Hvalvík Parish, Streymoy, Faroe Islands Genealogy

Background

 * Hvalvík (Danish: Kvalvig) is a village in the Faroe Islands, located in a valley on the east coast of the island of Streymoy.
 * It is the southern half of a twin-village situated on both sides of the valley. The villages are divided by the river Stórá. The northern half which is approximately the same size is called Streymnes.
 * Together the two villages have a population of more than 400 inhabitants.
 * Hvalvík-Streymnes is a village that has grown rapidly during the past years, mainly because of its proximity to the capital Tórshavn.
 * The church in Hvalvík is a traditional wooden church dating from 1829, built because the old Church from 1700 was ruined in a storm. It is the third oldest Church in the Faroe Islands.

Place Names
Farm names or small village names within this parish include these place names and variations:

Census Records

 * 1801-1901 Faroe Islands, Denmark, Censuses, 1801-1901 (in Danish) at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1801-1925 Danish Family Search - incomplete indexes
 * Dansk Demografisk Database - incomplete indexes

Church Records

 * 1817-1854 - Norðstreymoy præstegæld Kirkjubók, 1817-1854 at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images. Contains church records from Norðstreymoy præstegæld on the Faroe Islands. Includes parishes of Kvívík, Kollafjørður Hvalvík, Hósvík, Haldarsvík, Saksun, and Vestmanna.

Reading the Records
Because the Faroe Islands were under the jurisdiction of Denmark, many research resources relating to Denmark will be helpful in using Faroe Islands records.
 * Help Reading Danish Records:


 * Denmark Parish Register Headings provides translated examples of parish headings. You will be able to interpret much of what is in the records using these headings. Danish Word List covers typical  terms found in the records. Fixed and Moveable Feast Days for: Denmark will help you translate dates written in feast day form. Denmark surnames are patronymic and change every generation, so carefully study Denmark Names, Personal.


 * Help Reading Old Handwriting: 


 * Scandinavian Handwriting
 * Scandinavian Handwriting, part 3 - No part 2 available
 * Gothic Script and examples (Danish)
 * Gothic script help links (Danish)


 * Knowing What to Look for Next:


 * To understand the best research strategies for these records, see Denmark Church Records Christenings Guide.