book is just what a beginner to Norwegian research needs and will be helpful for more experienced Norwegian researchers as well.
The book presents an in-depth look at Norwegian research. It begins with a brief overview of the history of Norway and segues into what steps a researcher should take before beginning to research. These include topics such as finding out where in Norway an ancestor came from and learning about Norwegian naming patterns, including those notorious patronymic surnames.
Other sections of the book discuss various Norwegian records such as censuses, church records, and farm books. The book also explains where each record type may be found. An extensive appendix at the end of the book gives links (current as of January 2023) to websites that will aid your research. These include a mix of free and subscription sites, with an emphasis on free sites.
The book also presents case studies from the authors’ own research. These case studies include various types of documents often found during Norwegian research. The studies show the wide variety of information that can be found for Norwegian ancestors.
Although I’ve done some Norwegian research, this book opened my eyes to records and websites I’ve never used. I keep my copy near my computer. I’m sure I’ll be referring to it often.
If you’ve been putting off researching your Norwegian ancestors, this book may be just the push you need to get started. It’s clearly written and makes the process of doing Norwegian research seem possible – even if you don’t speak Norwegian!
The book is available on Amazon.com for $42.95.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society