Vágur Parish, Suðuroy, Faroe Islands Genealogy

Background

 * Vágur (Danish: Våg) is a town on the island of Suðuroy, part of the Faroe Islands.
 * It is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and was founded in the fourteenth century.
 * In 1538 the former priest Andrass gives his first Lutheran speech in the Faroe Islands in the church of Vágur. Because of this the church of Vágur was held in high esteem and regarded as one of the most sacred of the churches in the Faroe Islands.
 * In 1939 the new Church of Vágur was built, the building took several years, and the church was finally consecrated in 1939.

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


 * Vaag Bøigd
 * Vaages Bøigd
 * Vaay
 * Vaay Bøigd
 * Waaj Bye

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

 * 1745-1916 - Suðuroy Kirkjubók, 1745-1916 at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images. Contains church records from Suðuroy nordre and Suðuroy søndre sysler on the Faroe Islands. Includes parishes of Porkeri, Sumba, Hov, Vágur, Hvalba, Froðba, and Fámjin.

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.