A Practical Guide to the new Digitalarkivet viewer The new Digitalarkivet interface, despite being modern in design, can still support that same approach as we used in the older version. This article provides a practical guide to the new Digitalarkivet viewer for anyone ready to learn how to navigate it.

A Practical Guide to the new Digitalarkivet viewer

The new Digitalarkivet interface, despite being modern in design, can still support that same approach as we used in the older version. This article provides a practical guide to the new Digitalarkivet viewer for anyone ready to learn how to…

Soothing Saturday: Clarinets, Repairs, and Other Trials of Country Life Most people probably think I spend all my time with the dead. And to be fair, there is some truth in that. Genealogy does tend to keep one in close company with departed farmers, missing great-grandfathers, parish clerks with dreadful handwriting, and the occasional ancestor who seems determined to leave as little trace as possible. That is a large part of my world.

Soothing Saturday: Clarinets, Repairs, and Other Trials of Country Life

Most people probably think I spend all my time with the dead. And to be fair, there is some truth in that. Genealogy does tend to keep one in close company with departed farmers, missing great-grandfathers, parish clerks with…

Gaardsdriften Aaret rundt (1891): Stepping Into the Living Rhythm of Your Norwegian Ancestors There is a quiet distance that often settles between our ancestors and us. We learn their names, we trace their movements across parish registers and census lists, and we note the farms they occupied. Yet something remains just out of reach: the texture of their daily lives, as glimpsed in sources like Gaardsdriften Aaret rundt (1891). What did it mean, in a practical sense, to be a farmer in 19th-century Norway?

Gaardsdriften Aaret rundt (1891): Stepping Into the Living Rhythm of Your Norwegian Ancestors

There is a quiet distance that often settles between our ancestors and us. We learn their names, we trace their movements across parish registers and census lists, and we note the farms they occupied. Yet…

Parents names in illegitimate children’s baptism records Anyone who has spent time in Norwegian parish registers knows that the layout of a baptism entry is not always as straightforward as we might wish. This becomes particularly evident in records of children born outside marriage.

Parents names in illegitimate children’s baptism records

Anyone who has spent time in Norwegian parish registers knows that the layout of a baptism entry is not always as straightforward as we might wish. This becomes particularly evident in records of children born outside marriage.

What DNA Research Can Tell Us About Internal Migration in Norway When genealogists think about migration, we often think first of emigration. The journey to America is dramatic, visible, and often well documented. But internal migration in Norway is just as important for understanding family history, and often much harder to see.

What DNA Research Can Tell Us About Internal Migration in Norway

When genealogists think about migration, we often think first of emigration. The journey to America is dramatic, visible, and often well documented. But internal migration in Norway is just as important for understanding family…

When the In-Migration Page Is Really an Out-Migration Page If you work much with Norwegian church records, you eventually learn that the page headings do not always tell the whole story. In some cases, when the In-Migration Page is really an Out-Migration Page, it can create confusion for researchers. What looks neat and orderly in a printed form can turn out to be a little messier in practice — and that matters very much when you are trying to follow an ancestor from one parish to another.

When the In-Migration Page Is Really an Out-Migration Page

If you work much with Norwegian church records, you eventually learn that the page headings do not always tell the whole story. In some cases, when the In-Migration Page is really an Out-Migration Page, it can create confusion for…

Well, if you consider 3,791.60 miles a reasonable drive, I am happy to oblige. That is measured from our Norwegian mountain cabin to the center of Milwaukee, so you might want to adjust it to your exact position.😂

Norwegian Easter: Murder, Chocolate, and a Bit of Fresh Air 🐣 Let me just say it straight: Norwegian Easter is wonderfully confusing the first time you experience it.

Norwegian Easter: Murder, Chocolate, and a Bit of Fresh Air 🐣

Let me just say it straight: Norwegian Easter is wonderfully confusing the first time you experience it.

Following My Ancestor Back to Norway A family story of emigration, war, and returning to Norway generations later.

Following My Ancestor Back to Norway

A family story of emigration, war, and returning to Norway generations later.

Internal Migration in Norway in the 1700s–1800s: From Valleys to Frontiers Between the 1700s and 1800s, Norway underwent significant demographic, economic, and social transformations. Internal migration—that is, movement of people within Norway rather than overseas—played a central role in these changes. This article examines the scale, causes, patterns, and consequences of internal migration in Norway in that era, drawing on recent research and historical sources.

Internal Migration in Norway in the 1700s–1800s: From Valleys to Frontiers

Between the 1700s and 1800s, Norway underwent significant demographic, economic, and social transformations. Internal migration—that is, movement of people within Norway rather than overseas—played a central role in these…

I have mixed feelings about this too.

Lensmann on the Edge of the Lake: A Microhistory of My 8th Great-Grandfather Jens Nilsen Nedrebø On a cold December evening in 1680, the sky over Jølster refused to behave. That night, Jens Nilsen Nedrebø, the sheriff in Jølster, recorded the unfolding events.

Lensmann on the Edge of the Lake: A Microhistory of My 8th Great-Grandfather Jens Nilsen Nedrebø

On a cold December evening in 1680, the sky over Jølster refused to behave. That night, Jens Nilsen Nedrebø, the sheriff in Jølster, recorded the unfolding events.

Digitalarkivet’s New Service for Scanned Church Books: What’s Changing and How We Can Adapt Nasjonalarkivet has launched   Digitalarkivet new service for searching and viewing scanned church books (skanna kirkebøker). The rollout began in mid-December, and the service is still being improved based on feedback from heavy users—exactly the people who live in parish registers day in and day out. If we rely on church books for Norwegian genealogy, this matters for one simple reason: …

Digitalarkivet’s New Service for Scanned Church Books: What’s Changing and How We Can Adapt

Nasjonalarkivet has launched   Digitalarkivet new service for searching and viewing scanned church books (skanna kirkebøker). The rollout began in mid-December, and the service is still being improved based…

Book Review: The Craft of Historical Research Most genealogists begin with names, dates, and places. Historians, on the other hand, usually begin with questions about societies and historical change. Yet the methods used by both groups are remarkably similar. This book review, The Craft of Historical Research, takes a closer look at the book, where Isaac Land presents a clear guide to how historical research actually works—and many of the principles translate directly to genealogy.

Book Review: The Craft of Historical Research

Most genealogists begin with names, dates, and places. Historians, on the other hand, usually begin with questions about societies and historical change. Yet the methods used by both groups are remarkably similar. This book review, The Craft of…

#genealogy

Using Flickr to Share Family Photos: A Digital Album for Our Family History For many family historians, photographs are among the most treasured pieces of evidence we possess. Names and dates tell us who our ancestors were, but photographs show us their faces, their clothing, their homes, and sometimes even the landscapes they lived in. Using Flickr to share family photos can be a wonderful way to preserve and connect these memories. 

Using Flickr to Share Family Photos: A Digital Album for Our Family History

For many family historians, photographs are among the most treasured pieces of evidence we possess. Names and dates tell us who our ancestors were, but photographs show us their faces, their clothing, their homes, and…

Why Your Story Matters When we do genealogy and local history, it’s easy to get caught up in dates and names: born, baptized, married, buried. Important, yes – but a life is more than a line in a parish register.

Why Your Story Matters

When we do genealogy and local history, it’s easy to get caught up in dates and names: born, baptized, married, buried. Important, yes – but a life is more than a line in a parish register.

The “Eiendom” Sources in Digitalarkivet: A Complete Guide for Genealogists If you research Norwegian family history, you already know the “people records”: baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, and censuses. But serious genealogical research in Norway eventually leads to something even more revealing: Eiendom sources in Digitalarkivet (Digitalarkivet, n.d.-a).

The “Eiendom” Sources in Digitalarkivet: A Complete Guide for Genealogists

If you research Norwegian family history, you already know the “people records”: baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, and censuses. But serious genealogical research in Norway eventually leads to something even more…

Archives Portal Europe — A Practical Gateway to Europe’s Archives If you’ve ever tried to research outside one single country, you know how quickly things become complicated. Different archive systems, languages, and catalog structures. And sometimes, different historical borders altogether.

Archives Portal Europe — A Practical Gateway to Europe’s Archives

If you’ve ever tried to research outside one single country, you know how quickly things become complicated. Different archive systems, languages, and catalog structures. And sometimes, different historical borders altogether.

Cover of "Exploring Norwegian Genealogy"; Christinsen, Liv Birgit and Strand, Margaret Helen, Exploring Norwegian Genealogy, Orting, Washington, Family Roots Publishing Co., LLC, 2023.

Exploring Norwegian Genealogy, a Book Review skcgs.blogspot.com/2025/07/exploring-norwegian-genealogy-book.html

#BookReview #Norwegian #Genealogy #Research #Census #ParishRecords #FarmNames #Patronymics

Why I’ll Always Come Back to Norway | Senja After years of choosing warm, sunny destinations, Dravis and Anna traded beaches for snowstorms and headed to Senja, Norway.

Why I’ll Always Come Back to Norway | Senja

After years of choosing warm, sunny destinations, Dravis and Anna traded beaches for snowstorms and headed to Senja, Norway.

Daniel, thank you for introducing yourself. I specialize in Norwegian genealogy. I’ve been conducting research for someone whose ancestors hail from Ireland. I must admit I’ve hit a brick wall with my research there. Would you be willing to provide me some guidance?

1 Mar 2026 Trick for finding where your ancestors lived #genealogy

This week's crème de la crème - February 28, 2026 - Genealogy à la carte Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsIreland Death Records: A Window into the Lives of Your Ancestors by Rachel J. Trotter on FamilySearch Blog. Try FamilySearch Simple Search in Beta ...

Genealogy à la carte's weekly crème de la crème never disappoints. #genealogy #FamilyHistory via @genealogyalacarte.bsky.social

genealogyalacarte.ca?p=47098

The Norwegian Property Numbering System Before we can use the Eiendom sources in Digitalarkivet confidently, we need to understand how Norwegian property is identified. To do this, it's important to have some knowledge of the Norwegian property numbering system.

The Norwegian Property Numbering System

Before we can use the Eiendom sources in Digitalarkivet confidently, we need to understand how Norwegian property is identified. To do this, it's important to have some knowledge of the Norwegian property numbering system.

Soothing Saturday: The Great Snow Showdown Big snowfall overnight, and the neighborhood is out in full force. Snowblowers roar, shovels clash, and snowbanks rise like fortresses. Join me for this week’s Soothing Saturday — The Great Snow Showdown. Soothing Saturday — is my little corner for slowing down and stepping away from my usual genealogy deep dives. Think of it as a gentle exhale at the end of the week — a space for reflections, small joys, and simple stories written just for the pleasure of it.We woke up this morning to silence — that soft, heavy kind that only follows a proper snowfall.

Soothing Saturday: The Great Snow Showdown

Big snowfall overnight, and the neighborhood is out in full force. Snowblowers roar, shovels clash, and snowbanks rise like fortresses. Join me for this week’s Soothing Saturday — The Great Snow Showdown. Soothing Saturday — is my little corner for…

#Genealogy #FamilyHistory #FREE I'm excited to present a live webinar on March 24 hosted by the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center: "Free Genealogical Resources for New York (and Beyond)" - Please mark your calendar, watch for registration soon! acpl.libnet.info/event/15848150

Gentle reminder: it’s okay to not be productive with your research when you’re stressed or overwhelmed. It’s okay to take a break. Closing the laptop is sometimes the most productive research choice. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory

The Black Death in Norway (Svartedauden): population collapse, social change—and how we glimpse it in the sources The Black Death is often described as a single, terrible event. In Norway, it was both an event and the beginning of a long, uneven era of recurring plague. The Black Death reshaped Norway's population, land, and power in profound ways.

The Black Death in Norway (Svartedauden): population collapse, social change—and how we glimpse it in the sources

The Black Death is often described as a single, terrible event. In Norway, it was both an event and the beginning of a long, uneven era of recurring plague. The Black Death reshaped…

Friday Finds – Week 8, 2026 Here are some articles I have read over the last week.

Friday Finds – Week 8, 2026

Here are some articles I have read over the last week.