Norway Land and Property

Land and Property
Land records generally start in the 1700s. These records contain information about real estate conveyances, mortgages, contracts, agreements, deeds, leases of land, and auction sales Pension contracts show the inheritance of property from one generation to the next. Land records often reveal family information, such as the name of a spouse, heir, and other relatives. From land records you may learn where people lived previously, their occupations, and other clues for further research. Sometimes you will find information about entire families.

For the period before 1700 you may wish to search court records. They contain similar property information.

The land records after 1865 are in the custody of the local magistrate [sorenskriver]. They are also available up to 1935 at the regional archives, but only in book form. The records before 1865 are in the custody of the regional archives and are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

The land records are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under:

NORWAY, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - LAND AND PROPERTY.

Click here for an interesting article about land and tax divisions.

Land Records Online
Arkivverket has launched a new service at the Digitalarkivet Website. Land record indexes and land records are now on the internet: Digitised Real Estate Registers. A description, in English, of how to use these registers is also found on this page.

Norway: Cottager Contracts
(An example of what kind of information you may find in a Cottager Contract).

Norway: Retirement Contracts
(Examples of what kind of information you may find in retirement contracts).

Land Records [Fast Eiendomsprotokoller]
Research use: Contain useful lineage linking information, can be used to establish relationships. Most are not indexed.

Record type: Records of land ownership and land taxation. These include revenue district accounts [Fogedregnskaber], rural district accounts [Lensregnkaper], urban district accounts [Byregnskaper], land books [Jordebøker], and land commissions [Landkommisjoner].

Time period: 1600 to present.

Contents: Land books: Land rentals and records containing names, dates, land quantities, and so forth. Records of property taxation: Tax lists and real estate registers of owners and cultivators of farms; some list primarily quantities of land and monetary amounts, others list heads of taxed households; sometimes entire families are listed.

Location: Regional archives [Statsarkiv] and the National Archives of Norway [Riksarkivet].

Percentage in Family History Library: 99%.

Population coverage: 10 to 25%.

Reliability: Good.

Mortgage Books [Pantebøker]
Research use: Contain useful lineage linking information, can be used to establish relationships. In many cases the mortgage books can be used as a substitute index to the probate records. The information from the mortgage records can extend pedigree lines as much as three generations. Most are not indexed.

Record type: Records of land mortgages.

Time period: 1700 to present.

Contents: Information regarding real estate conveyances, mortgages and other encumbrances on property, agreements, contracts, and so forth which sometimes include genealogical information.

Location: Regional archives [Statsarkiv].

Population coverage: 20%.

Reliability: Excellent.