Denmark Death Record Search Strategy 1572 - 1813

1. Parish Register, Burial: Church records Church records in the cities of Denmark generally begin in the early 1600s and in the rural areas in the late 1600s or 1700s. These include records of birth or christening, marriage, and death or burial. After 1814 this information was recorded on standard forms, and duplicate books were made of all church records.

What you are looking for Church burial records are the best source for determining when a person died. They should include everyone in the community and identify the complete name of the deceased person.

Why go to the next record Church records often did not start until the early 1700s, and the early records of a town been lost may be lost or destroyed.

2. Probate Records: Probate records Probate records were usually recorded shortly after a person died. They can help narrow down when a person died. They also list if a person's spouse preceded him or her in death. These records list all of the living heirs, so if some of the children's names are not included, they probably died before this probate record was made.

What you are looking for Probate records are a good source for determining when a person died. Probate records may not give a death date, but the date of the probate is usually the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not everyone had a probate record, and early probate records can be difficult to locate.

3. Parish Register, Birth: Church records Although the earliest church record in Denmark dates back to 1572, most churches began keeping records of christenings in the late 1600s. The christening record will be the most important source of birth information in Denmark. The ceremony of baptism or christening (giving the child a name) usually took place within a few days of birth and the christening record often lists the birth date. After 1814 this information was recorded on standard forms, and duplicate books were made of all church records.

What you are looking for The birth record may include a notation of death (sometimes a cross), indicating the child died young. It will also show that the parents died after that date.

Why go to the next record The beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

4. Parish Register, Marriage: Church records Church records in the cities of Denmark generally begin in the early 1600s and in the rural areas in the late 1600s or 1700s. These include records of birth or christening, marriage, and death or burial. After 1814 this information was recorded on standard forms, and duplicate books were made of all church records. Marriage records often have clues that can help you find a death certificate. If one spouse remarried as a widow or widower, the other parent died before that time.

What you are looking for The marriage record will not give a death date, but it does give a couple's names and shows that they died sometime after that date.

Why go to the next record The beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

5. Tax List: Taxation Tax lists can be used to determine when a person first appeared on a particular property and when he or she disappeared from the rolls. This can help you estimate birth and death dates. Beginning in 1762, tax lists include all persons over 12 years of age. These lists, available only in Denmark, are like a census record listing the names and ages of each person over 12 years old in each parish.

What you are looking for By comparing yearly tax lists, you can estimate when a person was dropped from the tax rolls, often because of death. Also tenant contracts (Fæsteprotokoller) found in tax lists often include references to the death of a former tenant.

Why go to the next record Tax lists generally only listed the men's names.