Troms County, Norway Genealogy

Guide to Troms ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Troms is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic ocean). The entire county is located north of the Arctic circle. Until 1919 the county was known as Tromsø amt. On 1 July 2006, the Northern Sami name for the county, Romsa, was granted official status along with Troms.

Government Offices and Sites
Troms County Council

Church Records/Civil Registration

 * These are the most important records you will use, and a majority of your research will be found in them. All civil registration was kept by the church parishes until 2012.
 * 1812-1938 Norway, Church Records, 1812-1938 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1815-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1815-1938 Norway Church Records, 1815-1938 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * Digitalarkivet: Digitized parish registers of Troms
 * Norway Indexed parish register transcriptions
 * The FamilySearch Library has microfilms for all Troms parish registers up to about 1920. These can be viewed at the library or at a Family Histor Center near you.
 * By clicking on the parish links above, you may find direct links to all the records for that parish.
 * You do not have to be fluent in Norwegian. These records use a very limited, specialized vocabulary that is easy to learn. For help reading and interpreting theses records, see:
 * Norwegian Genealogical Word List
 * Norway Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available


 * [[Media:Parish_Register_Headings_for_Norway.pdf|Parish Register Headings for Norway]]: This pdf gives the translation of headings for the records in different time periods.  When a record is written with labeled columns it is much easier to search. Much of the material you read in each column will just be names and dates, since the meaning of those names (child, parents, godparents, minister) only has to be read once, in the column heading.


 * For more detail on the contents of these records and how to use them, see Norway Church Records and Norway Civil Registration.

Census Records
(Online at Digitalarkivet)


 * Lofoten og Vesterålen prosti, Senja prosti, Troms prosti, Prestemanntall 36, 1664 - 1666
 * Senja og Troms fogderi, Manntall 19, 1701
 * 1801 Census
 * 1865 Census; also at - How to Use this Collection
 * 1875 Census partial; also at - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885 Census (cities only)
 * Folketelling 1891 Census
 * 1900 Census
 * 1910 Census

Transcripts of Troms county census, 1769-1770. at FamilySearch.

An inventory of the census records for the years 1769-1771, 1793, 1796, 1800-1801 for several clerical districts in Hålogaland diocese which includes these counties: Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark in Norway. at FamilySearch.

The 1891 census for Bergen, Bergen and Troms county, Norway. This census contains the persones navn, sex, postion in the family marital status, when born, place of birth, religion if not member of the state church, occupation, and other miscellaneous information. at FamilySearch.

Census records in database format available at Digitalarkivet. They are for 1663-1666, 1701, 1801, 1845 (for Tromsø and Kvæfjord only), 1865, 1875, 1900. To search, first enter Troms for County, and then in the Census field, enter desired census year.

Farm Books
Troms A list of farm books which have been printed in order of place, with author, year of publication, and remarks.

Land Records
1886 and 1838 land registers are found at The Norwegian Historical Data Centre. These are Excel files, which can be downloaded. The give the name of the farm, the farm owner, and the amount of tax. Both farms and sub-farms are included.

Probate Records

 * Digitised probate records for Troms county


 * 1690-1805 Skifteregister Troms 1690-1805 Probates for Troms 1690-1805 in a searchable database.


 * 1741-1817 Militære skifter i Troms og Finmark 1741-1817 Military probate database for Trom and Finnmark counties.


 * 1697-1724 Geistlige skifter i Troms og Finmark 1697-1824 Clerical probate records database for Troms and Finnmark counties.


 * 1706-1753 Register: Skifteavskrifter for Lenvik 1706-1753 ved Lenvik Museum Database index for probate transcripts in Lenvik.


 * 1640-1903 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Taxation
