Appat Parish, Greenland Genealogy

Background
Ritenbenck, Ritenbenk or Ritenbench (Greenlandic: Appat) is a former settlement on Appat Island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. The island is located in the Uummannaq Fjord.

Ritenbenck was founded in 1755 by the General Trade Company.[1] The name was an anagram of the GTC's then-chairman Christian August Berckentin

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

Census Records

 * 1834-1870 Greenland, Denmark, Censuses, 1834-18701 (in Danish) at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1834-1921 Greenland Censuses, 1834-1921 (in Danish) - incomplete indexes
 * Dansk Demografisk Database - incomplete indexes

Church Records

 * 1831-1932 - Appat/Ritenbenk Church Records - at Greenland National Archives Kirkebóger, images only, complete.
 * 1831-1909 - Church books in Appat (Ritenbenk) parish - at Danish Family Search, index and images, incomplete.

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.