Aker Parish, Oslo, Norway Genealogy

Guide to Aker, Norway ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Church Records
The Aker parish registers are found in Vestre Aker at the Family History Library. They contain parish registers from Vestre Aker parish with Sørkedal chapel, which was united with Aker and Akershus Palace parishes until 1823 and with the Hospital parish 1823-1861. The combined Aker clerical district was divided in 1861 to create Vestre Aker and Østre Aker clerical districts. Included Ullern until 1906 and Grefsen and Ris until 1937. See Garnison parish in Oslo city for the Slottsmenigheten (Palace) parish records after 1823.

Digitized images of the Aker church books are online at Digitalarkivet. Aker: 1656-1688, 1714-1720, 1723-1877

History of the parish
Aker clerical district included Aker and Bymarka. Bymarka was the area north and west of the city between Aker river to the east and Frogner river to the west. It included Akerhus Slotts parish (Slottsmenigheten) as an annex until 1823 when it was separated out by a Royal resolution May 5, 1823.

At that same time the Oslo (Oslo Hospital parish later Gamlebyen) was combined with Aker clerical district. The part of Aker that was east of Strømsveien, the islands in the fjord and the earlier Oslo parish should still use Oslo (Oslo Hospital) as their parish church.

Grønland, Leret, Lakkegata and Enerhaugen should still belong to Aker's church, but those who lived there could go to Oslo Hospital church if they wished.

The expansion of the city in 1857 caused several changes in the parish boundaries. The Royal resolution February 22, 1858 stated that the west part of Bymarka should be divided out from Aker and become part of the newly established Trefoldighet parish.

Then February 16, 1861 it was determined that Aker clerical district should be divided. The east part of Bymarka and the part of the new city limits which were west of Trondheimsveien should be removed from Aker and become it own congreation, Gamle Aker, with Gamle Aker's church as its parish church. The rest of the new city limits east of Trondheimsveien would comprise the new Grønland parish.

At the same time the part of Aker clerical district, which was outside the city limits, was divided into Vestre Aker and Østre Aker