Ilulissat Parish, Greenland Genealogy

Background

 * Ilulissat, formerly Jakobshavn or Jacobshaven, is the municipal seat and largest town of the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located approximately 350 km (220 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.
 * With the population of 4,670 as of 2020, it is the third-largest city in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut.
 * The town was established as a trading post by Jacob Severin's company in 1741 and was named in his honor.
 * The Zion Church (Zions Kirke) was built in the late 18th century.

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

 * 1840-1872 Ilulissat/Jakobshavn Church Books - at Greenland National Archives Kirkebóger, images only, complete.
 * 1840-1849 Greenland Kirkebøger, 1752-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images.Includes born and baptized, confirmed, married, dead and buried and communions for most parishes. Jakobshavn 1840-1849 vol. 2.
 * 1840-1925 Church registers in Ilulissat (Jakobshavn) parish - at Danish Family Search, index and images, incomplete.

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.