After the mid-1860s, most Norwegian emigrants left through the ports of Kristiania (Oslo), Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger. The records of departures from these ports are called passenger lists. The information in these lists varies over time but usually includes the emigrants' names, ages, occupations, last places of residence, and destination. When a family group emigrated together, the list also contains the members' relationships to the head of the household. Passenger lists are available for most ports used by Norwegian emigrants. Most are indexed at least by the first letter of the surname.

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the following original records. The film numbers are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

NORWAY - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION - [PORT].

Passenger lists.......................1867 to 1902
Indexes.................................1867 to 1902
White Star Line (unindexed)...1883 to 1902
(computer number 0253708)
These records are alphabetized by the first letter of the surname only and then listed chronologically by date. They are handwritten and often difficult to read.

Passenger lists.......................1874 to 1925
(computer number 0253796)
(A typewritten version of the Bergen lists has been copied and indexed on microfiche; computer number 0094941.)

The passenger list from Bergen is also available on the Internet at:
www.hist.uib.no/arkivverket
(Click on the 1801 census, then go to the bottom of that page and click on the Bergen emigration.)

www.uib.no/hi/1801page.html
(Go to the bottom of the page and click on the Bergen emigration.)

A good index of Norwegians who emigrated from Bergen-Quebec was made from Quebec passenger lists:

Trondheim

Passenger lists.......................1867 to 1926
(computer number 0254155)
(These lists have been indexed alphabetically by first name and surname(s). The index is on microfilm and is typewritten.)

(computer number 0362398)
The original passenger lists from Stavanger were destroyed. A list of emigrants from Rogaland County has been reconstructed from many other sources such as registers of people moving out of the parishes, newspaper articles, obituaries, and local histories. This emigrant list, known as the Rogaland emigration index, covers the earliest emigration period until the present day. It is alphabetized by the first letter only. For example, all the surnames beginning with "A" will be filed together in no particular order.

There are also passenger lists from Kristiansand (1873 to 1927, computer number 0253742), Kristiansund (1882 to 1959, computer number 0253926), and Alesund (1852 to 1923, computer number 0263842).
Passport journals also exist for Kristiansund (1837 to 1909, computer number 0253882), Alesund (1852 to 1916, computer number 0263875), and Romsdal rural district (1846 to 1925, computer number 0263894).

Emigrant kartotek Telemark frem til år 1900. (Emigrant Card Index for Telemark up to the year 1900). [S.1.:s.n., 1982]. (FHL fiche 6350054; computer number 0215687.)

An excellent index to most of the above passenger lists is found on the Internet in both Norwegian and English at:

www.hist.uib.no/arkivverket
(Click on "emigratner" and then search the list of your choice.)

• Passenger lists from Bergen to New York, 1871-1873
• Passenger lists from Bergen, 1875-1924
• Passports issued for travel to America from Bergen, 1842-1860
• Ship's lists from Bergen to New York, 1871-1873
• Emigrants from Bergen City by place of birth or residence
• Passenger lists from Kristiania (Oslo)
• Passenger lists from Kristiansand
• Emigration records from Stavanger
• Migrants from Gran parish, 1825-1900
• Migrants from Jevnaker parish, 1837-1901
• Migrants from Valdres, 1816-1867
  

Records of Norwegian Immigrants in the United States

Most early Norwegian immigrants to the United States settled in the Midwest, but many also settled in other parts of the United States and Canada.

• Passenger lists. Most Norwegian immigrants to the United States arrived at the ports of New York and Quebec. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the records of all the major North American ports. Some are indexed. See the United States Research Outline for further information about United States immigration records.
  
• County histories. Histories from the counties where Norwegians settled sometimes provide the immigrants' towns of origin.
  
• War records. Civil War service and pension records and World War I draft registration records sometimes give clues as to what a person's place of origin in Norway was.
  
• Naturalization. Naturalization records from county, state, and district courts may give important clues as to where an immigrant was from and when he or she lived there.
  
• Census records. The United States federal censuses for 1900, 1910, and 1920 list the year of immigration and indicate if a person had been naturalized
  
• Church records. Church records from Norwegian churches in America can be useful in your research. (See the "Archives and Libraries" section of this outline for an address to the Evangelical Lutheran churches in America.)