Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On the second floor, you'll find a
study center and library.
It's free to use
the computers, microfilm viewers, and historic record books to look up your
relatives. The staff can help answer questions and steer you in the right direc-
tion at no charge, or you can pay them to do a step-by-step consultation (see
next).
Researching Your Roots:
The Emigration Center is a great resource for
those hoping to trace their ancestors' trail from the Old Country. But to get
the most out of the experience, do some homework ahead of time. Many of
the resources used by the center are digitized and available free online. Most
helpful is the official national archive at
www.arkivverket.no/digitalarkiv-
et
(free, English menus); the center also uses
www.ancestry.com
(fee) and
www.norwayheritage.com
(most useful for earlier emigrations). See what you
can find on these sites, then use the center to fill in the rest. Their library
has many resources not available online; it's lined with shelves of
bygde-
bøker
—books from farm districts all over Norway, documenting the history
of landowners and local families. When looking up relatives, it helps to know
at least two or three of the following: family surname, farm name, birth year,
and emigration year. (If your family records show two different surnames for
the same person, it's likely the one ending in -son or -sen is the surname, and
the other one is the farm name.)
Or you can pay them to do all the work for you. They charge 500 kr per
hour of research time, and estimate that most cases take about two hours of
work. If you'd like to do this, it's smart to contact them before your trip to let
them know you're coming. You can fill out the form on their website and pay
by credit card. You don't need to actually be in Stavanger to use this service,
but searching for your roots in the place where your ancestors likely took their
last steps on Norwegian soil has a certain romantic appeal.
Gamle Stavanger
—Stavanger's “old town” centers on Øvre Strandgate, on
the west side of the harbor. Wander the narrow, winding, cobbled back lanes,
with tidy wooden houses, oasis gardens, and flower-bedecked entranceways.
Peek into a workshop or gallery to find ceramics, glass, jewelry, and more.
Many shops are open roughly daily 10:00-17:00, coinciding with the arrival
of cruise ships (which loom ominously right next to this otherwise tranquil
zone).
