7 Tips to Finding Death Records in Norway
Hello everyone! It’s good to be with you again! The holidays were great, but it’s time to get back into the swing of things. How’s your week going? Is it slow or busy? Are you wanting to go back to the fun of the holidays or are you ready to let all of that stress go?
I want to talk with you about death records this week. I know that may not be the best topic to talk about right now during the holidays; however, it’s the last church record in our series that needs to be addressed. It might as well be now. If you’re ready for this topic, then go for it. If you aren’t then just skip this article for now and come back to it when you are ready.
I’m grateful for life! I believe that as hard and unfair as this life can be, I can still be grateful to live at all. I think genealogy helps us appreciate life a little better because we deal with people dying young, from disease, old age, accidents, foul play, etc. We need to find their death circumstances in order for us to complete our information on them. I don’t know about you, but the more that I work with death records and finding out how people died, the more I appreciate my life as hard as it is.
Death records can be hard to find. In my family, for example, I have Endre Evensen and Synnove Evensen and their children. They moved around a lot during their married life. I have records showing they moved at least three known times. After their last child was born, they seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. So far, I haven’t been able to find any records showing if they stayed in that area or if they moved to another area. This makes it harder to find death records for them. I don’t know if they died the next year after their child was born or lived for another fifty years. Without other records showing what they did with their lives, I might not find their death records for a while.
Though this is a challenge, I’m not without options. Therefore, in this article I will talk about tips on how to search for hard to find death records.
1. Public member trees
I have found some death records because other people have posted those dates and places on their family trees. It still takes some searching to find the original records and make sure that’s the correct ancestor, but the clues help narrow the search.
2. Farm Books
This is special to Norway. Farm books are a compilation of farms and their occupants from the 1500’s and on. The books show the farm and then list every occupant of that farm, who they married, where they were born, when they died, and who the children were and their spouses. It is a gold mine of clues. It’s similar to the compiled books found in America where they list families and all of their information. I still need to verify this information with original documents. However, Endre and Synnove didn’t live on a farm therefore they won’t show up on a farm book unless they moved in with one of their children who lived on a farm. This means that I would research their children to see where they lived and hope that Endre or Synnove was found in the farm book. Farm books can be found on the FamilySearchWiki pages for each parish.
3. Research the Children in the Family
Usually parents moved in or near their adult children as they aged. Therefore, census records, farm books, tax records, and birth and marriage records, etc. will show the extended family.
4. Probate Records
A probate record is usually a will that’s made after a person died. Not everyone in Norway had a probate record made for him or her. However, if there is a record for that person, then it can show extended family and if they’re still alive or not. These can be tricky to find as well because you may not know when that person died in order to find a probate for him or her.
5. Search for the Individual
In Ancestry, FamilySearch, and Norway Digital Archive you can narrow the search parameters to just show the death collections. This is tricky as well because you might narrow the search so much that your ancestor slips through the cracks. Then it’s a matter if you want to take the time to search page by page and year by year until you find something. This can be good if you have the time; however, most people don’t so if you don’t find anything soon after your search, then choose another way to find the record.
6. Newspaper Articles
I personally haven’t dealt with this strategy yet. All Norwegian papers are in Norwegian therefore I would need to find someone who can translate for me in order to find what I need. If you have someone or something that can translate, then go for it!
7. Talk with Other Genealogists
Each genealogist has their own way of finding records. Put on your learning hat and go ask at your local family history library, public library, or historical society, etc. That’s what the professionals do! In addition, Facebook and other social media sites are great for asking others.
In summary, all of these strategies are designed to help you look at others in the family in order to find your ancestor. Even after all of your hard work to find that elusive death record, you may not find it. That’s ok! There may be many legitimate reasons why that record doesn’t exist. Just hang in there and don’t give up! If the search becomes too frustrating, then move on to another person in the family. As always, I’m here to help answer any questions if you would like. In the meantime, go find that death record and try new strategies. It may be just what you need.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Tiffany
