When doing research into your Norwegian family tree, don't forget probate-related materials! You can uncover a wealth of information such as dates of death, surviving spouse, surviving children and location, property, heir(s), and liabilities. To find digitized probate materials (skannet skiftemateriale), click here. Select the county and judicial district; for example, choose Akershus County and Bærum Lensmannskontor. For "Protocol" select the one you wish -- for example, death registrations or Dødsfallsprotokoll. A list of record books and appropriate dates will appear. Click on a link and begin your search.
Here is an example of a death registration for my gg-grandfather, Olaus Kristensen Jordbærhaugen. The record is the second one of the list (or the only one if looking at the screenshot below rather than following the provided link). The record shows what property he had: 8 cows, two
horses, and farm equipment. Son, Anton Jordbærhaugen, did become the new
lessee of the Jordbærhaugen farm. All his siblings are listed, including their whereabouts. For
example, my two great-uncles who left for America are also listed, one
in North Dakota and the other in Canada.
A screenshot of the record is below.
Happy hunting!
