THE DANISH IMMIGRANT MUSEUM
THE DANISH IMMIGRANT MUSEUM
THE DANISH IMMIGRANT MUSEUM
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GENEALOGY CENTER<br />
Danish Research II: Using Online Sources<br />
A look at some of the currently most useful Danish websites for genealogical research and a few tips for<br />
using them, even when your knowledge of Danish is minimal.<br />
Preparation<br />
To successfully do research in Denmark one must have a few key facts in hand:<br />
• The Danish spelling of the ancestors’ given and last names<br />
• Approximately when one’s ancestors left Denmark<br />
• Where one’s ancestors came from in Denmark<br />
The parish minister or clerk was responsible for maintaining vital records and the parish was the<br />
basic unit for much other record-keeping. Hence, it is important to know at least the county, and<br />
preferably the parish, where they lived in Denmark. Knowing only that they came from Jutland<br />
or the island of Lolland will make your search much more time-consuming<br />
Searching in Denmark<br />
Once you have the above information, you are ready to start searching online in Danish<br />
sources. There will be two additional pitfalls:<br />
• Danish websites may or may not have an English-language interface<br />
• Most primary source records will be in the Gothic handwriting commonly employed until<br />
about WWI.<br />
The following are some important websites for genealogists. Additional ones and updated links<br />
may be found on the Museum webpage www.danishmuseum.org > Library & Genealogy ><br />
Genealogy Links.<br />
General Aids to Research in Denmark<br />
www.sa.dk/content/us/genealogy - Danish State Archives genealogy home page<br />
Finding Danish Villages, Towns and Parishes<br />
www.krabsen.dk/stednavnebase/ - Over 40,000 Danish place-names with their<br />
pre-1970 parish, district and county locations<br />
da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danmarks_amter_(1793-1970) – A clickable listing and map of<br />
parishes and their locations by district & county
Emigration (Udvandrerprotokoller) & Immigration Records<br />
www.emiarch.dk/search.php3?l=en – Danish Emigration Archives site (Danish police<br />
records), with records of 394,000 persons who purchased tickets from Danish emigration<br />
agents from 1868-1908 (also available on microfiche through 1911 at the FHGC).<br />
www.aalborgkommune.dk/borgerportal/applikationer/udvandrer/SoegpostEngelsk.asp -<br />
Vejle emigration lists from 1879-1887. Over 4000 names not in the above source; most<br />
traveled via Hamburg.<br />
Census returns (Folketællinger)<br />
http://ddd.dda.dk – Gateway site to transcribed Danish census records, as well as<br />
Danish emigration records and other materials.<br />
www.sa.dk/content/dk/ao-forside/find_folketallinger – Scanned images of most Danish<br />
census records (not indexed; in Danish) – See FamilySearch wiki mentioned earlier for<br />
English-language guide to using Arkivalieronline.<br />
Parish registers (Kirkebøger)<br />
www.sa.dk/content/dk/ao-forside/find_kirkeboger – Scanned images of original parish<br />
registers through 1920s-1980s. Unindexed, but accessible by parish, year, and type of<br />
record (in Danish) – See FamilySearch wiki mentioned earlier for English-language<br />
guide to using Arkivalieronline.<br />
Probate Records (Skifteprotekoller, Boskifter)<br />
www.ddd.dda.dk/dprob/DProb.htm - Index to probate records for counties of<br />
Thisted, Viborg, Aalborg and Randers only.<br />
www.sa.dk/content/dk/ao-forside/find_skifter - digital images of probate documents from<br />
eastern Denmark (in Danish) – See FamilySearch wiki mentioned earlier for Englishlanguage<br />
guide to using Arkivalieronline. Copenhagen-area probates are on a sister<br />
page on this site.<br />
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2015318 -- Digital images of Danish estate<br />
records, including land and probate records, organized geographically and then by the<br />
name of the estate. Not indexed.<br />
Miscellaneous Resources<br />
http://sub.dis-danmark.dk/kirkeimg/New/index.asp - A large collection of beautiful noncopyrighted<br />
images of Danish churches. In Danish, but alphabetically organized by<br />
parishes (sogne) and easy to navigate. Click on ‘Sogne’ on brown ribbon to access.<br />
www.slaegtogdata.dk/andet/forum-help-english = Introduction to DIS Forum, the Danish<br />
WorldWide GenWeb home page; useful for placing queries or getting help interpreting<br />
documents.<br />
http://kindo.com/index.php/dk/surname/ - information about Danish surnames and how<br />
common they are<br />
http://person.eniro.dk/ and http://www.infobel.com/en/denmark/People.aspx -- two<br />
online Danish telephone directories<br />
http://gramtrans.com/ – website for short Danish-English, English-Danish translations.<br />
Google Translate will sometimes also be helpful.
www.arkibas.dk/arkivvejviser/ – Contact information for local and regional archives<br />
which are members of the Danish Association of Archives (in Danish)<br />
http://www.cyndislist.com/denmark/ - Several hundred webpages dealing with Denmark<br />
and topics of Danish genealogical interest.<br />
www.google.com – Just Googling a name and location (for example: “Marie Berg” +<br />
Hjerting) may yield surprising results! [also try Google Earth for specific locations]<br />
S2 October2013
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