Churches / Kirke of Toten, Norway

Because Norway has a state church, it has been charged with collecting information (even for members of other religions) for centuries. This information includes some of the same subjects one can find in American Church records-baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths. Other information collected only in Norway includes: Small pox vaccination dates, area comings and goings. There are privacy laws in Norway that protect recent information. Older information is transferred to the regional archives and can be viewed there.

By the way, grave and grave stones are only allowed to be used for a given number of years. There is not enough land to give each person a permanent resting place so the grave is reused and the stone may be reused unless the remaining family members rent the space longer.

Because churches are so central to life in Norway, enjoy these photos of many of the Toten churches