Writing a Good Norwegian Research Query

by Linda K. Schwartz

People often wonder why they don't get any results from their queries -- "Please send me all the information you have about the Berg farm," or "Please look up the birth record of my great grandfather, Ole Olson who came from Norway sometime in the 1800s."  The problem?  It's tough for volunteers to locate correct information with little data to go on.

The best way to get good lookups and assistance from others with your genealogy research is to provide ALL the information you currently have about the individual you are researching -- in other words, write a good query! If you haven't done your homework by looking for the data that exists in the U.S. on your emigrant ancestor, you need to start there -- before asking for help with Norwegian resources.  Start by reviewing the possible resources on this web page: Research Tips: Before You Can Research in Norway.  It is very important to collect birth, death, marriage, emigration dates along with any names used and places lived. Collect that information for all family members.

Below is a form that will be helpful in collecting information and writing your query. Use that format to submit your query to message boards and mail lists and you will receive much better results!