Bygdebøker Available Online (Outside the National Library)

This is a curated list of Norwegian bygdebøker (local history and genealogy books)
that are freely available online outside the National Library of Norway (Nasjonalbiblioteket).

These titles are hosted by local municipalities, historical societies, or open repositories such as the Internet Archive.
All links go directly to non-NB sources.

Finding bygdebøker online can be a bit like genealogy itself — sometimes straightforward, often a treasure hunt. Websites move, municipal pages get reorganized, and what’s available one year can disappear the next. I do my best to keep this list current, but the internet is a fleeting place, and some links may change or go offline over time. If you come across a broken link or a new find, please let me know so we can keep these resources accessible for everyone.

 

Last updated: October 2025 

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Buskerud

• Hole bygdebok (bind 1–5) –
  Five-volume PDF series covering farms, families, and settlement history in Hole, hosted independently on a local server.

Nordland

• Brønnøy bygdebok – “Brønnøy slekt 2023 (bd. 1–5)” –
  Downloadable genealogy PDFs hosted by Brønnøy kommune, covering families and farms.
• Sømna bygdebok – “Sømna slekt 2019” –
  Municipal genealogy resource with downloadable PDF available directly from Sømna kommune.
• Sømna bygdebok – “Sømna skifter 2019” –
  Companion volume to the Sømna bygdebok listing probate abstracts (skifter), also available as open PDF.

Østfold

• Rømskog bygdebok (bind 1–3) –
  Settlement and local history volumes hosted directly on Aurskog-Høland kommune’s website.

Telemark

• Eidangerslekt (nettbasert bygdebok for Eidanger) –
  Searchable online bygdebok including Østre Porsgrunn and Brevik families, maintained by Eidangerslekt.no.
• Gamle Gjerpen –
  A comprehensive online bygdebok with detailed gårds- and slektshistorie, along with transcribed parish records.
• Gamle Holla – nettbygdebok for Holla prestegjeld –
  Web-based bygdebok for Holla, covering farms, cotter places, and industrial families. Curated by Holla Historielag.
• Gamle Valebø –
  Online bygdebok for Valebø (Skien) with ownership, family lineages, and historical data.

Trøndelag

• Selbuboka – “Selbu i fortid og nåtid” –
  Official web edition of the Selbu bygdebok; fully searchable and exportable by farm or volume. The site is in Norwegian.

Troms

• Karlsøy og Helgøy bygdebok –
  Digitised full text of H.D. Bratrein’s work, available via Internet Archive.

Valdres / Oppland

• Valdres bygdebok (Sør-Aurdal / Valdres region) –
  Digitised regional bygdebok available on Internet Archive, accessible worldwide.

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If you know of other bygdebøker freely available outside the National Library’s website, please contact me so I can update this list.
Your contributions help make Norwegian genealogy more accessible to researchers everywhere.

Sources: Municipal archives, local history societies, Internet Archive, and reader submissions.