Archivists frequently tell researchers to begin their Danish research in the Family History Library because the Library has microfilmed nearly all Danish church and civil records. But while the records are now easily accessible, a researcher must first be familiar with trends and customs of the Danish people and government. This information will help alleviate some of the frustration that comes when delving into foreign records.
Place of Origin
First, you must know the ancestor’s exact place of origin in Denmark, including the parish or church. This information is necessary to perform successful research among Danish records.
If family stories don’t include the place of origin, finding these origins may be accomplished by using several U.S. sources. An obituary may list where an immigrant lived in the homeland; church records in the United States will often list the last parish a person attended prior to emigrating; even immigration or naturalization papers may give the area of origin.
In my family, Peder Pedersen lived in the far northern area of the Danish peninsula, known as Jutland, on a farm in Sonder-Okse—a community too small to be called a town. Peder’s father, Simon Pedersen, lived in the same small town. His father, Peder Simonsen, and his father, Simon Pedersen, and generations beyond that also lived in the same small town. It was Peder Pedersen’s son, Martinus Pedersen, who crossed the Atlantic and settled in the western United States. My father, Martin Peterson, shares his immigrant grandfather’s name.
My father already knew that his grandfather came from a farm in Denmark called Sonder-Okse, but he didn’t know exactly where that farm was—Sonder-Okse is so small that it doesn’t appear on many map. Using Smith and Thomsen’s Genealogical Guidebook and Atlas of Denmark (one of the best map guides of Denmark), it was easy to discover that Sonder-Okse was part of Brovst Parish, which lies about thirty minutes outside the city of Aalborg.
Linking Patterns
Danish tradition follows a linkage pattern that extends beyond family names to property holdings, common family regions, and even birth order. Following is a closer look at some of these traditions—traditions that, when clear, will help facilitate Danish research either at home or abroad.
Names. Understanding naming patterns is essential for tracing a family in Danish records, and while the patterns may seem somewhat obvious, remembering them will simplify research.
There are relatively few Danish given names, and families typically shared a small group of them. Traditionally, the first son was named after his paternal grandfather; the first daughter was named after her maternal grandmother; the second son was named after his maternal grandfather; and the second daughter was named after her paternal grandmother. If more children were born to the family, they were typically named after aunts or uncles, or they may have been given Biblical names.
The more information on siblings that can be gathered, the greater the chance of extending a Danish pedigree. Due to the popularity of names such as Peder, Hans, Jens, Karen, Marie, and Anna, these names are often duplicated in the family even within the same generation. Distinguishing between two individuals of the same name is easier if the siblings are all known, and naming patterns will become clearer.
Until the mid-1800s, Danish surnames followed a patronymic system. A father’s given name was typically used for his children’s surname. For example, Simon Pedersen’s children had the surname Simonsen (son of Simon) or Simonsdatter (daughter of Simon). Peder Simonsen, Simon’s son, gave his children the surname of Pedersen (male) or Pedersdatter (female). By the mid-1800s, this naming pattern was phased out, and one surname was passed through succeeding generations. Pedersen became the dominant surname for my family, and ultimately the spelling was changed to Peterson.
Geography. Families usually stayed in the same basic geographic region. They also tended to move together, although they were not likely to move across the country. Most of the population lived on rural farming estates. Peasants—who were a large portion of the population—were legally bound to the land by a set of laws called Stavnsbaand, which lasted from 1733 to 1788. Stavnsbaand required a male to stay within the estate or manor where he was born while he was between the ages of fourteen and thirty-six. Restrictive laws such as these simplify genealogy research. The Pedersen/Simonsen family lived within the boundaries of Brovst Parish for as long as records are available.
When families did decide to emigrate, records were created that are available in Denmark. The Danish Emigration Archives in Aalborg have the police records of emigrants from 1869 to 1940. They also have a collection of diaries, letters, portraits, and other significant items that belonged to Danish emigrants to North America. The Danish Emigration Archives is accessible online.
Interestingly, the largest wave of Scandinavian migration to North America took place in the latter portion of the nineteenth century. Most of these Danes settled in the Midwest where the weather patterns and geography resembled their homeland.
Property. Property, either owned or leased, typically passed from father to son. Similar to geographical linkage, a male usually lived on the same land where his father lived. In this sense, a family could—and usually did—live on the same farm for generations.
Chronology. The typical childbearing age for a woman was between fifteen and fifty. Couples generally had their first child one year after marriage and succeeding children were separated by two years. When researching Danish lines, any gaps between children larger than two years may signal a possible missing child in the family.
For example, Peder Pedersen and his wife, Mariane Thomasdatter, had seven children listed in the parish registers for Brovst Parish. Their first child was born in 1839, and the next child listed was not born until 1847. This gap signaled as many as three other children not listed in the parish register. A search of the neighboring parish of Norre-Sundby showed two other children born to this family in the years 1841 and 1844.
Social Status. Stories of rags to riches are seldom true. In traditional Danish society, people typically died in the same social class they were born into. Farmers were farmers for life, and manor lords rarely disowned their children—even if family lore insists that a poor choice in marriage led to shame and disapproval from all family members. The lord’s children remained in their high social class.
Record Types
There are four main record types necessary to search when performing Danish research. They are church, census, probate, and military records. However, while these records are the most often used and the most comprehensive, they are not the only records available, nor should they be the only sources used.
Church Records. The primary source for Danish research is church records. The state church of Denmark is the Lutheran Church, and all records kept prior to the Protestant Reformation were destroyed. Most parishes have records beginning in the late 1600s. By law, all births, marriages, and deaths were recorded by the parish priest, and generally, local Danish government and church records were kept on the parish level.
In later years, records of confirmations were also included in Priests’ records. With the extensive information available in each parish record, it is possible to extend a family several generations with parish records alone.
Parish records may be found and accessed through the Family History Library Catalog. Search under "Place," then enter the parish name to obtain a list of all available records.
The information found in the parish registers may vary for the early years. When parish registers were first recorded, the priest wrote information about an event in paragraph format. All events may be listed together in chronological order, or they may be separated into categories of births, marriages, and deaths.
The Danish government developed a set of forms for parish records in 1812, which standardized the information recorded for each event. After 1812, the information is easier to manipulate and more reliable. The births are together, as are the marriages and deaths. And the forms are arranged in columns of information, rather than in paragraphs. This format is helpful when trying to scan the records for a specific name or date.
Birth/christening records were made when an infant was brought to the church—typically within a week of birth. The information found in the christening record includes the name of the child, the date of christening, the parents’ names, and the godparents. Usually, the date of birth and father’s occupation were also recorded. It is important to note the names of the godparents, since they are typically relatives of the parents. Again, naming patterns will become more evident as more names are collected.
Marriage records were made either at the time of the marriage or at the time the engagement was announced. The records will list both the bride and groom, their ages, and their place of residence. Sometimes their occupations and dates of christening will also be included. Witnesses, who are typically related to the couple, will be listed. The witnesses may be the couple’s fathers, uncles, brothers, or other relatives. The rule of recording all names on the records applies here. As more family names are gathered, it will become easier to identify entire family groups.
Death and burial records were made at the time of an individual’s burial. These brief records provide the date of burial, the age at death, and the father or husband’s name.
Unlike other parts of the world, there are no large, public cemeteries in Denmark. Churchyards are used instead. Because of limited space, individual graves are marked for a maximum of twenty-five years, at which time another individual will be buried in the same place and the older headstone will be removed. Because of this practice, it is not a good idea to plan to visit ancestors’ graves from the 1700s.
Census Records. Census records in Denmark are similar to those in the United States in that most censuses enumerate every individual in a household with age, relationship to the head of the household, and occupation. Unlike U.S. decennial censuses, the Danish census occurred less regularly. The first census of major genealogical value was taken in 1787. Other censuses useful for research were taken in the years 1787, 1801, 1834, 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1901, 1906, and 1911.
Census records are kept at the county level. These records may also be located and accessed through the Family History Library Catalog by using the "Place" search feature. Unlike the U.S. census, there are no large indexes for the Danish census; however, within each county, the censuses are arranged by parish.
The following situation illustrates how a census can complement research from church records. Peder Simonsen married Maren Pedersdatter in 1809. He was nearly fifty years old. A search of the 1801 census showed him living with Kiersten Christensdatter, who was listed as his wife. No children were listed for the couple. This census record was the key to finding another complete, yet tragic, family group. A return to the church records documented the marriage of Peder and Kiersten in 1791. In searching for Kiersten’s death record prior to Peder’s second marriage, death records were also found for nine infant children born to the couple. Within a period of roughly twenty years, Peder buried at least nine children and his wife. The census provided the clue to finding the story of this family.
Probate Records. Wills and records of a decedent’s estate are found in probate records. In 1683, King Christian V passed a law requiring that anyone who died and left a child under the age of twenty-five must have his estate probated. But even without minor children, very often estates were probated. After this law was passed, probate records were kept on either the parish or county level, separate from other court records. Probate records may be located using the Family History Library Catalog.
Simon Pedersen’s probate records revealed information about his family in two cases. First, the probate record mentioned a daughter, Magarethe, whose christening was not listed in the parish records. Also, Simon’s son was not listed as an heir to the estate, indicating that he died prior to his father’s death.
Military Records. Beginning around 1788, records were kept of all individuals eligible to serve in the military. All males were listed from the time of birth until age forty-three. The parish priest compiled these records.
In addition to documenting any possible military service, these records include age, father’s name, and place of birth. The greatest feature of military rolls is that they document the move of an individual from one parish to another. If an individual moved, the military roll states which parish he moved to. A new record was made in each parish every three years. Supplemental rolls, which include records of births and moves from one parish to another, were made for interim years. Because these records document moves so well, they are very useful for genealogical research, even during times of peace. Military records were collected at the county level. They can be found using the Family History Library Catalog, arranged by parish within each county.
Record Availability
Similar to the United States, the Danish government has collected copies of important record groups. Although most of the records housed in the various Danish archives are available locally through the Family History Library and its branches, a researcher may write to any of the archives—in English—for copies of records. The National Archives in Copenhagen, which houses copies of census and emigration records, is open to the public. Also, the military archives in Copenhagen stores all of the military registers. Four regional archives collect parish records older than 100 years. They also keep copies of census and land records. Each parish may have its own local archives, either at the parish office or the city library.
Understanding the basics behind Danish tradition and recordkeeping will allow researchers to gather better research results. By learning to use the tools available, valuable time and effort can be spent analyzing information in the records, rather than learning what is contained in each record type.
Helpful Danish Web Sites
Helpful Danish Books
T.K. Derry. A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. University of MN Press, 1980. The history of Scandinavia from the Vikings to the present.
Carl-Erik Johansson. Thus They Wrote. Brigham Young University, 1970. A guide to Scandinavian paleography, especially the older Gothic script.
Hennig Bender and Birgit Flemming Larsen. Danish Emigration to the U.S.A. Danes Worldwide Archives and Danish Society for Emigration History, 1992. Danish emigration and how to find the records.
Frank Smith and Finn Thomsen, Thomsen’s Genealogical Center, 1986. Lists parishes, farms, towns, cities, etc. and maps them in detail.
Danmark (Gazetteer) J.P. Trap, G.E.C. Gad, 1958-1972. The history of Danish communities and counties (in Danish).
Jennifer P. Hansen, AG, specializes in Danish research. She works as a member of Ancestry.com’s Content Acquisition Team.
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