Ammassalik Parish, Greenland Genealogy

Background

 * Tasiilaq, formerly Ammassalik and Angmagssalik, is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland.
 * With 1,985 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland.
 * The people of Saqqaq culture were the first to reach eastern Greenland. The Norse would have been familiar with the area as the first landmark on the voyage between Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula and Greenland. Thule migrations passed through the area in the fifteenth century.,
 * Due to back migrations to the more densely populated western coast, the southeastern coast was deserted for another two hundred years.
 * The region wasn't settled until late eighteenth century.
 * The village survived as the only permanent settlement in the nineteenth century.
 * The permanent settlement was founded in 1894 as a Danish trading station.
 * The town was previously known as Ammassalik (old spelling: Angmagssalik). The official name change took place in 1997.

Place Names
Farm names or small village names within this parish include these place names and variations:
 * Isertoq
 * Kulusuk
 * Kuummiut
 * Tiileraaq
 * Sermiligaaq

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

 * 1890-1939 Ammassalik/Tasiilaq Church Books at Greenland National Archives Kirkebóger, images only, complete.
 * 1890-1921 Church records in Tasiilaq (Ammassalik) parish - at Danish Family Search, index and images, incomplete.

Church Location and Contact Information
Præstegæld Ammassalik Postboks 40 3913 Tasiilaq Greenland Telefon: (+299) 981292 Telefax: (+299) 981445 E-mail: ammassalik@ilagiit.gl Website

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.