Danish Probate Records
Fritz Juengling, PhD, AG®
THE PROBATE PROCESS
The probate process in Denmark began soon after the death of an individual. Immediately after
death, a notice was sent to the probate office. There was always a notice sent, but not everyone had
a probate done. Thirty days after the notice, the probate officials would meet at the home of the
deceased to inventory the estate. They REQUIRED all heirs to be present at the inventory. Sometimes it
took multiple meetings to probate the estate.
Exceptions to the rules:
 If the widow of the deceased was pregnant when the husband died, the probate would be
postponed until after the child was born. This ensured that the unborn child received their fair
share of the inheritance.
 After the probate law of 1683, no one (widow or widower) could remarry until a probate had
been held for the deceased spouse. This was used to ensure that under age children received
what was rightfully theirs before the marriage.
 Some circumstances allowed an estate to go un-probated.
GUARDIANS
Widows, women, and underage children had to have a guardian for the probate process. Widows
were usually allowed to choose their own guardian. Her guardian was typically a male relative,
especially a father or a brother. Guardians of single women and underage children were usually a
close male relative from their father’s side. If there were no male relatives from the father’s side,a
male relative of the mother’s side would be chosen. The guardian could also be a brother who was
already of age.
PROBATE RECORD PARTS
There are many types of probate records, but there are three that you specifically need to know:
1. Dødsanmeldelsesprotokoller – Death register records (notices)
2. Navneregister – name registers to the actual probate records
3. Skifteprotokoller – Probate records
Along with the records, there are four probate courts you need to know
1. Herred – Court District
2. Byfoged – City Court
3. Herred Provsti – Ecclesiastical court
4. Gods – Estate court
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ACCESSING PROBATE RECORDS
To find the court district, do the following:
FamilySearch.org> Search> Wiki> [name of town]> click on entry for your town> you should be on the
page with your town that shows the herred ‘court district’
You can then find probate records in the FHL catalog under the herred.
Remember that there are other court districts and those will not be listed under the herred. You can
find probate records under the city/town name and even the amt. So, you should search all
jurisdictions for your place.
Use these steps to access the digitized probate records:
1. Go to the website Arkivalieronline www.sa.dk.
2. Click on the drop down box under the Arkivalieronline heading. Select the option “Find din
slægt.”
3. A list should appear in a new tab. Scroll down the list and choose the option “Skifter, hele
landet.”
4. Two new dropdown boxes should appear. The first dropdown box is labelled “Amt” or county.
Select your county of choice in this dropdown box.
5. The second dropdown box is labelled “Arkiv.” This would be the archive or court district you
wish to look at. Choose your court district of choice.
6. After choosing the court district, a small list should appear under the word “Indhold.” This is a
list of records and their time periods, digitized and available for research. Choose the records
you wish to search in.
GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION IN A PROBATE RECORD
 Name, age, residence, and occupation of the deceased
 Heirs (name, age, residence, relation to the deceased
 Court Officials (rarely a relative)
 Guardians (name, residence, sometimes relation)
 Lots of legal jargon
 Inventory of the estate
 Debts and assets
TIPS AND TRICKS
 Do NOT attempt word for word translation (especially as a beginner)
 Every court organizes and records information differently
 Probate records typically begin with a date and end with signatures
 Get familiar with Key Word list
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KEY W ORD LIST
Danish
Afdøde
Arvinger
Boende
Broder (brødre)
Datter (Døtre)
Enke/Enkemand
Følgende
Gammel
Hustru
i
Kone
Lauværge/Lavværge
Mand
Med
Moder
Mydige
English
Deceased
Heirs
Living in
Brother (Brothers)
Daughter (Daughters)
Widow/Widower
Following
Old
Wife
In
Wife
Guardian
Husband
With
Mother
Of age
Danish
Nevø
Niece
Opholdsted
Paa/På
Skifte
Skifteforvalter
Skifteretten
Sogn
Søn (sønner)
Søster (Søstre)
Umyndige
Værge
Yngste
Ægteskab
Ældste
Aar/År
English
Nephew
Niece
Residence
On
Probate
Probate official
Probate court
Parish
Son (Sons)
Sister (Sisters)
Under age
Guardian
Youngest
Marriage
Oldest
Year
FOR FURTHER READING
Family Search Wiki (FamilySearch.org>Search>Wiki):
Denmark Probate Records
Danish Herred
© 2015 No part of this document may be reprinted or reproduced in any form for any purpose without prior written permission.
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