Bergen City, Norway Genealogy

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

Jurisdictions over time: Len (1599-1660): Bergenhus len Amt: 1660-1763: Bergenhus stiftamt


 * 1763-1831: Søndre Bergenhus amt
 * 1831-1972: Bergen
 * 1972-: Hordaland fylke

Bergen City was once a county, but the city is now part of Hordaland County. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway, a municipality, and a former county, in the county of Hordaland.

The Norwegian city of Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831. It was established as a municipality January 1, 1838. The rural municipality of Bergen landdistrikt was merged with Bergen January 1, 1877. The rural municipality of Årstad was merged with Bergen July 1, 1915. The rural municipalities of Arna, Fana, Laksevåg and Åsane were merged with Bergen January 1, 1972. The city lost its status as a separate county the same date. Bergen was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, when it was passed by Oslo. For additional information see Wikipedia, "Bergen City".

History
The city of Bergen is located at the west coast of Norway. Bergen Municipal is one of the 33 municipals in Hordaland county. It has for almost one thousand years been the destination of travelers from all around the world. Bergen is the kingdom's second largest city, with over 250.000 inhabitants and situated on the west coast of Norway. The year of the foundation is estimated to be 1070.

Family History Resources
FamilySearch Catalog:

Norwegian American Bygdelagenes Fellesraad: Nordhordaland Lag information fact sheet

Parishes and congregations in Bergen City
• 5

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 Bergen
 * Norway Indexed parish register transcriptions
 * The FamilySearch Library has microfilms for all Bergen 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
Censuses for Bergen available online at Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives) of Norway.


 * Manntall 1714 for Bergen
 * 1801 Census for 1301 Bergen
 * 1865 Census for 1301 Bergen; also at
 * 1875 Census
 * 1885 Census for Bergen Partial
 * 1891 Census for Årstad herred in Bergen
 * 1900 Census for 1301 Bergen
 * 1910 Census for Bergen

Censuses for Bergen available at the FamilySearch Library.


 * 1645: Manntall over Bergens Bys koppskatt for 1645. A census and poll tax of all the male persons in Bergen City, Bergen, Norway in 1645. Available at theFamilySearch Library.


 * 1801: Folketellingen den 1ste februar 1801. This is a printed edition of the 1801 census for Bergen city and Hordaland county. Each fiche has an index of the farm names, given names, and surnames. There is also a separate index by given name and by surname for the whole county. This census gives the persons name, position in the household, age, marital status, and occupation. Available at the FamilySearch Library Årstad parish see FamilySearch Library Bergen, Bergen see FamilySearch Library; Bergen city and County see FamilySearch Library Hordaland County and Bergen city see FamilySearch Library Bergen city and Hordaland county see FamilySearch Library.


 * 1815: Bergen by folketelling, 1815 (Bergen). This 1815 census for Bergen City, Norway and lists the persons name, and occupation. Available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.


 * 1865: Folketellingen den 31te desember 1865.. The 1865 is available at . This census contains the persons name, residence, status in the family, occupation, sex, marital 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.


 * 1875: Folketellingen for kongeriket Norge den 31te desember 1875. The 1875 census is available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library. This 1875 census contains the persons name, whether resident or temporary resident, those absent from the parish and their location at the time of the census, occupation, sex, marital status, year of birth, place of birth, religion if not a member of the state church, and other miscellaneous information.


 * 1891: Folketelling for kongeriget Norge den 1ste januar, 1891. The 1891 census is available on microfiche at the FamilySearch Library. 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. See also other microfiche at the  FamilySearch Library


 * 1900: Folketellingen for Norge den 3dje desember 1900. The 1900 census is available on microfilm at theFamilySearch Library. This census contain 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.


 * 1910: Folketellingen for Norge den 1ste desember 1910. The 1910 census forBergen city is available online Digital Archives as well as at the Norwegian Historical Data Centre.

Emigration

 * Emigrantar fra Bergen 1874-1930
 * Ship's lists Bergen-Quebec 1865-1873
 * Skipslister for Bergen-New York 1871-1873
 * Pass for emigrasjon til Amerika, utstedt i Bergen 1842-1860

Church Records
The following collections are available online at the Digital Archives.
 * Christenings
 * Communicants
 * Confirmations
 * Marriages
 * Burials
 * In-migration
 * Out-migration
 * Absolutions

Citizenship
Citizens of Bergen who resides further north - about 1666

Court Records
Legal Procedure, Sentence Protocols
 * Verdict Protocol for Bergen, 1699

Prisoners Other
 * Political prisoners in Bergen, 1943-1944
 * Town-Hall protocol for Bergen, 1592-1594
 * Kommisjonsprotokoll 1808-1809 i saka mot losane som førde inn den britiske fregatten "Tartar"
 * Vedlegg til kommisjonsaka 1808-1809 mot losane som førde in den britiske fregatten "Tartar"
 * Overkriminalrettens dom i saka mot losene som førde inn den britiske frefatten "Tatar"

History
Bergen byarkiv: Bergen byleksikon

NRK: Bergens historie må skrives om (2004)

Histos.no: Bergenskartet

Military
WORLD WAR II

British intelligence on German installations in Bergen

Protocol from 1944 of the Antiquarian commitee in the "Katastrofeutvalg" in Bergen (Protokoll for katastrofeutvalgets antikvariske komité)

Probate Records

 * 1640-1903 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1680-1720 - which includes these districts and counties: Sunnhordland, Nordhordland, and Hardanger in Hordaland county; Bergen City; Sogn, Sunnfjord, and Nordfjord in Sogn og Fjordane county; and Sunnmøre in Møre og Romsdal county.
 * 1716-1870 - Probate records for in Bergen city. The probate records usually contain the date of the probate, names of the deceased, names of the heirs, guardians and trustees, inventory lists, land and holdings, and other miscellaneous information.


 * Bergen city judicial district digitised probate records online at Digitalarkivet.

Guardianship
 * 1714 Census of legal guardians for Bergen 1714
 * 1703 Census of legal guardians for Bergen 1703

Other

 * The Real estate register for Bergen 1686-1696
 * Protocol of mascopis (neighbours) in Svengården in Bergen 1598-1700
 * Report on the German trade office in Bergen, 1718

Taxation

 * Tax census for Bergen 1713
 * Tax census for Bergen 1715
 * Census for military tax (krigsstyr) of 1712 Bergen
 * Addition to the census list of the military tax (krigsstyr) of 1712 for Bergen
 * Census of military tax (krigsstyr) for the clericals in Bergen 1715