Viðareiði Parish, Norðoyar, Faroe Islands Genealogy

Background
Viðareiði (Danish: Viderejde) is the northernmost settlement in the Faroe Islands and lies on the Island of Viðoy, which belongs to the Norðoyar Region. It lies on an isthmus with high mountains to both the north and south. In the 17th century, the old church was destroyed in a storm. It is said that a part of the cemetery was washed away by the sea and that coffins from the cemetery were recovered in Hvannasund and reburied in Viðareiði. The current church was built in 1892.

Place Names
Farm names or small village names within this parish include these place names and variations:

Census Records

 * 1801-1901 Faroe Islands, Denmark, Censuses, 1801-1901 (in Danish) at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1801-1925 Danish Family Search - incomplete indexes
 * Dansk Demografisk Database - incomplete indexes

Church Records

 * 1760-1861 Norðoyar Kirkjubók, 1760-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog - images. Contains church records from Norðoyar sýsla and præstegæld, which includes the parishes of: Viðareði (Viderejde), Hvannasund (Kvannesund), Fugloy (Fuglø), Svínoy (Svinø), Kunoy (Kunø), Mikladalur (Mygledal), Húsar (Husum) and [Klaksvík (Klaksvig) formerly called Vág (Vaag)].

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.