Denmark, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Denmark

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains church records from Denmark. It covers the years 1484 to 1941. The records are in Danish.

NOTE: At this time the collection is NOT complete. Six of the 24 counties (Amts) are completely missing. They are: Haderslev, Odense, Svenborg, Sønderborg, Tønder, and Åbenrå. There are three counties that do not have all the districts (Herreds) in the collection. They are: Randers, 1 of 11, Viborg, 2 of 12, and Ålborg, 1 of 8. To see the complete collection, go the Danish National Archives website at SA.DK/AO.

Collection Contents
Baptism records usually include the following:


 * Name of child
 * Gender
 * Birth date
 * Baptism date
 * Father's name
 * Father's occupation
 * Mother's maiden name
 * Mother's relationship to father
 * Residence or farm name
 * Witnesses' and residences
 * Legitimacy
 * Remarks

Marriage records usually include the following:


 * Names of bride and groom
 * Ages
 * Residences
 * Marital or social status
 * Marriage date
 * Bondsman or sponsor
 * Remarks

Death records usually include the following:


 * Name
 * Death date
 * Burial date
 * Social status
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Age
 * Remarks

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Parish of residence
 * Identifying information such as event date or names of family members

To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "District" ⇒Select the appropriate "Parish" ⇒Select the appropriate "Volume, inclusive dates, contents" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

Language Help
These records are in Danish. For help reading the records see the wiki articles:


 * Danish Word List
 * Denmark Language and Languages

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Many individuals have the same name. Compare the names and the residences to make sure you have the correct person or family.
 * You may want to extract all the children born to the same parents at the same residence. This is very helpful when organizing family groups.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names as well as abbreviated names and nicknames.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation