Fuglafjørdur Parish, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands Genealogy

Background
Fuglafjørður (Danish: Fuglefjord) is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds". The village is at the edge of a bay and expands into the surrounding steep hills. The town centre is located close to the harbour and contains most of the shops and services. The harbour in Fuglafjørður is busy, as the town's economy is based on the processing of fish and fish meal. Where the Gjógvará stream meets the sea in the village, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Viking longhouse, seventeen metres 56 feet in length, with walls 1.5 metres (4 feet 11.1 inches) thick. It was found by removing four or five more recent layers of ruins, showing a continuity of habitation for many centuries. In the 1840s, the small village Hellur in north of Fuglafjørður was established. However this village never grew large and now only approximately 30 of the municipality's inhabitants live there. In the 1980s, the suburb of Kambsdalur was established, where around 180 people live.

Place Names
Farm names or small village names within this parish include these place names and variations:
 * Fuglefiord
 * Fuglefjord Bøigd
 * Hellur
 * Kambsdalur
 * Leervig
 * Leervig Bøigd

Census Records

 * 1801-1901 Faroe Islands, Denmark, Censuses, 1801-1901 (in Danish) at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1801-1925 Danish Family Search - incomplete indexes
 * Dansk Demografisk Database - incomplete indexes

Church Records

 * 1687-1878 Eysturoy Kirkjubók, 1687-1878 at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1687-1904 Church books in Fuglafjörður (Fuglefjord) parish, images.

Reading the Records
Because the Faroe Islands were under the jurisdiction of Denmark, many research resources relating to Denmark will be helpful in using Faroe Islands records.
 * Help Reading Danish Records:


 * Denmark Parish Register Headings provides translated examples of parish headings. You will be able to interpret much of what is in the records using these headings. Danish Word List covers typical  terms found in the records. Fixed and Moveable Feast Days for: Denmark will help you translate dates written in feast day form. Denmark surnames are patronymic and change every generation, so carefully study Denmark Names, Personal.


 * Help Reading Old Handwriting: 


 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available
 * Gothic Script and examples (Danish)
 * Gothic script help links (Danish)


 * Knowing What to Look for Next:


 * To understand the best research strategies for these records, see Denmark Church Records Christenings Guide.