Bygdebøker
A bygdebøk (sometimes called a Norwegian farm book) is a historical-genealogical book written for a particular community (usually a kommune or township) in Norway. You can expect these books to include a general history of the area and its local institutions and histories of its farm sites (gårdhistorie). They often detail the genealogical heritage of the families residing on the farm sites (slektshistorie), sometimes including photos, descriptions of the farm and buildings, and vital records. The format of the books is not standardized, so contents and arrangement vary and are often written in the dialect of the kommune. The books frequently do not have indexes and are written in Norwegian.
In the early 1900s, historians and skilled amateurs began writing bygdebøker using numerous sources: parish registers, census, probate, tax records, land and court records, and interviews with local residents. The kommune and private donations initially funded this farm book project, but later these chronicles gained public funding. Bygdebøker are still written for many parts of Norway. Communities whose bygebøker are many years old are writing supplementary volumes to bring them up to date. Still, there are a few areas of Norway for which a bygdebøk is not available.
Although the farm and family history sections of the books are initially the most exciting, these books also provide glimpses of traditions, superstitions, faith, legal disputes, and the everyday lives of the community's people.
Using Bygdeboker
With the correct bygdebøker identified, a layperson can interpret a wealth of information. The first step is determining the kommune (parish) and farm name. You may already have the farm's name if your ancestor has a non-patronymic surname. The Telemark region adopted fixed surnames much later than other areas of the country, but if the surname doesn’t end in -sen or -datter, there is a good chance it is the farm's name.
Family Search provides a detailed process for finding your ancestor’s kommune. Here
Census and property (Matrikkel) records are good starting points for finding farm names. The Digitalarkivet has both for many areas, and Telemark fylke property records can also be found with the Gårdsmatrikkelen searchable database.
With this information, visit the genealogy room at the next Stevne to peruse Telelaget’s extensive genealogical library of bygdebøker. Knowledgeable genealogists, translators, and many other books are unique and popular resources at each Stevne.
For a list of books in our library for each kommune, visit the kommune pages.
Or visit our complete list of books.