Bessastaðir Parish, Gullbringu, Iceland Genealogy

Compiled Genealogy
Íslendingabók (genealogical database): is a database created by the biotechnology company deCODE genetics and Friðrik Skúlason, attempting to record the genealogy of all Icelanders who have ever lived, where sources are available. As of February 2020, the database contains information on 904,000 individuals, an estimated half of the total population of Iceland since the settlement of the island in the 9th century. Coverage among Icelanders born in the 20th and 21st centuries is 100% and the database is estimated to contain 95% of individuals born since 1700. Each individual’s record contains information on parents, siblings, mates and children along with birthdates, death dates and places of birth and death. Connections toward parents have been 95.5% filled for those born in the 20th century.
 * Íslendingabók Access to the Íslendingabók website is limited to individuals with Icelandic national identity number, kennitala. Each user can view information on his or her extended family, which by definition are all ancestors of the user along with descendants of the user’s great-grandparents.

Indexes

 * National Archives of Ireland Census Base index and images.

Digitized Records

 * 1703, 1816-1920 - National Archives of Ireland Searchable Census Database index and images.
 * National Archives of Iceland Digital Census Browsable Images Alphabetical by counties.

Indexes

 * 1744-1965 - - at FamilySearch, index and images, incomplete. Coverage Table.  How to Use This Collection.

Digitized Online Records

 * National Archives of Iceland Browsable Church Census Records Alphabetical by county.

Indexes

 * 1730-1905 - - at FamilySearch, index, incomplete. Coverage Table.  How to Use This Collection.
 * 1770-1920 - - at FamilySearch, index, incomplete. Coverage Table.  How to Use This Collection.

Digitized Online Records

 * National Archives of Iceland Browsable Priesthood Books (Parish Registers) Alphabetical by county.

Church Census Records
The following information may be found in these records: It may also include information about when they were confirmed members of the Lutheran church and how well they can read the Bible and catechism.
 * Name of the farm where the family lives
 * Name of each person
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Sometimes baptism and marriage dates are listed.

Priest Service Books
The following information may be found in these records:

Births and Baptisms

 * Child's name
 * Gender
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date of baptism
 * Parents' names
 * Father's occupation and residence
 * Names of witnesses at christening and their residence.

Marriages

 * Name of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Residence
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Deaths and Burials

 * Name and age of deceased
 * Father of deceased child
 * Spouse of deceased adult
 * Date of death and burial
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Cause of death

Arrivals and Removals

 * Names of persons moving into the parish
 * Ages
 * Relationships when accompanied by other family members
 * Occupations
 * Former residence and new residence.
 * Destination (Removals)

Confirmations

 * Names of confirmand
 * Age (generally 14)
 * Residence
 * Date of confirmation
 * Father's name
 * Date of birth

Reading Icelandic

 * Icelandic Genealogical Word List This word list includes only words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For more help, use an Icelandic-English dictionary.
 * An Icelandic-English dictionary


 * Danish Genealogical Word List and Latin Genealogical Word List. Iceland was under Danish rule until 1918. Records written before the mid 1800s may include Danish and some Latin words. Note that in the 1801 census, Danish and to some extent Latin, rather than Icelandic, are used throughout the text.
 * Icelandic Alphabet and Keyboard

Online Lessons

 * Introduction to Church and Census Records in Iceland
 * '''Icelandic Parish Records Tutorial, Icelandic Roots Genealogist (includes census instructions).
 * Scandinavian Handwriting Printable Handout
 * Scandinavian Fixed and Movable Feast Days Handout