Norway, Emigration Records, 1867-1960

General collection information

This collection contains emigrant registries from ports in Norway between 1867 and 1960. The following ports are represented in the collection:

• Ålesund
• Arendal
• Bergen
• Fredrikstad
• Kristiania (present day Oslo)
• Kristiansand
• Kristiansund
• Larvik
• Sandefjord
• Stavanger
• Trondheim

Most of the records in this collection are handwritten, but newer records may be typed.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Person’s name
• Sex
• Birthdate
• Birthplace
• Age
• Last residence
• Marital status
• Relationship to head of house
• Date of emigration
• Destination
• Date of arrival in Norway
• Name of ship

If you don’t speak Norwegian, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

• Navn is Norwegian for “name.”
• Udvandreren is Norwegian for “emigrant.”
• Født is Norwegian for “born.”
• Alder is Norwegian for “age.”
• Hjemstad is Norwegian for “home” and usually refers to current residence, not birthplace.
• Kjønn is Norwegian for “sex.”
• Hvorhen is Norwegian for “destination.”
• Skibet or Skipet is Norwegian for “ship.”

If you’re searching for family members who emigrated as children, their birthdates may not be accurately listed, especially if they were 14 or older. The rates for children were cheaper if the child was under 14.

Keep in mind that most Norwegians at this time used patronymic last names. For example, the children of a man named Ole would have had the last name Olesen (Ole’s son) or Olesdatter (Ole’s daughter.) Ole’s last name wouldn’t be Olesen unless his father was also named Ole. To trace Ole’s family, you would have to follow the first names of Ole’s father and grandfather.

Collection in context

The late 1860s saw the start of a major influx of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Spurred by overpopulation and economic crises at home, Norwegians began to leave by the thousands, in search of better economic opportunities. Many transportation companies sought to profit by offering passage to people hoping to emigrate from Norway to the U.S. Unfortunately, Norway didn’t have any transportation laws in place and living conditions on the ships were terrible. Many early Norwegian emigrants died on the voyage across the Atlantic or were tricked into signing indentured service contracts.

In 1869, the Norwegian government passed the Norwegian Passenger Act to protect the rights of emigrants. Transportation agents were required to register their business with the police and sign contracts with the emigrants. The contract wasn’t valid until it was approved by the police commissioner. Emigrants then registered with local police to ensure that they would receive safe passage.

Bibliography

Digital Arkivet. “DigitalArkivet Norwegian Emigration Records.” Last Modified 2021.https://www.ongenealogy.com/listings/digitalarkivet-norwegian-emigration-records/.

Lovoll, Odd S. “Norwegian Americans.” Countries and Their Cultures. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Norwegian-Americans.html.

NorwayHeritage.com. “Norwegian Emigration Records.” Last Modified 2007. http://www.norwayheritage.com/norwegian-emigration-records.htm.

VikingGenealogy.com. “Finding Emigrants from Norway.” Last Modified April 22, 2021. https://vikinggenealogy.com/finding-emigrants-from-norway/.