Nuuk Parish, Greenland Genealogy

Background

 * Nuuk (Danish: Godthåb) is the capital and largest city of Greenland. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre.
 * Nuuk contains almost a third of Greenland's population.
 * In January 2021, it had a population of 18,800.
 * The city proper was founded as the fort of Godt-Haab in 1728 by the royal governor Claus Paarss, when he relocated the missionary and merchant Hans Egede's earlier Hope Colony (Haabets Koloni) from Kangeq Island to the mainland.
 * At that time, Greenland was formally still a Norwegian colony (until 1814) under the united Dano-Norwegian Crown, but the colony had not had any contact for over three centuries.
 * Paarss's colonists consisted of mutinous soldiers, convicts, and prostitutes and most died within the first year of scurvy and other ailments. *In 1733 and 1734, a smallpox epidemic killed most of the native population.
 * Godthaab became the seat of government for the Danish colony of South Greenland, while '''Godhavn (modern Qeqertarsu was the capital of North Greenland until 1940 when the administration was unified in Godthaab.

Moravian Church Mission

 * In 1733, Moravian missionaries received permission to begin a mission on the island; in 1747, there were enough converts to prompt the construction of the Moravian Brethren Mission House and the formal establishment of the mission as New Herrnhut (Danish: Nye-Hernhut).
 * This became the nucleus for present-day Nuuk as many Greenlanders from the southeastern coast left their territory to live at the mission station.
 * From this base, further missions were established at Lichtenfels (1748), Lichtenau (1774), Friedrichsthal (1824), Umanak (1861), and Idlorpait (1864), before they were discontinued in 1900 and folded into the Lutheran Church of Denmark.

Place Names
Farm names or small village names within this parish include these place names and variations:

Census Records

 * 1834-1870 Greenland, Denmark, Censuses, 1834-1870 (in Danish) at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1834-1921 Greenland Censuses, 1834-1921 (in Danish) - incomplete indexes
 * Dansk Demografisk Database - incomplete indexes

Church Records

 * 1733-1900 Noorliit/Neu Herrnhut Moravian Church Records and - at Greenland National Archives Kirkebóger, images only, complete.
 * 1739-1900 Die Kgl. Preuß. Regierung zu Cleve, ihr Amtsblatt und ihr öffentl. Anzeiger Parish register of the Congregation of the Protestant Brethren of Neuherrnhut, Greenland. Includes separate books for natives and Europeans. Includes baptisms, marriages, communicants, deaths, confirmations, immigrants and emigrants. Death records usually include a brief biographical sketch of the deceased.
 * 1752-1861 Greenland Kirkebøger, 1752-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images.Includes born and baptized, confirmed, married, dead and buried and communions for most parishes. Godthåb 1777-1850 vol. 2.
 * 1827-1934 Nuuk/Godthåb Church Records and - at Greenland National Archives Kirkebóger, images only, complete.
 * 1827-1886 Church books in Nuuk (Godthåb) parish - at Danish Family Search, index and images, incomplete.

Church Location and Contact Information
Nuuk (Godthåb) Præstegæld Postboks 755 3900 Nuuk Greenland Telephone: (+299) 321809 Telefax: (+299) 323829 E-mail: nuuk@ilagiit.gl Website

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.