Copenhagen Police Census

Denmark Copenhagen  Census  Police

The police census records are probably one of the most vital of records used in Copenhagen research. The records tracked individuals in Copenhagen year by year, creating a valuable database of the city's residents. The police censuses fill in the years between the national censuses and contain vital genealogical material, such as ages, birthplaces, addressses, and occupations.

Background
In 1816, the Copenhagen police began taking a census of every resident over the age of ten, both male and female, in the city. The census was taken twice a year, once in May and once in November. After some time, a few of the surrounding suburbs were included in the census: Brønshøj-Rødovre (1868-1900), Sundbyvester and –øster (1889-1901), and Kastrup (1891, 1893-1895).

What You Typically Find
The police censuses are similar to other censuses in Denmark. The only difference is that it is particular to Copenhagen, and there are absolutely no children under the age of ten on the census. Some of the most typically information listed in the censuses include: -the floor living on -Full name -age -birth place -Rank, status, and occupation -Servants -Length of time in residence by half year -When began service -Where last served -Lodgers The later censuses include a little more information including birth date.

Tips
An index exists for the census records and can be a real help in locating individuals. Each year has an index that is divided into Kreds, orPolitikreds, meaning police districts. All names are alphabetized and then listed under the street names. Once the street is located, the correct census can be pulled up. The actual censuses are organized by Kreds first, then street, then house number, and finally by resident.

Access
All police census records and index (1866-1923) are available at the Family History Library on microfilm. Currently, they are only found in the classic version of the catalog (under Denmark, København, København, then Census (choose 1882-1889 or 1889-1901). Click on Mandtaller, then View Film notes, and choose the film number corresponding to the year needed.

They are also found at several different archives and libraries in Copenhagen.

How to Find and Search the Police Census
There are two types of registers to find someone in this census: the Alphabetical Register and the Street Register.

If you know the street address- Search the Street Register. Using the Street Register 

First, look for the desired month and year, then find the street, and the film number will be given. Repeat for each of the six Kreds in that same year. This register is located here on the wiki.

If you do NOT know the street address-Search the Alphabetical Register first, then use the Street Register to find the film number.

If there were many people listed with the same name as your ancestor, you may still be able to identify which one of them was your ancestor by looking at the other household members, although no children age 10 and younger were listed in the census.

Using the Alphabetical Register- First, find the desired year, then note the film number for each of the six Kreds. Next, go to the films and find your ancestor's surname. The surnames are alphabetized by the first letter of the surname, but not alphabetized beyond that first letter, so the search takes 20-40 minutes per Kreds. When you find the correct person in the name index of one of the Kreds, it will list his or her street address and birthplace. Using that street address, you are now ready to use the Street Register as described above.

Using the Police Census- Look for the printed (not handwritten) pages entitled Anmældelse til Politiet. At the bottom of each of these pages is the census month and year, written in bold. Unlike most documents, the most recent year is at the beginning, and the earlier years follow afterward.

After you have found the year you seek, find the street (alphabetically) and then the house number. You will find this information in the upper left corner under “Kobenhavns Politikreds”. “Gade” is the Danish word for street, and “husnummer” is the house number.

On the following page, you will then see a handwritten list of each buildings' residents (whether single-family or multiple-family dwelling). All even-numbered addresses are grouped together, followed by the odd-numbered addresses, as the enumerator canvassed the street, walking up one side, and down the other. Residents are listed on the left side of the page, servants in the middle, and lodgers on the right side. Be sure not to forget to check all three parts if you don't know in which category the individual or family was located.