Bygdebøker (bydebøk for single book) are local history books for Norwegian communities. They contain a wealth of genealogy information. A bygdebok will generally cover a small community, perhaps one or two parishes. Usually it gives a brief history of the community, and a list of all of the farms in that community. For each farm, the bygdebok will give a chronological list of the owners going back many generations. Bygdebøker have been published for several hundred rural communities in Norway, but not for cities such as Oslo, Bergen, or Trondheim.
What may be listed in a catalog as a single Bygdeboker is actually a series of volumes (also called a bind or a band). Each of these volumes is a separate physical book. Also, remember this is more typically a history of the FARM not the families necessarily. When someone sold a farm, or moved, the new family living on the farm would be tracked. So make sure that you are following your family and not someone else!
It is also important to search for the online historical records in Norway Digital Archives (https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en) to confirm the information you find in these historical books.
Here is some additional background information on making use of the Bygdeboker.
- How to use a Norwegian “bygdebok” in your genealogy research. By John Follesdal
- Norwegian farms – some background information. by John Follesdal
The Valdres Samband owns hard copy books of all of the Valdres books listed on this page. These are available for members to use at the annual stevne. The links below point to the online versions of these books in the Norwegian National Library. A VPN with a Norwegian IP address is required for viewing book contents from the US. You must purchase a subscription to a VPN software – NordVPN is an example that costs about $60 per year and is then installed on your computer.
You also might use www.worldcat.org to search for copies available in a library near you. The following institutions have extensive collections of bydeboker:
· Family History Library, Salt Lake City
· University of North Dakota, Arne G. Brekke Bygdebok Collection, Grand Forks, ND
· University of Wisconsin, Madison
· University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
· Rolvaag Library, at St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minnesota
Etnedal Bygdeboker
“Valdres Bygdebok I – Gard og bygd i Etnedal Bygdehistorie” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Etnedal in Oppland County, Norway. Author is Harald Hvattum and was published in 1989 by Etnedal commune and Valdres Bygdeboks forlag . The work is divided into three volumes:
1. Band A: Nord-Etnedal Parish
2. Band B: Northern part of Bruflat parish
3. Band C: Southern part of Bruflat parish
Sør-Aurdal
“Gard og bygd i Sør-Aurdal” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Sør-Aurdal in Oppland County, Norway. Author is Jon Ola Gjermundsen. Published by Sør-Aurdal Kommune and Valdres Bygdeboks Forlag, 1987 – 1992. The work is divided into four book. All are available on nb.no with a VPN.
1. Bind A. Reinli parish, Vestre Bagn and Bagn village center (1987)
2. Bind B. Kyrkjebjørgo, Østre Bagn, Leirskogen, Dølve og Hølera (1988)
3. Bind C. Garthus, Tollevsrud og Strømmen (1990)
4. Bind D. Hedalen og Vassfaret. (1992)
Nørd-Aurdal
“Gard og bygd i Nord-Aurdal” ” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Nørd-Aurdal in Oppland County, Norway. Author is Mona Dalen and others. Published by Nord-Aurdal kommune [Leira, Norway] and Valdres bygdeboks forlag, 2005. This work is divided into 6 volumes. GNR is the number of the farm (bruk). None of these will display on nb.no even with a VPN
1. Band A; Skrautvøl Parish Farms (GNR) 1-17
2. Band B; Skrautval Parish Synna Skogen. GNR 18-34
3. Band C; Ulnes Parish, GNR 36-57
4. Band D. Svenes Parish, GNR 58-84
5. Band E; Aurdal Parish, GNR 85-99
6. Band F; Aurdal Parish, GNR 100-116
Øystre Slidre
“Garder og slekter i Øystre Slidre” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Øystre Slidre in Oppland County, Norway. Author is G. Beitrusten and was published in 1987 by ???. The work is divided into two volumes. These two books are available on nb.no with a VPN.
1. Bind A; Hegge parish and Lidar
2. Bind B; Volbu and Rogne parishes.
Vestre Slidre
“Gardar og slekter i Vestre Slidre” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Vestre Slidre in Oppland County, Norway. . Author is G. Beitrusten and was published in 1979 and reprinted in 2001. The work is divided into two volumes. These links will not open these two books at nb.no even with a VPN.
1. Bind A; Lomen og Slidre, GNR 1-51
Vang
2. Bind B, Slidre og Røn, GNR 52-92
“Gardar og slekter i Vang” is a genealogy and a history of the people and their farms in Vestre Slidre in Oppland County, Norway. . Author is Anders Froholm and was published in 1985. The work is divided into three volumes. All three books are available at nb.no with a VPN.
1. Bind A; Øye parish & west side of Vang parish, GNR 1-19
2. Bind B; East side of Vang parish, GNR 20-89
3. Bind C; Høre parish (Hurum), GNR 90-109
Another resource for Vang and Slidre parishes is the following book:
“Vang og Slire: A lot of information about the farms and people residing on them during the years up to 1865”. Written by Tore Ey in 1916 and reprinted in 1999 by the Valdres Historielag. This work is divided into three hardcopy volumes. The book is available online now – one PDF for all three volumes – at hathitrust. However you cannot be connected to a Norwegian server with your VPN to access these books. Turn off the VPN or switch to a US server.
The three regions covered are Vestre Slidre, Øystre Slidre, and Vang. This book is the most complete and definitive source document for this region, listing the names of all persons known to have lived on the various farms from about 1865 back into the 1600’s and 1500’s, and in some cases even into the 1400’s. Tore Ey began by researching his own family, going through all those obscure land records, probate records, and court proceedings that lie beyond the expertise of most amateur researchers. He soon found that his ancestors lived on so many of the region’s farms, that he decided to do a complete history of all the farms, so far as it was possible to do. The book is written in Norwegian and is organized into three hard copy volumes. Many people find that the book is written in a somewhat difficult, archaic Danish-Norwegian dialect. Moreover, the people of old Valdres moved around a lot, and it is often extremely difficult (even with Eye’s book) to track their movements from farm to farm. It is not that difficult to slog your way through the Norwegian by using a translation tool and learning basic genealogy terminology.
Compiled by Maria Weisnicht on 17 Aug 2022.