Vestmanna Parish, Streymoy, Faroe Islands Genealogy

Background

 * Vestmanna is a town in the Faroe Islands on the west of the island of Streymoy.
 * People in Vestmanna mainly live by the fishing-industry.
 * Population: 1232.

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

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.