Listed below are websites and resources for researching your Norwegian American genealogy.
Books & Periodicals
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- www.archive.org (Internet Archives)
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- www.familysearch.com – Search the Catalog for online books, materials available at Family History Library and other centers.
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- Valdres Samband Newsletter Archives – over 100 years of articles in PDF format. Full library of past issues is available to members only.
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- Norwegian Farm Books (Bygdeboker). Many are available online at nb.no if you are using a VPN software on your computer. See article on Bygdeboker.
Norwegian Websites
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- Norwegian Digital Archives – church books (vital records), censuses, probates, emigration, passenger lists.
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- Valdres Probate Index Cards – https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/39948/5
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- Norway Land Registers (Matrikkel) for 1838 and 1886 – https://rhd.uit.no/matrikkel/excel_e.html
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- Valdres Historical Association (publisher of Valdres Bygdeboker) – http://www.valdreshistorielag.no
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- Valdres, Norway – www.valdres.com
Tools & Reference Sites
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- Translate Norwegian to English: translate.google.com. Add the google translate extension to your chrome browser to translate highlighted snippets on a page.
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- Martin Roe’s website “Norwegian Genealogy and Then Some”
Emigration Records
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- norwayheritage.com – Norwegian emigration records with descriptions of ships, passenger lists, and excellent background on the American Fever of 1800’s.
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- Ellis Island – Passenger lists and arrival records at Ellis Island starting in 1892 throug 1954. Free. Requires an account to search
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- Castle Garden – castlegarden.org (New York arrivals 1820 to 1892)
Maps & Gazetteers
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- Norwegian Farms Database – https://www.dokpro.uio.no/rygh_ng/rygh_form.html
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- Norwegian Maps – norgeskart.no
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- Norwegian Land Register Matrikkel – 1950 – https://www.dokpro.uio.no/perl/stad/matr50
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- Norwegian Land Registers Matrikkel – 1886 and 1837 (Excel spreadsheet). https://rhd.uit.no/matrikkel/excel_e.html
Local US Research
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- Wisconsin Historical Society (many pre-1907 vital records, historical plat maps from 19th century) – www.wisconsinHistory.org
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- Manitowoc-Skogen (Norwegians in Manitowoc County) – http://www.rbjerke.net/
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- Norwegians in Wisconsin Book – www.amazon.com
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- Genweb project – www.genweb.com. This was such a great idea when it started – each county in the US was adopted by local history enthusiasts to gather and share history and genealogical information. Ancestry.com bought the rootsweb site and it just isn’t the same. Some sites are very dated but be patient and persistent. There are gems of information buried deep. Start at genweb.com and drill down into the county you are interested. Search on sites.rootsweb.com as well.
Societies and Organizations
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- Norwegian American Historical Association – https://naha.stolaf.edu/
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- Fellesrad – a list of all the bygdelags in the US representing regions of Norway. http://www.fellesraad.com/
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- Sons of Norway – https://www.sofn.com/
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- Norwegian-American Genealogical Association – www.norwegianamerican.org. Members have access to back issues of Avisen newsletter.
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- Scandinavian-American Genealogical Society – https://s-aga.org/TNG/index.php
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- Genealogy Society of Norway – https://slektogdata.no/nb/english/about-genealogy-society-norway
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- Valdres Samband Genealogy Database (membership required) – www.valdresgenealogy.com
Places to Visit
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- Vesterheim Museum – https://vesterheim.org/ Decorah, Iowa
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- Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library, Madison WI http://www.nagcnl.org/
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- Norwegian American Historical Association Archives at Rolvaag Library at St. Olaf University in Northfield, MN. –
Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA), St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN - Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah – https://www.familysearch.org/en/library/
- Norwegian American Historical Association Archives at Rolvaag Library at St. Olaf University in Northfield, MN. –
References