A biography is a history of a person's life. In a biography you may find the individual's birth, marriage, and death information and the names of his parents, children, or other family members. Use the information carefully because there may be inaccuracies.

Few Danish ancestors were the subject of biographies; therefore, there are few Danish biographical sources. Those that exist include only the most notable citizens.

Some brief biographies have been gathered and published in collective biographies, sometimes called biographical encyclopedias or dictionaries. These usually include biographies of prominent or well-known Danish citizens. Others feature biographies of specific groups of people, such as musicians or Protestant ministers.

The following are two significant biographical encyclopedias:

Bricka, C. F. Dansk Biografisk Lexikon (Danish Biographical Encyclopedia). København: F. Hegel & Son, Inc., 1887. (FHL book Ref 948.9 D36d, vols. 1-20.)

Wiberg, S. V. En almindelig dansk Præstehistorie (A General Danish Priests' History). København: J. D. Qvist & Company, 1870. (FHL book Ref 948.9 D2w, vols. 1-4.)

Collective biographies at the Family History Library are generally listed in the Locality section of the catalog under one of the following:

DENMARK - BIOGRAPHYDENMARK, [COUNTY] - BIOGRAPHYDENMARK, [COUNTY], [CITY] - BIOGRAPHY

Also check the Surname section to see if it lists biographies for the surnames in which you are interested.

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