FINDING RECORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS, PART A ICELAND 1835 TO 1900 Beginning Icelandic researchers will also need: Genealogical Word List: Icelandic (36346) and Genealogical Word List: Danish (31029), since early Icelandic censuses and church records have some Danish words in them. If your ancestor lived in Iceland between 1835 and 1900, follow the steps in this booklet to find the records of his or her family. These instructions will show you which records to search, what to look for, and what tools to use. One piece of information will lead to another until you have identified each family member and filled out a family group record. Find your ancestor’s birth 1 record in church records. Find your ancestor’s parents 2 and brothers and sisters in the census records. Find the birth records of 2 3 1 your ancestor’s brothers and 3 sisters in church records. 4 Find the marriage record of 4 your ancestor’s parents in church records. Latter-day Saints: Now see additional instructions for submitting names for temple ordinances. The steps and tools you will need are described inside. HOW TO BEGIN—PREPARATION You should have already gathered as much information Tips as possible from your home and family and filled out family group records and a pedigree chart. You may have If you don’t know your ancestor’s birth date: checked FamilySearch™ or other computer files to see if • Start with a more recent generation. You will learn how others have researched your Icelandic family. to do research, and you will probably discover something To begin: you didn’t know about your family. A. From your pedigree chart, choose an ancestor who •Find the records for this family in the example given. was born in Iceland between 1835 and 1900. You must This will teach you basic research skills before you search know the birth date and birthplace (parish) in order for your own family. This is a good class activity. to find your ancestor’s family. It is helpful to know the county where the birth parish is located. If you don’t know the parish where your ancestor was B. Write your ancestor’s name in the children’s section of born, see “Tips” on page 6. a new family group record. Read through the instructions in this booklet. Then follow the steps below to find your ancestor’s family. Pedigree Chart Chart no. _______ Family Group Record If typing, set spacing at 1 1/2. Page of Husband Last See "Other Given name(s) name marriages" No. 1 on this chart is the same as no. _______ on chart no. _______. 8 Born (day month year) Place (Father of no. 4) LDS ordinance dates Te m p l e B E SP SS F C Cont. on chart no. Christened Place Baptized Mark boxes when ordinances are completed. When born _______ Where B Baptized Died Place Endowed 4 Thorkel THORKELSSON When married E Endowed (Father of no. 2) B E SP SS F C When died Buried Place Sealed to parents SP Sealed to parents When born Where Married Place Sealed to spouse SS Sealed to spouse Where F Family Group Record exists for this couple 9 Husband's father Last Deceased When married 17 May 1895 (Mother of no. 4) Given name(s) name C Children's ordinances completed B E SP SS Cont. on Where chart no. Husband's mother Maiden Deceased When born _______ Given name(s) name When died Where Wife Maiden See "Other Given name(s) name marriages" 2 Bjarni THORKELSSON Where When died (Father) Born (day month year) Place B E SP SS F C Where LDS ordinance dates Te m p l e When born 10 Dec 1899 Christened Place Baptized Where 10 Reykjavik, Gullbringu, Iceland (Father of no. 5) B E SP SS F C Cont. on Died Place Endowed When married chart no. 17 Oct 1922 When born _______ Write date as: 4 Oct. 1896 Buried Place Sealed to parents Where Reykjavik, Gull., Iceland Where › Wife's father Last Deceased When died 5 Sigri ur GRÍMS DR. When married Given name(s) 6 Apr 1985 (Mother of no. 2) name Where B E SP SS When died Wife's mother Maiden Deceased Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada When born 8 Feb 1872 Where Given name(s) name Where Stokkseyri, Arnes, Iceland Children List each child (whether living or dead) in order of birth. LDS ordinance dates Te m p l e 11 When died (Mother of no. 5) 1 Sex Given Last See "Other B E SP SS Cont. on name(s) › name marriages" chart no. Sigri ur GRÍMSDÓTTIR Where F Born (day month year) Place Baptized When born _______ Stokkseyri, Arnes, Iceland Where 8 Feb 1872 Christened Place Endowed 1 Jon BJARNASSON When died (Name) B E SP SS F C Where Died Place Sealed to parents When born Spouse Last Where Given name(s) name 12 Thorkell THORKELSSON (Father of no. 6) Married Place Sealed to spouse B E SP SS F C Cont. on Stokkseyri, Arnes, Iceland When married g chart no. 17 May 1895 Where When born _______ 2 Sex Given Last See "Other in name(s) marriages" iv Where name When died Born (day month year) Place Baptized L 6 When married Where (Father of no. 3) B E SP SS F C When died Christened Place Endowed When born Where Died Place Sealed to parents (Spouse) Where B E SP SS 13 Spouse Last When married (Mother of no. 6) B E SP SS Cont. on arwick, Eng. Given name(s) name Where chart no. olk, North Carolina, USA or Married Place Sealed to spouse When born _______ 3 Astrid JONSDOTTIR When died Where 3 Sex Given Last See "Other (Mother) B E SP SS Where When died name(s) name marriages" Born (day month year) Place Baptized When born Where Where Christened Place Endowed g 14 When died (Father of no. 7) P Write place as: Tryon, St. Martins, Birmingham, W Place in B E SP SS F C Cont. on Died Sealed to parents Where iv chart no. L When born _______ Spouse Last Where Given name(s) name Place 7 When married Married Sealed to spouse Your name and address (Mother of no. 3) B E SP SS When died Select only one of the following options. The option you select applies Your name When born Where to all names on this form. Where Option 1—Family File Send all 15 names to my family file at the Te mple. When died (Mother of no. 7) Address B E SP SS Cont. on Where Option 2—Temple File Send all names to any temple, chart no. and assign proxies for all approved ordinances. When born _______ Telephone number Date prepared Where Option 3—Ancestral File Send all names to the When died computerized Ancestral File for research purposes only, not for ordinances. I am including the required pedigree chart. Where Phone Date prepared ( ) Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 3/96. Printed in USA. 31826 Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10/93 Printed in USA 31827 A. Jon’s pedigree chart B. Jon begins a family group record with Sigri›ur Grímsdóttir listed as a child. THE RESEARCH PROCESS The following pages walk you through the research looks in the Family History Library Catalog for the records process. In the case study, Jon is looking for the family he wants and orders the microfilms he needs. He makes of Sigri›ur Grímsdóttir. He takes his family group records several visits to the center. Follow these same steps to and pedigree chart to a family history center. Here he find your family. Iceland 2 THE RESEARCH PROCESS Case study: Sigri›ur Grímsdóttir was born in 1872 in Stokkseyri Parish, Stokkseyrarhr., Árnes County, Iceland. Your ancestor: , , in , , , Iceland. name birth date parish clerical district county FIND YOUR ANCESTOR’S BIRTH (CHRISTENING) RECORD IN CHURCH RECORDS. (See “Church Records: Birth,” on page 9.) 1 A. At the family history center, Jon searches in (See “Naming Customs” on page 13.) He the Family History Library Catalog for the parish photocopies the record for his files. in Iceland where his ancestor was born (Stokkseyri C. On the family group record, Jon writes: Parish). Then he looks for church records. (See “Using (1) Sigri›ur’s birth information on the front, and the Family History Library Catalog,” on page 8.) (2) source information on the back (such as parish B. He finds the film number 0073715 and orders it. name, film number, volume and years covered, and He finds Sigri›ur’s birth record on the film. Her page number). surname (family name) is listed as Grímsdóttir. Number Name of Child Birth Date Christening Date Parents Christening Witnesses FIND YOUR ANCESTOR’S FAMILY IN CENSUS RECORDS. (See “National Census Records,” on page 10.) 2 A. Jon now looks for the first census after Sigri›ur’s D. Jon estimates the birth year for each family birth. Icelandic censuses are listed at the country member from the ages given in the census by level. Jon looks in the Family History Library subtracting the age of the person from the year of Catalog for Iceland, then the topic “Census–1880.” the census. (These birth years will be approximate.) B. Jon finds this census on FHL film 0073381. E. On the family group record, Jon writes: C. On the film he finds the county of Árnes, then (1) information about all family members on the the parish of Stokkseyri, where Sigri›ur’s family front, and (2) source information on the back.