Oslo County, Norway Genealogy

Guide to Oslo ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Oslo is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania (later spelling Kristiania). Oslo, then an alternative name, became official again in 1925.

The city of Oslo was established as a municipality on 3 January 1838. It was separated from the county of Akershus to become a county of its own in 1842. The rural municipality of Aker was merged with Oslo on 1 January 1948 and simultaneously transferred from Akershus county to Oslo county.

The urban municipality (bykommune) of Oslo and county (fylke) is the same entity, making Oslo the only city in Norway where two administrative levels are integrated.

Parishes and Congregations in Oslo City
 Aker Arbeidsanstalt, Sykehus og Fattighus Bekkelaget Bredtvet Bøler Domkirken (Vor Frelser) Døves Fagerborg</li> Frogner</li> Gamle Aker</li> Gamlebyen</li> Garnison</li> Grefsen</li> Grorud</li> Grønland</li> Hauge</li> Hospital (Gamlebyen)</li> Jakob</li> Johannes</li> Kampen</li> Kvinneklinikken</li> Lilleborg</li> Majorstuen</li> Manglerud</li> <li>Markus</li> <li>Matteus</li> <li>Nordberg</li> <li>Nordstrand</li> <li>Paulus</li> <li>Petrus</li> <li>Piperviken</li> <li>Rikshospitalet og Kvinneklinikken</li> <li>Ris</li> <li>Røa</li> <li>Sagene</li> <li>Slottsmenigheten</li> <li>Sofienberg</li> <li>Tonsen</li> <li>Torshov</li> <li>Trefoldighet</li> <li>Tugthus</li> <li>Tugthus og Akershus Fæstnings Slaveri</li> <li>Tøyen</li> <li>Ullern</li> <li>Ullevål Sykehus (Hospital)</li> <li>Uranienborg</li> <li>Vaterland</li> <li>Vestre Aker</li> <li>Vor Frelser</li> <li>Vålerenga</li> <li>Wexels Menighet</li> <li>Østre Aker</li> <li>Oslo and Drammen (Katolske Apostoliske, 1872-1932)</li> <li>Oslo (Militärgemeinde, 1942-1945)</li> <li>Oslo (Christian Science Society, 1908-1923)</li> <li>Oslo (Unitarisk Samfund, 1922-1927)</li> <li>Oslo (Christi Menighet, 1903-1936)</li> <li>Oslo (Første Metodistkirke, 1865-1927)</li> <li>Oslo (Den evangelisk-lutherske frikirke østre menighet, 1878-1978)</li> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <li>Oslo Branch, 1850-1950</li> <li>Oslo District, 1850-1952</li> </ul>

Church Records/Civil Registration
These are the most important records you will use, and a majority of your research will be found in them. All civil registration was kept by the church parishes until 2012. You do not have to be fluent in Norwegian. These records use a very limited, specialized vocabulary that is easy to learn. For help reading and interpreting theses records, see:
 * Digitalarkivet: Digitized parish registers of Oslo
 * Norway Indexed parish register transcriptions
 * The Family History Library has microfilms for all Oslo parish registers up to about 1920. These can be viewed at the library or at a Family Histor Center near you.
 * Norwegian Genealogical Word List
 * Norway Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available

[[Media:Parish Register Headings for Norway.pdf|Parish Register Headings for Norway]] is available as a PDF file and gives the translation of headings for the records in different time periods. When a record is written with labeled columns it is much easier to search. Much of the material you read in each column will just be names and dates, since the meaning of those names (child, parents, godparents, minister) only has to be read once, in the column heading.

For more detail on the contents of these records and how to use them, see Norway Church Records and Norway Civil Registration.

Alphabetical Street Index for Kristiania (Oslo) year 1899
A description of the 17 districts (krets) in which the city was divided in 1899. A list is provided for all the streets in Oslo and which district they are located in. Since people usually attended their local church, this allow the researcher to know which church books to search as long as the street is known. A PDF file is also available, [[media:VEIVISEREN (Street Index).pdf|Veiviseren : Samlagsafstemmingen i Kristiania 1899 : Kredsinddellingen med Alfabetisk Gadefortegnelse]].

Cemeteries

 * DIS-Norge Slekt og Data Gravminner i Norge
 * Oslo City
 * Gravferdsetaten
 * Gravplasser i Oslo (Cemeteries in Oslo)
 * Oslo kommune - Gravferdsetaten Burials in Oslo City cemeteries

Images Available at The Digital Archives (Digitalarkivet)
National Censuses
 * Priest's census Bragernes prosti, Prestemanntall 9, 1664 - 1666
 * Bailiff's census Aker fogderi, Follo fogderi, Nedre Romerike fogderi, Øvre Romerike fogderi, Fogdemanntall 2, 1664
 * Census for Vaterland in Christiania 1714
 * 1801 Census for Oslo - Kristiania city, Aker clerical district, and Oslo congregations
 * 1865 Census for Christiania
 * 1875 Census for Christiania
 * 1885-teljinga for 0301 Kristiania
 * 1891-teljinga for 0301 Kristiania
 * 1900 Census for Christiania
 * 1910 Census for Oslo (search page)

Municipal Censuses

Images of some of the following censuses are available on the National Archives of Norway's Digitalarkivet Kommunale folketellinger site along with a link to the National Archive's catalog Arkivportalen. The Personal Data Act (Personopplysningsloven) specifies that municipal census records are restricted for 60 years, but the Public Administration Act (Forvaltningsloven) applies a period of 100 years for records that may contain information on child welfare or adoptions.

Aker
Images - Arkivportalen • 2

Kristiania / Oslo
Images - Arkivportalen • 3

Indexes Available at The Norwegian Historical Data Centre
Select Oslo from the list of localities on the search form
 * Simple search for the 1865, 1875, 1900 and 1910 censuses
 * Advanced search for the 1865, 1875, 1900 and 1910 censuses

1664-1666

 * Fogd og sorenskrivers manntall 1664-1666 - Vestre Aker and Østre Aker clerical districst microfilm no. 122977 item 2
 * Sogneprestenes manntall 1664-1666 - Vestre Aker and Østre Aker clerical districts microfilm no. 122968 item 2

1801

 * Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801 (Akershus) - Oslo city and Akershus County microfiche
 * Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801, Norge - Oslo city microfilm no. 122986
 * Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801, Norge - Vestre Aker clerical district microfilm and microfiche
 * Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801 (Oslo og Akershus) - Oslo city and Akershus County microfilm
 * Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801 (Akershus) - Akershus County including Olso city microfiche

1815

 * 1815 folketelling for Oslo by (Oslo) - Oslo city microfilm no. 1694663 item 2

1865

 * 1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Gamle Akers menighet - Old Aker district microfilm no. 123114 item 2, microfilm no 123115
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Grønlands menighet (Oslo) - Grønland district microfilm no. 123113
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Oslo menighet - Oslo district microfilm no. 123114 item 1
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Trefoldighets menighet - Trefoldighet district microfilm no. 123110, 123111, 123112
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Vestre Aker menighet - Vestre Aker district microfilm no. 123012 items 1 and 2
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Vor Frelsers menighet - Vor Frelsers district microfilm no. 123107, 123108, 123109
 * Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865, Østre Aker menighet - Østre Aker microfilm no. 123012 item 3 and 4

1875

 * Folketellingen for kongeriket Norge den 31te desember 1875, Kristiania kjøpstad (Oslo) - 1875 census for Kristiania microfilm.
 * Folketellingen for kongeriket Norge den 31te desember 1875, Vestre Aker prestegjeld - Vestre Aker district microfilm
 * Folketellingen for kongeriket Norge den 31te desember 1875, Østre Aker prestegjeld - Østre Aker district microfilm.
 * Folketellinga 1875 for Kristiania (Oslo) - 1875 census for Oslo city with a given name and surname index microfiche

1900

 * Folketellingen for Norge den 3dje desember 1900, Vestre Aker and Østre Aker - Vestre Aker and Østre Aker districts microfilm
 * Folketellingen for Norge den 3dje desember 1900, Oslo by - Oslo City microfilm sorted by street name

Transcripts Available in Print at The Family History Library

 * Folket i Fjerdingen - 1816 and 1824 census for Olso city FHL book 948.1 A1 no. 18.
 * Manntall for Grønland 1834 - 1834 census for Grønland district of Oslo city FHL book 948.221 X2v 1834

Records Available Online at FamilySearch

 * 1901 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; article

Church Records
The Norwegian Church (Den Norske Kirke) kept the vital statistics of the population. See Church Records for the contents and in-depth descriptions of the records. The links to the records available at the Family History Library are found in the individual parish under Parishes and Congregations in Oslo City Section.

Later church records which not have been microfilmed by the Family History Library can be found at Digitalarkivet. They are for Bekkelaget, Botsfengselet, Bredtvet, Bøler, Christi menighet (Dissenter), The First Methodist Church (Dissenter), Døves (deaf) congregation, Fagerborg, Grefsen, Hauge, Iladalen, Lilleborg, Majorstuen, Mangelrud, Markus, Matteus, Nordberg, Nordstrand, Ris, Røa, Sofienberg, Tonsen, Torshov, Tøyen, Ullevål sykehus, Vaterland, and Vålerenga.

Legal procedure, Penitentiary

 * Botsfengslet (in Christiania), Photographs, no. 62: Prisoner album 1889-1894 with searchable register
 * Register til fangealbum 1901-1910 for Akershus Festning Arbeidsanstalt og Landsfengsel
 * Register til fangealbum 1885-1906 for Christiania politikammer
 * Register til fangealbum 1857-1913 for Botsfengslet i Kristiania

Military Records

 * Militærrulle 1693 for det Østlandske dragonregiment
 * Militærrulle 1748 for Ullensakerske infanterikompani

Occupations

 * Citizenships in Christiania, 1698-1799


 * Borgarar i Christiania, 1815


 * Innleverte borgerskap og attester for Kristiania

Other
Christiania politikammer, Register over optrædende Artister(Register of performing artists in Kristiania 1891-1903) (archived version of only the book's cover)

Passenger Lists

 * Emigranter over Kristiania 1867-1927, tilleggsliste


 * Emigranter over Oslo 1867-1930


 * Emigranter over Kristiania 1871-1930, redigert utgave

Prison Records

 * 1844-1885 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Register over fangealbum 1885-1894 for Botsfengslet i Christiania (List of prisoners 1885-1899)
 * Register til fangealbum 1901-1910 for Akershus Festning Arbeidsanstalt og Landsfengsel
 * Register til fangealbum 1885-1906 for Christiania politikammer
 * Register til fangealbum 1857-1913 for Botsfengslet i Kristiania

Probate Records

 * Digitised probate records for Oslo
 * 1640-1903 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index


 * 1656-1901 Probate records and indexes are found for Vestre Aker and Østre Aker in Aker judicial district at the . The indexes are by farm name and/or given names. There is also a separate card index.
 * 1692-1899 Probate records for Kristiania (Oslo) city judicial district are found at the . There are indexes by farm name or by given name in most of the books. Book 24 is an index for the years 1802-1833. It contains the record no., name of the deceased, when probate began and ended, name of the heirs and other miscellaneous information. The death registrations (dødsanmeldelser) contains the date recorded, the deceased's name, occupation and residence, heirs and whether or not there is a probate for the deceased.

Family History Resources

 * Ten tips on finding ancestors in Oslo

Archives

 * Riksarkivet og Statsarkivet i Oslo National and Regional archive
 * Oslo Byarkiv Oslo city archive