Torvastad (Torvestad) Parish, Rogaland, Norway Genealogy

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

Torvastad is in the Karmøy Region. Other parishes in this region include Karmøy the parishes of Avaldsnes, Kopervik (Stangeland), Skudenes, Skudeneshavn, Torvastad (Torvestad), Falnes, Ferkingstad and Åkra.

Church Records
records began in 1753. They contain priest and sexton records from the parishes Torvastad and Utsira. Included Haugesund and Skåre until 1879.

Digital images of the church books are available at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).

Census Records

 * 1664-1666 Clerical Census: This census was taken by the local parish priests. It covers Torvastad and is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It lists the name of the farms, names of farm owners (including widows), the sons of the farm owners, male farm hands, cottagers and their sons, and the ages of each person. There was another census taken by the civil authorities at this same time. Both censuses should be searched as they supplement each other. This clerical census is more complete. Also available online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1701 Manntall: The 1701 tax census for Torvastad is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It was taken for military purposes and lists only the males living in rural districts who were over the age of one year. It includes the farm name, name and age of the owner, names and ages of sons and servants. May also include the residence of a male servant if he came from a different clerical district. Also available online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1801: The 1801 census for Torvastad clerical district includes Torvastad (Torvestad) and Skåre parishes and is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It lists the farm name, person's name, position in the household, age, marital status, and occupation. Also available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1865: The 1865 census for Torvastad is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It contains the persons name, residence, status in the family, occupation, sex, martial status, place of birth, age, religion if not a member of the state church, and other miscellaneous information. Each book usually contains one clerical district (prestegjeld). In some books there are two clerical districts recorded. The parishes and school districts in each clerical district are listed at the beginning of each book. Also available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1875: The 1875 census for Torvastad is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It contains the persons name, whether resident or temporary resident, those absent from the parish and their location at the time of the census, position in the family, occupation, sex, marital status, year of birth, place of birth, religion if not a member of the state church, and other miscellaneous information. Also available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1891: The 1891 census for Torvastad is available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1900: The 1900 census for Torvastad is available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It contains the persons name, sex, whether resident or temporary resident, those absent from the parish and their location at the time of the census, position in the family, marital status, occupation, year of birth, place of birth, citizenship, religion, and other miscellaneous information. Also available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).


 * 1910: The 1910 census for Torvastad is available in a searchable database online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).

Probate Records
For 1666-1795 the probates are found in Ryfylke og Karmsund judicial district. For 1793-1901 they are found in Karmsund judicial district. The clerical probates for 1692-1812 are found in Karmsund deanery.

Availability
Ryfylke og Karmsund judicial district *1666-1795 Family History Library *1666-1795 Digitalarkivet *1666-1815 Probate card indexes sorted by farm name Digitalarkivet

Karmsund judicial district *1793-1901 Family History Library *1793-1901 Digitalarkivet.

Karmsund deanery *1692-1812 Clerical probate records Family History Library *1692-1812 Digitalarkivet

Torvestad police station *1883-1965 death protocol Digitalarkivet

Farm Book
A genealogy of the people and a history of the farms in Torvastad on Karmøy. Ketland, Birger, [S.l.]: Utgitt av Bygdebokutvalget i Karmøy, 1979. 948.31/T2 D2k FHL INTL Book

Farm Book on the Internet
Karmøy Genealogy Club is creating an internet accessable listing of the families who have lived on Karmøy. The sources for this website are "Bygdebok for Karmøy," Norges Bybyggelse, notes of Johannes Mjølhus, the church books, probate records, census records, and private family information.

The family listings are by the farm which they lived on. The explanation of the website is in English but the family information is in Norwegian.

You will find a list of all the farms which are found in the modern Karmøy kommune. As the information comes available there will be a link from the table to the information on a specific farm. On the internet you will only find information of those inhabitants who had registered descendants. A more complete listing is found in the office in Skudeneshavn. You can E-mail inquires to Slektsforum.karmoy@c2i.net.

Farm Names
Farm numbers and names as listed in Rygg's Norwegain Farm Names about 1900 as as follows: 

16 Ankerskjæret 22 Bø  12 Dale  22 Ekrene  16 Friborgskjæret 8 Fæøen  9 Grøningen 19 Gunnarshaug  13 Haaland nordre 2 Hauge nedre 3 Hauge øvre 14 Hausken  19 Lien 17 Lillesund  23 Mokseim  21 Neset 20 Nordbø 24 Noreim  15 Osnes  7 Præstegaarden  15 Rabben  22 Salhusvik 11 Skjølingstad 25 Spanne 4 Stange 18 Storesund 19 Storhaug 10 Sæbø  6 Torvestad 18 Træet  8 Ulvøen  16 Vibrandsøen 17 Viken 5 Vikingstad 1 Viks-Haaland 8 Vindkjeftholmen  21 Øvrebø

''Farm names listed in Kjetland's Bydebok for Karmøy Trovastad  in 1979 are as follows: A few of these farms have been divided into Nedre, Øvre, Nordre, Søre. They are not indicated in this list. ''

Ankerskjæret, Austervoll, Bakken, Bjørgavikje, Breivik, Brekke, Buggastykket, Bø,  Dale, Der Hima, Duøy,  Ekrene,  Fagerheim, Fagervoll, Fagravoll, Feøy, Fredriksplasset, Føyne,  Gonnarshau, Granhaug, Grøningje, Grønningen, Gunnarshaug,  Hagane, Halvorsbruket, Hamrejorå, Haraldsvik, Haugagarden, Haugen, Haugo, Haugsgard, Hausje, Hauske, Hedle, Holmen, Høgheien, Håland,  Juvikjå,  Kalven, Kannikbruket, Kemmesehaugen, Kjellsvikjå, Kjemperhaugen, Klubben, Klungervoll,Knarrevik, Krotreet, Kvednatreet, Kveitevikje, Kvernefallet,  Lensmannsbruket, Litlasund, Liå, Lyngmo, Lyngnes, Lærargarden,  Midtbø, Moksheim, Moksheimskogen,  Ner-Haugo, Neset, Nigard, Nordbø, Norheim, Nygård,  Odelsbruket, Oppigard, Osnes,  Paradis, Pilkevik, Prestagarden, Prestegarden Hovland,  Rabben, Raudn,  Salhusbakken, Salhusvik, Samelsplasset, Skjølingstad, Sletten, Slåttholmen, Slåttholmsteigen, Smalavollen, Snækje, Solheim, Spanne, Stange, Stongo, Stongoekrene, Stongohaugane, Storasund, Storesund, Storhaug, Storrøys, Storåkeren, Straumsnes, Stølen, Stølshagen, Sveo, Sydnes, Sæbø, Sørbø, Sørøyne  Tongarden, Tornes, Torvastad, Treet, Tunheim, Tuvå, Tylfter-Plasset,  Ulvøy, Ulvøyne, Utsyn,  Valholmen, Vaøyne, Vestigard, Vestregard, Vibrandsøy, Viken, Vikingstad, Vikjingstad, Vikshåland, Voll,  Øvrabø, Øvra-Haugo