Historical Record Collections Added in October 2020

What a month! In October, 60.4 million historical records were added to MyHeritage in 7 collections from Norway, Wales, Portugal, and Germany. The collections include births & baptisms, marriages, deaths & burials, and passenger lists. With this month’s update, the total number of historical records on MyHeritage is 12.7 billion records. 

Here are more details about each of the collections:

Collection	Description	Number of Records	Link to Search
Norway Church Records, 1815-1938	An index of births & baptisms, marriages, and deaths & burials from 1815 to 1938.	42,248,250 records	Search collection now
Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms	An index of births and baptism records in Wales from 1538 to 1920.	8,242,549 records	Search collection now
Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns	An index of marriages and banns in Wales from 1539 to 1935.	3,480,047 records	Search collection now
Wales, Parish Deaths and Burials	An index of deaths in Wales from 1539 to 2005.	3,149,924 records	Search collection now
Portugal, Madeira, Index of Baptisms, 1738-1910	An index of baptisms from the island of Madeira, Portugal from 1738 to 1910.	1,676,377 records	Search collection now
Portugal, Madeira, Index of Marriages, 1574-1940	An index of marriage records from the island of Madeira, Portugal from 1574 to 1940.	871,318 records	Search collection now
Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939	An index of passengers from the port of Bremen, Germany from 1920 to 1939,	737,505 records	Search collection now

Norway Church Records, 1815–1938

This collection consists of 42.2 million indexed records and high quality scans of the original documents. The records include births & baptisms, marriages, and deaths & burials. This release is the first time the collection’s images are fully indexed and searchable — making it an indispensable resource for anyone researching their Norwegian ancestors. With this addition, MyHeritage now offers 80 million historical records from Norway.

Birth and Baptism (Fødte / Døpte) Records

The birth and baptism records contain the birthdate and the baptism date, both parents’ names, marital status, place of residence, the child’s legitimate or illegitimate status, and the names of godparents and witnesses.

Marriage (Viede, Copulerede, Ægteviede) Records

Marriage records include the bride’s and groom’s names, birthplaces, marriage date, ages, and often their places of residence and occupation. Records also indicate whether the bride or groom were single or widowed before the marriage.

Death and Burial (Døde / Begravede) Records

Burial records include the burial date, the name of the deceased person, their age, place of residence, and cause of death. Records of stillbirths (dødfødte) were recorded with the death & burial records, with a dedicated section appearing in the death registers; however, this practice was not perfect, and one can find stillbirths recorded in the births and baptisms.

To learn more about the Norway Church Records, 1815–1938, please see MyHeritage Releases Major Collection of Historical Norway Church Records, 1815–1938.

Search Norway Church Records, 1815–1938

Wales, Parish Records

For nearly three centuries the Wales Parish Records were some of the main sources of vital records documented in Wales, making them an invaluable resource for anyone researching their Welsh heritage.

On MyHeritage they appear in three separate collections — Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms; Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns; and Wales, Parish Deaths and Burials. Together, the collections consist of 14.8 million indexed historical records and cover over 450 years of Welsh history. High quality scans of the original documents will be added very soon. To learn more about the Wales, Parish Records, please see MyHeritage Releases Three Historical Record Collections from Wales.

Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms

This collection consists of 8.2 million birth & baptism records from parishes throughout Wales. The records contain the name, date of birth, date of baptism, parish, father’s name, father’s occupation, mother’s name, parent’s residence, and place of birth.

Search Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms

Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns

This collection consists of 3.4 million marriage or bann (an announcement of intent to marry) records from parishes throughout Wales. Records contain the bride and groom’s first and last name, their ages, the marriage date or bann date, the bride and groom’s father’s names, the names of the bride and groom’s parishes, and the names of their respective counties. 

Search Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns

Wales, Parish Deaths and Burials

This collection consists of 3.1 million death records from parishes throughout Wales. Records contain the given name and surname of the deceased, age upon death, birth date, burial date, death date, mother’s name, father’s name, next of kin’s name (usually spouse), parish, and location.

Search Wales, Paris Deaths and Burials

Portugal, Madeira, Index of Baptisms, 1738–1910

This collection of 1.6 million records is an index of baptismal records from the island of Madeira, Portugal. Records include the name of the child who was baptized, the full name of the father, the name of the mother, and the date and place of the baptism. Additional information about the records may also be included, such as identification codes for the page and book where the record is contained.

Though the collection is dated from 1738–1910, there are a few records that go back to as early as 1538.

Search Portugal, Madeira, Index of Baptisms, 1738–1910

Portugal, Madeira, Index of Marriages, 1574–1940

This collection is an index of marriage records from the island of Madeira, Portugal. Records include the full name of the bride, the full name of the groom, the date and place where the marriage took place, and sometimes includes the names of the bride’s parents and the names of the groom’s parents. Additional information about the records may also be included, such as identification codes for the page and book where the record is contained.

Though the collection is dated from 1574 to 1940, there are a few records that go back to as early as 1539.

Search Portugal, Madeira, Index of Marriages, 1574–1940

Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920–1939

This is a free collection consisting of passenger lists from the port of Bremen, Germany, which was a point of embarkation for emigrations from Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Records include the passenger’s given name and surname, gender, age at departure, family status, place of residence, nationality, destination place, ship name, date of departure, occupation, and port of arrival. The index includes both German nationals, as well as the millions of inhabitants of Austria, Hungary, and other Central European nations seeking opportunities or refuge in the New World. 

Starting from 1832, Bremen port officials and ship captains kept meticulous records of their ships’ passengers. In 1874, however, the Nachweisungsbureau für Auswanderer (Information Office for Emigrants), due to lack of space, decided to destroy all prior records, leaving only the lists from the last three years. Though careful record keeping was reinstituted in 1908, a bombing raid in 1944 destroyed much of what remained of the collection.

Before the bombing of 1944, thousands of records from 1920 to 1939 were moved to salt mines for preservation purposes and survived the war. It is these records that are now available on MyHeritage. The original collection is held by the Staats Archiv Bremen. The digitization was done by agreement between the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and the Bremen Society for Genealogical Investigation.

Search Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920–1939

Sample Records

Get a glimpse of October’s collections with these sample records of notable figures.

Burial Record of Edvard Grieg from Norway Church Records, 1815–1938 

The burial record of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg is in Norway Church Records, 1815–1938. Edvard famously incorporated elements of Norwegian folk music and helped define a new Norwegian musical identity that would gain international acclaim. Edvard was born in the city of Bergen, Norway, and also died there. In celebration of Edvard’s musical legacy, the city of Bergen established a museum, a music hall, and a music school in his name.

Edvard Grieg’s burial record, seen below, includes his date and place of burial, September 9, 1907 in Bergen, Norway. It also includes his date and place of birth, June 15, 1843, Bergen, Norway.

Baptism Record of Augustus Edwin John from Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms

The baptism record of famous Welsh painter, Augustus Edwin John, can be found in the Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms collection. Augustus was born in 1878, in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a coastal town in South Wales. Though he lost his mother at just six years old, he and his older sister Gwendolyn Mary John were greatly influenced by their mother’s love of art. After leaving Tenby to study in London and then later Provence, Augustus earned accolades for his drawings and portraits. He was honored with a large showing at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1954. His baptism record includes his birth date and baptism date; the baptism location; and his father and mother’s names.

Marriage record of Anne Rees and William Thomas Lewis from Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns

The marriage record of William Lewis is found in the Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns collection. William Lewis was born in Wales in 1837 to a middle-class family. In the late 1800’s he rose to prominence as a coal magnate and was awarded the title Baron Merthyr. A statue in his honor greets visitors at the entrance to Aberdare Park in South Wales. The record includes his marriage date and location, his father and mother’s names, as well as the names of his wife’s father and mother.

Burial record of Richard Wilson from Wales, Parish Deaths and Burials

One of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts, Richard Wilson was famous for his picturesque landscape paintings. Trained as a portrait artist in London, he developed a love for landscape art while training abroad in Italy and brought that perspective back with him to the United Kingdom, which later served as an influence to such luminaries as J.M.W. Turner. The record includes his burial location and date.

Baptism Record of Fernando Augusto da Silva from Portugal, Madeira, Index of Baptisms, 1738–1910

The baptism record of Madeira priest, Fernando Augusto da Silva, can be found in the Portugal, Madeira, Index of Baptisms, 1738–1910 collection. In addition to being a priest, Fernando Augusto da Silva was a professor and journalist for several local newspapers in Madeira, Portugal. His baptism record includes his father and mother’s name, his baptism date and location, as well as information on how to locate the original record.

Marriage Record of Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos & Augusta Martiniana de Olival from Portugal, Madeira, Index of Marriages, 1574–1940

The marriage record of the parents of Roman Catholic Archbishop of Goa, Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos can be found in the Portugal, Madeira, Index of Marriages, 1574–1940 collection. The record includes the marriage date and location, the names of the bride and groom, as well as information on how to locate the original record.

Passenger Record of Sir Selwyn Charles Cornelius-Wheeler from Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920–1939 

The emigration record of BBC journalist, Sir Selwyn Charles Cornelius-Wheeler, can be found in the Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920–1939 collection. Charles was born in Bremen, Germany where his father worked for the British Council. He left Germany at an early age to study at the Cranbook School in Kent, England. The passenger record includes his nationality, Great Britain; his current residence, Bremen; the date of departure, August 1927;  his age at the time of his passage, 4; and port of arrival and ship information, Southampton, England, aboard the Sierra Cordoba. Also included are his inferred birth year and a link to more information about the ship. 

Summary

We hope these valuable collections offer new avenues for your family history research. Searching these collections on MyHeritage is free. To view these records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data or Complete plan. Records from the Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists collection are free and do not require a subscription to view the records.

If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from these collections match your relatives. You’ll then be able to review the record and decide if you’d like to add the new information to your tree.

Enjoy the new collections!

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Source: My Heritage